Dunno about if you go ng+ with max stats but in a fresh playthrough the Fate Slink rank 7 seems pretty much mandatory if you want to get at least close to having most slinks maxed out.
So I heard the game limits you to one romantic interest from your co-ops this time, is that true? Trying to decide whether to go for
Takemi or Kawakami
.
Also if that is the case, does anyone know if who you choose affects any story related events later (as in the story acknowledging the relationship)?
Depends on the rate of play I guess, but every moment of it is wonderful. I'm about the same number of hours in and almost to the 3rd. Haven't been doing any mementos missions after the mandatory first one though. Going to save them all up and take out as many as I can in one go later.
So I heard the game limits you to one romantic interest from your co-ops this time, is that true? Trying to decide whether to go for
Takemi or Kawakami
.
Also if that is the case, does anyone know if who you choose affects any story related events later (as in the story acknowledging the relationship)?
Depends on the rate of play I guess, but every moment of it is wonderful. I'm about the same number of hours in and almost to the 3rd. Haven't been doing any mementos missions after the mandatory first one though. Going to save them all up and take out as many as I can in one go later.
Just keep in mind that there are Slink related memento missions that halt your progress and that some missions need you to spend time on reconnaissance. The longest took me 3 day blocks
working at the Shibuya convenience store
.
So don't save them until the very end or you'll probably won't be able to progress in some of them.
As I posted, I finished Persona 5 on Saturday night. I played on Hard and clocked in at 133 hours. The inflated play time is due in large part to the fact I streamed 95% of my play time and I translated as I did that. So you can knock off like 50 hours from that.
There’s so much to talk about in the game that it’s hard to figure out where to start. I think the first thing is the fact that it is one of the most polished games I’ve ever played. The development team took their experiences with the two prior Persona games and really refined their ideas to bring out the best in them. The game that it reminds me of greatly is The Witcher 3. Both games present the best each respective series offers and the amount of effort and thought put into them is very much apparent.
The gameplay is absolutely the best the series has to offer so far. They’ve added a lot to combat to make it a much more enjoyable experience. Of the things they added, I feel like Baton Touch is the game changer. It in essence gives the game a feel a little closer to Press Turn while still being One More. You’re able to give other members the ability to take action after a down. It gives attack and healing bonuses too so making good use of it really opens up how you fight. When you combine this with the new elements and spells, there are a lot more things to consider as you play than before. It’s not only in combat that gameplay is improved though. The game has two types of dungeons so you have something whether you’re a P3 or P4 fan. In addition, the Cooperations (Social Links in previous games) provide a ton of benefits outside of just persona fusion bonuses making them all useful to playing the game. They’ve even polished this aspect out by laying out Cooperations in a much more even manner meaning that you’ll have things to do both at night and during the day. You won’t have to do everything during the day.
They also show how much they learned on the story and characters front. In my opinion, this is the best Persona game for both of those. The story is well written and well plotted. It never drags and never fails to be engaging. One that really struck out about the writing is that it feels like the writers grew up and knew the problems with the previous games. Persona 3, which I adore, definitely has an edge or overdramatic feel to a lot of its writing. Persona 4 leans too much on its tropes. In Persona 5, it feels natural and the interaction between the cast and their actions in the story feel much more real, for lack of a better word. The thematic elements, messages, and imagery remain consistent and on point throughout. The game is also dark. Persona 3 is dark but in a very abstract way (imagery, mood, etc) where Persona 5 is dark because it’s very tangible and heavy. The first story in the game will surprise a lot of people that play it.
Persona 5’s characters are in a place similar to the writing. They’re not overdramatic as Persona 3 nor are they overly trope-y like Persona 4. It really takes the strengths of both prior games and combines them. The characters have their own individual problems they deal with but they aren’t weighed down by them. Their interactions feel natural and their chemistry is really good. There are few canned gags/routines but is used with restraint. It also really helps that the Cooperations also manage to really flesh out the character’s overall arc through the game while still being fun at the same time. This can be said of the non-party member Cooperations as well. They flesh out the characters amazingly well, much better than the previous games, and are still feel fun. Their integration into the main story is very well done to boot, creating a much more cohesive product.
On the sound front, the music is absolutely fantastic. Their decision to go with jazz as the main influence was absolutely perfect. There are a ton of great tracks and I think it’ll hold up much better than the prior games in the long run. However, what I really want to praise is the voice acting in the Japanese version. Most VAing in Japan is pretty standard stuff. It all really blends together after a while. Persona 5 avoids this by having their cast really step it up. There’s a lot more emotion and nuance to the VA work than what I’ve seen form other titles. When combined with the writing, the VA work really makes some scenes have a real impact to them. Even for the veteran actors in the group, it’s just a whole other level of work in this game.
I’ve heaped a lot of praise on the game but I do have a few problems with the game. The graphics could be a little better, particularly the textures. It’s pretty good overall and oozes style but the signs and the like are really awful looking. Another problem is that the shop menus and the party menu are overdesigned at times, reducing the overall usability. They look great but there are sometimes too many things flying around or it’s annoying to read because of the layout. Some of the sound effects that play when you press buttons or do some things are also really annoying as well. The game also as few problems due to the structure. It’s not a huge deal but it’s something that obviously needs to be fixed at some point down the line. Later characters don't get as much interaction time with the cast reducing their overall presence and impact when that shouldn't be the case.
