This review contains spoilers
The good:
Themes: The overall theme of this game is strong. The acceptance of what you cannot control, the meaning of life and death, how forming bonds with others gives meaning to life and so much more. The message here is very good, it's a shame it's mostly rushed.
Music: While I would recommend installing a music mod for more variety in battle. The ost here is an absolute banger like every Persona game.
Persona System: The whole fusion system is surprisingly fun. Though it can be a bit annoying when doing some of Elizabeth's ability specific fusion missions.
Social Links / characters: It's the heart of the game. Some are stronger than others. Akinari and Aigis are the best. Some characters get great arcs, some get absolutely nothing.
The bad:
The pacing: I did not enjoy this game, or rather, I enjoyed the last 10 - 20 hours. 80% of this game is nothing, it does literally nothing but keep you busy with a poorly done school sim. Pacing is a huge issue in this game, so much of it is wasted to the point that the entire story is literally told within the last 3 months of the game. Because of this things feel very rushed, characters aren't given the time to properly connect in the way the game wants you to feel they are.
Tartarus: Lets be real if you enjoy this something is wired wrong in your brain. 200+ floors of the same thing over and over again.
The Answer: Doesn't need to exist.
Advice:
Mod the shit out of this game.
Party control. Music variety. HD rework. Character voice lines. New Moon Balance Patch. And anything else you may want.
There is zero point in playing the vanilla version of this game. It's not fun. I played this game at x4 and x6 speeds I couldn't imagine playing it normally, I most likely would've dropped it and not for its length but rather how it does nothing meaningful with the majority of its length.
If this game is truly getting a remake it needs to be COMPLETELY reworked from the ground up. Because while the game has some good things about it, those things are done better elsewhere and where it gets things wrong it gets them insanely wrong.
This isn't just a 'product of the time' this was a mess of a game on launch, Atlus had already made better in previous games and other franchises had already tackled its themes better.
Themes: The overall theme of this game is strong. The acceptance of what you cannot control, the meaning of life and death, how forming bonds with others gives meaning to life and so much more. The message here is very good, it's a shame it's mostly rushed.
Music: While I would recommend installing a music mod for more variety in battle. The ost here is an absolute banger like every Persona game.
Persona System: The whole fusion system is surprisingly fun. Though it can be a bit annoying when doing some of Elizabeth's ability specific fusion missions.
Social Links / characters: It's the heart of the game. Some are stronger than others. Akinari and Aigis are the best. Some characters get great arcs, some get absolutely nothing.
The bad:
The pacing: I did not enjoy this game, or rather, I enjoyed the last 10 - 20 hours. 80% of this game is nothing, it does literally nothing but keep you busy with a poorly done school sim. Pacing is a huge issue in this game, so much of it is wasted to the point that the entire story is literally told within the last 3 months of the game. Because of this things feel very rushed, characters aren't given the time to properly connect in the way the game wants you to feel they are.
Tartarus: Lets be real if you enjoy this something is wired wrong in your brain. 200+ floors of the same thing over and over again.
The Answer: Doesn't need to exist.
Advice:
Mod the shit out of this game.
Party control. Music variety. HD rework. Character voice lines. New Moon Balance Patch. And anything else you may want.
There is zero point in playing the vanilla version of this game. It's not fun. I played this game at x4 and x6 speeds I couldn't imagine playing it normally, I most likely would've dropped it and not for its length but rather how it does nothing meaningful with the majority of its length.
If this game is truly getting a remake it needs to be COMPLETELY reworked from the ground up. Because while the game has some good things about it, those things are done better elsewhere and where it gets things wrong it gets them insanely wrong.
This isn't just a 'product of the time' this was a mess of a game on launch, Atlus had already made better in previous games and other franchises had already tackled its themes better.