It’s going to be a bit hard for me to write about my feelings for this game so please pardon me if I loose a bit of focus in this review.
One of the greatest games I think I’ve ever played. I know the gameplay is a bit controversial with people due to it changing directly commanding party members like a traditional RPG to having them being AI but I think it’s very overhated and adds more to the immersion of the game. Sure, some of the quirks of the AI can be a bit annoying but if you know how to fully take advantage of the tactics menu it’s not a big issue. The story present here is so unexpectedly mature and thoughtful and it’s made better with likeable characters who you grow to care about throughout the game thanks to excellent writing. The day cycle is such a unique gameplay feature that I rarely see other RPGs do. It’s nice to have breaks in between the dungeon crawling and story events by making friends or going shopping. The social links themselves are very good as well (aside from the gourmet king) and a smart way of implementing side characters into the story. The main characters themselves are great too. Some of my favourites were Aigis, Mitsuru and Shinji (Elizabeth too but idk if I would consider her to be a “main” character). The actual gameplay during the Dark Hour is also a lot of fun. Personas are a pretty neat concept and having the ability to essentially have multiple movesets at your disposal adds another layer of strategy to the game that I really enjoy. Tartarus, while it can be tedious sometimes, is a fun area to explore and fight enemies in. I also like how each block changes the visual style to keep things interesting as you progressively make your way up. Overall I greatly enjoyed my time with this game. I would highly recommend playing it, especially if you love character-focused stories in media.
One of the greatest games I think I’ve ever played. I know the gameplay is a bit controversial with people due to it changing directly commanding party members like a traditional RPG to having them being AI but I think it’s very overhated and adds more to the immersion of the game. Sure, some of the quirks of the AI can be a bit annoying but if you know how to fully take advantage of the tactics menu it’s not a big issue. The story present here is so unexpectedly mature and thoughtful and it’s made better with likeable characters who you grow to care about throughout the game thanks to excellent writing. The day cycle is such a unique gameplay feature that I rarely see other RPGs do. It’s nice to have breaks in between the dungeon crawling and story events by making friends or going shopping. The social links themselves are very good as well (aside from the gourmet king) and a smart way of implementing side characters into the story. The main characters themselves are great too. Some of my favourites were Aigis, Mitsuru and Shinji (Elizabeth too but idk if I would consider her to be a “main” character). The actual gameplay during the Dark Hour is also a lot of fun. Personas are a pretty neat concept and having the ability to essentially have multiple movesets at your disposal adds another layer of strategy to the game that I really enjoy. Tartarus, while it can be tedious sometimes, is a fun area to explore and fight enemies in. I also like how each block changes the visual style to keep things interesting as you progressively make your way up. Overall I greatly enjoyed my time with this game. I would highly recommend playing it, especially if you love character-focused stories in media.