In the end though, that stuff is sort of minor. The game itself manages to nail everything else. After beating the game, I feel that the game is good enough to make it on my top games of all-time list pretty easily. It’s so good that it actually makes me a little worried about whether or not they can live up to the expectations they’ve set for themselves if and when they decide to do a Persona 6.
Light Spoilers from here on. If you know who’s in the cast, then you can read these. Just my thoughts on them in general.
MC: I really like his design and the fact he has a legit background really helps give him a bit of a personality. It’s just a little bit though as you can still role play as you like but he definitely has a sense of humor/sarcasm that isn’t overly strange or contradicts his look.
Ryuuji: He’s the moodmaker and the delinquent of the group. Ryuuji can be a little frustrating at times because he’s a bit brash and loud. Some other folks can attest to this, lol. The energy he brings to the cast is really good though. He fits in the same role as Yosuke and Junpei as the MC’s “best friend” and he’s overall better than either of them despite a few of his own problems. He also feels like a better delinquent than either Shinjiro or Kanji.
Ann: She’s a pretty interesting character as far as Persona characters go. As far as I’ve seen, she’s not so much concerned about herself as she is others, especially her friends. It’s a pretty stark contrast to Chie and even Yukari. Both fill the same role as she does as the MC’s first female friend and the person that has a dynamic with the MC’s male best friend. Even there though, she’s unique because her relationship with Ryuuji is far less antagonistic than Chie was with Yosuke or Yukari with Junpei. In fact, Ryuuji and Ann really play off each other well as she’s the other moodmaker of the group in many respects. She has some of the funniest moments in the game.
Morgana: I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the cat but I was pretty satisfied. Definitely my favorite character in the slot. Teddie and Aigis don’t compare. Morgana has some great sound clips too like “YOSSSSH’ which was great every time I heard it.
Yusuke: Literally the starving artist. He’s kind of the weird one out of the cast but not so much so that it’s bad. It’s just unique and adds some real flavor. It’s sort of hard to compare him to other chars is the only thing. He also has some of the most hilarious moments in the game.
Futaba: The other strange one (relatively speaking) along with Yusuke. I really like her character and her story is VERY, VERY compelling. Easily blows the other navigators out of the water though that isn’t very hard. Her voice actress did a really amazing job as well.
Makoto: I like her a lot. It’s hard to pin which character slot she really fits in because she has a few different elements we’ve seen from elsewhere in the series on top of her own thing. It was really refreshing having her though because she balances the team out without adding a lot of extra quirkiness.
Haru: The character that’s easy to classify, she’s Mitsuru + Yukiko + Fuuka in many respects. She’s a little quirkier but in a funny way. I didn’t get her as far as I had hoped in her cooperation but one of her early ones is hilarious and horrifying.
Goro: What time is it? It’s time for justice! That’s all really. I kinda like the character but all he talks about is justice so it’s a little silly.
Other characters: The support cast in this is really great. All of the Coops were fantastic. Toranosuke Yoshida gets special mention here because he really has a great little tale in his. Soujiro as well, easily one of the coolest characters we’ve had in Persona
BIG SPOILERS, DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE GAME, THIS IS A WARNING.
Adults are fucking scumbags in this game, lol. There’s the shit that happens in Story 1 with Kamoshida but the others are no different and equally bad. The big thing is that we see the effects of Kamoshida’s shit first hand which makes it visceral. Then there’s the stuff that happened with Futaba both in her dungeon and in her back story. =/ At least it’s balanced out a bit because Soujiro is goddamn amazing. His scene with Futaba and the MC in LeBlanc had some serious feels. ;_;
I’m pretty split on Goro. I like the concept of his story and his position in the cast but I feel like they didn’t build it up enough to have the impact it should. This was easily the most telegraphed twist as well so I felt like they absolutely needed to make it compelling for the player. Also, pancakes.
On the character front, I feel like Haru definitely should have been introduced to the cast much sooner than she was. As a result of being the last main party member to join the group, she really doesn’t get time to meld into the party as well as the others did and while she fits the dynamic, we don’t really get to see her interact as much as we should have gotten. It’s a bit of a shame because she seems like a fun character. When she took the MC to drink Black Ivory coffee in her cooperation, I just had to laugh at his reaction. Then she went on to mention cats did it too and thought about whether Morgana would do it or not…I almost died from laughter on stream.
The run to the end through the last dungeons really reminded me of Nocturne a lot. It was a pretty cool aesthetic to bring back.
I also really appreciated that they stayed on point with the themes and had a few messages to convey to the player. Totally flipping the viewpoint of the situation on its head and making the critique of Japanese society with the story they built up until that point was great too. I mean the message was already sort of embedded into the stuff they were telling but making it really apparent and furthering their message to individuals was on point. I just wasn’t expecting those two giant things at the end, lol.
