I have a few confessions Persona 5 Gaf,
As I was sitting and reading through some of the reaction threads to Altus' stance on censorship towards this game. I could really feel Gaf on how strongly they disliked censorship. But, alas at the same time, I had a nagging feeling about this game in particular. Something I could not quite shake off.
2 weeks ago, on a whim, I decided to digitally buy the game. Got about a few hours in before my significant other decided they would do the same.
Since then, I have bought the game not only digitally, but I bought a physical PS4 copy and am looking to get a PS3 copy. Oh, and I have the soundtrack on iTunes.
If that wasn't entertaining enough, my significant other has been digging deep into the Ebay gold mines to look for deals on getting Persona 1,2,3,and 4. They have decided this morning to buy a second PlayStation TV so they can play Persona 4 Golden-- ontop of getting a new copy of Vanilla Persona 4. While Persona 1 might be a challenge to find, I am sure we can both find a copy, we're just that dedicated to this series now.
I would have to say I got hooked around the 20 hour mark. The drive to play this game was so bad and strong, I was literally losing sleep last week just thinking about jumping back into this. But now with the honeymoon phase come and gone, I have taken a lot of time to reflect on this one game in particular.
I am really impressed with the level of story consistency, and dialog with this title. Not only has it been consistent with coming back and explaining key points--
It does so in a very interesting and engaging angle!
There has not really been one time during my now 60hour journey that has really put a bad stain on it.
All of the characters motivations are explained, expanded upon, and revised as the plot continues to grow. The dialog is witty and very well written. Knowing full well that at the start of this long adventure--that this was a JRPG--I would run into elements I would not understand. While during the school segments, I often did not fully understand Japanese lingo or lore, the dialog of the teacher did not make me feel like a complete idiot for not understanding what it meant. This is something I appreciate as an American playing a JRPG. I enjoy being quiz'ed and not feeling completely egg faced when I don't understand how Japanese government works.
The combat, is very fluid and I would have to say one of the best I have ever seen in a long while. So long in fact, I can't really pin it on any one particular game that followed a similar formula. The weakness/strength system is fair, and this game does NOT allow you to auto pilot. In Palace 5, they really took me on an endurance ride for the last portion of that. I actually was a little caught off guard-- but also appreciated they wanted to challenge my mettle.
That final boss fight in Palace 5? Went down to the wire. One more hit from the bosses super move would have Game Over'ed me. LOVED IT.
UI is some of the strangest I have seen in awhile. Loud, and Proud. I don't completely understand it yet, but this super flat graphic designy style really works with the attitude of the game. I would like to know more about the artist and team that worked on this UI design! I would be really interested in seeing some of their own personal works not tied to Persona 5.
Overall pacing is some of the best I have seen in years. System messages and explanations of mechanics or gimmicks was clear and concise. But everything also made sense in the context of the theme of the Palaces and pacing outside of the Palaces made sense to me as a player. For example; the Beginning of the Kamoshida's Palace and sequences following going in and out of the Palace made sense in term of story flow. Cause and effect if you will. Each location opened up or Palace, served a purpose and did not waste your time. I guess this could also tie into their Calendar system, the game does a really good job of saying, 'Here is the Game Over Conditions, you can play up to this point however you want and then you'll game over'. So far I am up to Palace 6 [Casino], and I've chosen to get the Palace objectives completed with in 5 Calendar days if and when possible. I did have a few times where I committed my day to a confidant, the game never ever punished me for doing so. I really like this approach to game design very much. Yeah, you're under the gun to get the objective done, but if the game throws a wrench in your Day 4 plan, it's completely fine to lose time in this manner. This also really allows a lot of players to break the monotony of their experiences. So my Palace 5 can be completely different from another Gaffers Palace 5 experience.
Phew that's a lot of words and sentences. To wrap up this post in a large shiny bow, this game is a very good example of development time and budget well spent. I whole heartily believe the team deserves all the praise and success they get for making this title. Well done all those parties involved! Have a digital cookie on me!
I hope other game studios take notice of their success!! This is a lot of elements done right, in an era where we get a lot of Day-1 patches!
