What I love about Persona 5 can’t be expressed in one single review, but I’ll try my best.

First, the combat. I enjoyed the 1 More and Baton Pass mechanics, and are a highlight of Persona 5. Exploiting the enemies weakness, getting a one more and baton passing to another party member is exhilarating. Successfully baton passing to the fourth party member (or in other words, 3 times) and then seeing the ensuing damage that is dealt is awesome. This gameplay loop is addictive and makes the combat feel more dynamic.

Next, the confidants. I’ll be the first to admit that some confidants are better than others. I won’t go into detail so as to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but either way I really enjoyed the confidant portion of this game. While not obligatory to progress through the game, I found myself wanting to continue ranking up with these characters, hearing their stories, their struggles and seeing how they came to be resolved. The game provides extra incentive for ranking up with these characters by gaining benefits that can help you as the game progresses. Again, some of these benefits are more useful than others. Regardless, I recommend speaking to each confidant at least once so you can gauge their characters.

Now I want to talk about the music. I won’t spend too long on this part as I think everyone and their dog has heard at least one track from this game. I’d be remiss though if I didn’t at least mention how wonderful this game's soundtrack is. I’m not a music buff so I can’t give this OST the flowers it deserves, but the long short of it is that this game has my favorite OST of any game I’ve played.

Moving on, we have the dungeon design. In this game there are two types of dungeons: Palaces, which are dungeons based on a specific person’s cognitive distortions. And then there’s Mementos, which is a dungeon based on the psyche of the general population. Palaces are specific to one character and act as the main dungeon for that portion of the game, whereas Mementos is a dungeon that can be accessed throughout the game. Mementos is pretty cool, it has an aesthetic that, in my opinion, does a good job of visualizing the cognitive distortions of the general population. Progressing through Mementos can be a bit repetitive, but I think it’s worth it as it’s a good option for leveling up outside of the Palaces. There are also unique conversations between characters that can only be heard inside of Mementos. Going back to Palaces, these are once again a highlight for Persona 5. Each one is so unique, and contains different puzzles for the player to solve in order to progress. These puzzles make the dungeons feel less like a slog to get through and more like an actual challenge you want to complete.

Next I want to talk about the character. I briefly alluded to them in the confidants section, but I love the characters in this game. The Phantom Thieves is full of great characters that come together and feel not only like a tight-knit group of friends, but an actual team. The non-party member confidants also add so much with their stories and personalities. The villains are also well-written. As a whole, this cast of characters is fantastic and this game wouldn’t rate as highly for me if they weren’t as good as they are.

For the second to last section, I want to touch on the various things you can do outside of combat, story and confidants. The part-time jobs are actually kinda enjoyable, believe it or not, such as the flower shop position. The minigames are also really enjoyable, such as the batting cages, fishing, and the retro games. These activities provide a nice reprieve from the story, which leads into the next section.

The story is a strong point of contention for many people that have played Persona 5, but I personally was hooked by P5’s story. From beginning to end, Palace to Palace, this is some of the most fun I’ve had with a story. Is it perfect? No, it most certainly isn’t. But this game had a profound effect on me as a person and the narrative was a big part of that.

Overall, I can’t recommend this game enough. I think that even if you’re just in for the main story and don’t pay too much attention to anything outside of that, you’re in for a treat. Nonetheless, I would recommend taking the time to explore this game, its characters, and everything it has to offer. This is one experience you won’t want to miss.

I really, really wanted to LOVE this game, but I personally I think it's just OK. I'm not a huge fan of the world. It's a bit boring for my taste and often at times felt too big, even when you're running around the place. The cyberspace levels were cool, I enjoyed the replayability of them. The combat is decent. I wasn't really impressed by the delivery of the story. I think there is something there, but this game missed the mark in this department. This is by no means a bad game, but it didn't impress me the way I thought it would. I hope the next 3D game is a bit better than this.

Apollo Justice is frankly one of the best games in the entire series. The perception mechanic was a bit frustrating but still a great mechanic that helped set the tone of the game. This game aims to provide a more mature experience, which is apparent in the soundtrack, dialogue, and shift in tone from previous entries. This game has one of the most well crafted stories in the Ace Attorney franchise. If you played the OG trilogy and are on the fence as to whether or not you should continue, let this review be a sign to go for it. With the exception of the Miles Edgewroth games, I have played every mainline game from Phoenix Wright to the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and I can confidently say this game is worth your time.