An incredibly beautiful looking game, and a polished update to a decades-old RPG formula. The reason I love this game is because I love systems design, and this game probably has the best systems design of any monster-catching JRPG I've ever played. It has a reputation for difficulty, and for good reason. It's very hard. As an example, the first boss took 6 tries and hours of prep for me to take down. But that difficulty is simply a vehicle for the game to deliver to the player thorough understanding of its various battle systems. Once you understand your options and you understand how to manipulate those options, then there's no fight you can't win.

The graphics and the music are amazing. They're moody and dark in a unique, engaging way. You can feel a weight of despair and hopelessness in the environment around you as you play. And mastering that environment gives you a unique sense of accomplishment.

The only cons I have are for the story. The themes of the story have to do with the responsibility of divine forces and how power detaches people from the plight of others. It's somewhat effective, but the story introduces a cast of characters that you barely get to interact with. And these characters are so detached from the ludonarrative that they feel like an annoyance every time the game asks you to care about them. It's like they tried to introduce the school life part of persona, but without any of the systems to make that school life relevant. In a game about detachment, it is very good at making me feel detached. I haven't decided if this is poor game design or genius game design yet. Maybe it's both.

Maybe I'll pick the game back up to finish the last dungeon, but I doubt it. It was a great experience to learn, but it asks for a lot of repetition in its final hours. That's not necessarily my cup of tea.

If you've never played an SMT game before, this is a great one to start with.