4.5★ - I love the game.
I absolutely adore this game, its characters, and its setting. There is so much charm to it all which makes it even more frustrating being a queer person and female-identifying to play certain sections of this game. I want to get this out of the way before talking about everything else but the way women are treated by some of the male characters and the treatment of characters exploring their sexuality and gender isn't really the best and at times come off as bigoted or as if the writers lacked the proper understanding to really pull off those subjects. I did finish Kanji's social link and I'm okay with him accepting himself and not having a confirmation of his sexuality but when even late into the game when he still clearly has a thing for Naoto and is still getting shit for questioning his sexuality is uncomfortable. Then there's Nato who I didn't manage to finish her social link but I did get enough Trans vibes from her dialogue and arc that I understand why people do call her trans. I'm aware she accepts herself as a woman at the end of her social links and I think that it's her own discussion, but how she is treated when she wants to be male does come off as a bit transphobic to me.
Now that I have that out of the way. Inaba is such a lovely place. I adore the aesthetic of small Japanese towns so this game's location was a treat to basically live in. Along with its many inhabitants. I did love Nanako and Dojima's struggles and growth as a family and at times did wish I could see the actions of the social links affecting how they acted towards each other during the story but I understand how that wouldn't be too logistically possible. Kanji's acceptance of his love for "typically" feminine activities like sewing and being able to still be a man while doing such activities. Rise learning that having multiple faces that you show to others are still facets of yourself. I won't really mention the other characters cause while they were good social links they didn't speak to me as much as the others.
The game's combat is solid as to be expected from an Atlus RPG. My biggest complaint really is the boss fights. They weren't too tough and tended to last too long when you know the gimmick and find yourself repeating the actions for a good couple of minutes until the sponge of a health bar finally depletes.
The story is an interesting mystery and fun to think about but in the end, I don't really think it's a mystery you can go back to the start and find clues left as to who the killer was. The game basically doesn't leave a clue. Which I guess makes sense since the police couldn't figure it out. But it would be nice for repeat playthroughs to notice things that could be a tip-off to who the killer is.
This game is super solid and great if you want to enjoy some JRPG combat and some slice-of-life stories that take place in a small Japanese town. I'm left excited to play Persona 5 for the gameplay and visual improvements but don't see the characters and setting topping Inaba and its locals to me. This game will have a special place in my heart due to how great the characters are to hangout with. This game truly is a friend simulator.
I absolutely adore this game, its characters, and its setting. There is so much charm to it all which makes it even more frustrating being a queer person and female-identifying to play certain sections of this game. I want to get this out of the way before talking about everything else but the way women are treated by some of the male characters and the treatment of characters exploring their sexuality and gender isn't really the best and at times come off as bigoted or as if the writers lacked the proper understanding to really pull off those subjects. I did finish Kanji's social link and I'm okay with him accepting himself and not having a confirmation of his sexuality but when even late into the game when he still clearly has a thing for Naoto and is still getting shit for questioning his sexuality is uncomfortable. Then there's Nato who I didn't manage to finish her social link but I did get enough Trans vibes from her dialogue and arc that I understand why people do call her trans. I'm aware she accepts herself as a woman at the end of her social links and I think that it's her own discussion, but how she is treated when she wants to be male does come off as a bit transphobic to me.
Now that I have that out of the way. Inaba is such a lovely place. I adore the aesthetic of small Japanese towns so this game's location was a treat to basically live in. Along with its many inhabitants. I did love Nanako and Dojima's struggles and growth as a family and at times did wish I could see the actions of the social links affecting how they acted towards each other during the story but I understand how that wouldn't be too logistically possible. Kanji's acceptance of his love for "typically" feminine activities like sewing and being able to still be a man while doing such activities. Rise learning that having multiple faces that you show to others are still facets of yourself. I won't really mention the other characters cause while they were good social links they didn't speak to me as much as the others.
The game's combat is solid as to be expected from an Atlus RPG. My biggest complaint really is the boss fights. They weren't too tough and tended to last too long when you know the gimmick and find yourself repeating the actions for a good couple of minutes until the sponge of a health bar finally depletes.
The story is an interesting mystery and fun to think about but in the end, I don't really think it's a mystery you can go back to the start and find clues left as to who the killer was. The game basically doesn't leave a clue. Which I guess makes sense since the police couldn't figure it out. But it would be nice for repeat playthroughs to notice things that could be a tip-off to who the killer is.
This game is super solid and great if you want to enjoy some JRPG combat and some slice-of-life stories that take place in a small Japanese town. I'm left excited to play Persona 5 for the gameplay and visual improvements but don't see the characters and setting topping Inaba and its locals to me. This game will have a special place in my heart due to how great the characters are to hangout with. This game truly is a friend simulator.