Persona 4 is an interesting piece that explores the value of truth and acceptance. It serves as a welcome addition of a more light-hearted approach following its predecessors. The way the game approaches the importance of truth poses very interesting scenarios. Sometimes the truth will hurt, sometimes the truth will provide security. Other times, the truth shouldn't decide the lives you live in the now. The best you can do is seek your own truth and if you don't like it? Overcome that truth and be the change you desire. Many are quick to point out flaws in Persona 4's character writing, however I feel it to actually be a strong suit. Most if not all character arcs tend to lean into the overall theme and different ways it can impact an individual leading to different opinions and outcomes for you to resonate with yourself. I won't disregard some issues within particular dialogue choices the game tends to lean into however I feel as though when you consider what the game is trying to tell you within these arcs, you'll find that the core of what it's saying is worth the investment.

I do not like this game. From a gameplay standpoint, the game is fun enough. Albeit a bit too easy at times, there's still a lot of enjoyment to be had. However, narratively it more than falls flat. The premise is riddled in hypocrisy and self-righteousness to an annoying degree. Persona 5 wishes to challenge the structure of societal power and the influence it has on community. The solution? Continue the cycle and engage in a dystopia where the law of morality is treated as black and white decided by a standalone group. This foundation has the potential to be interesting had they recognized this glaring issue in ideology and explored the repercussions this line of thinking presents but it doesn't. It seems like the game sort of acknowledges this, having few moments of doubt that are quickly washed away because the protagonist group are surrounded by "Yes Men". The motive behind your actions are treated as reforming society to further enable free will, this justification gets immediately invalidated when you consider that the Phantom Thieves don't just target those in power but also normal citizens. Brainwashing even a person for simply cheating in a video game. One piece of praise I can give is that the new Royal section of the game does a good job in reflecting the behavior presented through a more extreme yet arguably more well intended motive than yourself making for an interesting foil. Moving on to other aspects of the narrative, the character writing is also weak. Nearly all of the characters unfortunately fall into backwards development. Whenever their respective arcs end, they immediately fall back into their previous selves and the surrounding casts don't learn from their actions. Ann continues to be sexualized by her friends despite being a subject of harassments, Morgana continues to treat Ryuji poorly despite learning the impact his words have, Makoto continues restricting her peers. The negativity I feel is also amplified from the sheer amount of smug these characters have for what they're doing making them unbearable at times to listen to as a player. The game relies on containing hype moments and high stakes to make you feel something for the story but when you take a step back and consider what it's trying to tell you, it sucks.