• peppersky [he/him, any]
    ·
    4 days ago

    The game is pretty good and I've enjoyed what I've played of the demo so far (I'm like halfway through the first real story dungeon after the game opens up) and would continue playing if it didn't have Denuvo and I could just crack it, but that's mostly just because I find the modern Persona gameplay loop to be pretty damn addictive and this game is really just a Persona game with an old/new coat of paint.

    Sure the games combat system is more refined and the demon negotiation/fusion mechanics have been replaced by a job system but that's about where the changes end. It is surprisingly well-paced and the new mechanic that allow you to automatically beat lower-leveled enemies is a welcome addition, but I couldn't tell you if the writing is any better or worse than in the previous Persona games or if it is just harder to tell when a game isn't set in our real world and only tackles real-life issues through metaphor and fantasy. It's certainly as anime as it comes, with heavy-handed fantasy racism, very obvious foreshadowing and the likes.

    In some ways it does feel like a step back, like I didn't enjoy Persona 5 that much, mostly because it was just too repetitive and the writing wasn't quite there, but I you gotta give it some kind of credit for trying to tackle serious real-life issues in a direct way, even if it missed the mark more than it hit. Following up that game with this does feel kinda cowardly.