There’s a lot more I could ramble on about but it’d probably be too long. Considering not many folks have played them yet and there doesn’t seem like too many people have finished the game themselves, I’ll save it for another time.
I can answer any specific questions if folks have them.
This ... This so MUCH
The cast .. is so good .. when they are talking , discussing sily stuff , making joke or even discussing by messages on their phones . it's so great to read their thoughts
If one of the issues is that the menus are too stylish, I'll take it. I get that there's usability issues and I'll probably get annoyed by it as well, but in some ways it's kind of worth it. A tit for tat.
One quick thing: It looks like you're missing the end of a paragraph here:
If one of the issues is that the menus are too stylish, I'll take it. I get that there's usability issues and I'll probably get annoyed by it as well, but in some ways it's kind of worth it. A tit for tat.
Must have forgot to erase it all the way or forgot to type it in but basically, there are problems with the current structure. You're introduced to party members one by one which means that the last few members always get shortchanged in regards to interaction time. It was the same in P3 and P4, and it definitely is the same in this game despite being much more polished.
Must have forgot to erase it all the way or forgot to type it in but basically, there are problems with the current structure. You're introduced to party members one by one which means that the last few members always get shortchanged in regards to interaction time. It was the same in P3 and P4, and it definitely is the same in this game despite being much more polished.
Must have forgot to erase it all the way or forgot to type it in but basically, there are problems with the current structure. You're introduced to party members one by one which means that the last few members always get shortchanged in regards to interaction time. It was the same in P3 and P4, and it definitely is the same in this game despite being much more polished.
Ok, now I'm done reading impressions about the game. I just needed that final bit of reassurance from someone who finished it. Knowing it doesn't fall apart at the end with a "you were actually just the medic all along" tier twist is all I needed to know.
Actually, scratch that, I do need to know one more thing: how does the ending compare to P3 and P4 in therms of emotional impact and stakes?
If one of the issues is that the menus are too stylish, I'll take it. I get that there's usability issues and I'll probably get annoyed by it as well, but in some ways it's kind of worth it. A tit for tat.
I kinda feel like that too. When a game has this level of visual identity and style, I feel like the tradeoff is worth it as long as it's not some completely unusable mess.
I heard you can choose to hang out with people on the weekends. Is it like P4 where events are staged or can you choose who to hang out with? And how do you rank/reverse your cooperations like with notes in Social Links?
I heard you can choose to hang out with people on the weekends. Is it like P4 where events are staged or can you choose who to hang out with? And how do you rank/reverse your cooperations like with notes in Social Links?
You can do regular Co-Ops on the weekend and you can also get invited to hang out by certain folks where you'll gain points for their Co-Op and potential Human Parameters or points in another Co-Op
As I posted, I finished Persona 5 on Saturday night. I played on Hard and clocked in at 133 hours. The inflated play time is due in large part to the fact I streamed 95% of my play time and I translated as I did that. So you can knock off like 50 hours from that.
Theres so much to talk about in the game that its hard to figure out where to start. I think the first thing is the fact that it is one of the most polished games Ive ever played. The development team took their experiences with the two prior Persona games and really refined their ideas to bring out the best in them. The game that it reminds me of greatly is The Witcher 3. Both games present the best each respective series offers and the amount of effort and thought put into them is very much apparent.
The gameplay is absolutely the best the series has to offer so far. Theyve added a lot to combat to make it a much more enjoyable experience. Of the things they added, I feel like Baton Touch is the game changer. It in essence gives the game a feel a little closer to Press Turn while still being One More. Youre able to give other members the ability to take action after a down. It gives attack and healing bonuses too so making good use of it really opens up how you fight. When you combine this with the new elements and spells, there are a lot more things to consider as you play than before. Its not only in combat that gameplay is improved though. The game has two types of dungeons so you have something whether youre a P3 or P4 fan. In addition, the Cooperations (Social Links in previous games) provide a ton of benefits outside of just persona fusion bonuses making them all useful to playing the game. Theyve even polished this aspect out by laying out Cooperations in a much more even manner meaning that youll have things to do both at night and during the day. You wont have to do everything during the day.
They also show how much they learned on the story and characters front. In my opinion, this is the best Persona game for both of those. The story is well written and well plotted. It never drags and never fails to be engaging. One that really struck out about the writing is that it feels like the writers grew up and knew the problems with the previous games. Persona 3, which I adore, definitely has an edge or overdramatic feel to a lot of its writing. Persona 4 leans too much on its tropes. In Persona 5, it feels natural and the interaction between the cast and their actions in the story feel much more real, for lack of a better word. The thematic elements, messages, and imagery remain consistent and on point throughout. The game is also dark. Persona 3 is dark but in a very abstract way (imagery, mood, etc) where Persona 5 is dark because its very tangible and heavy. The first story in the game will surprise a lot of people that play it.
Persona 5s characters are in a place similar to the writing. Theyre not overdramatic as Persona 3 nor are they overly trope-y like Persona 4. It really takes the strengths of both prior games and combines them. The characters have their own individual problems they deal with but they arent weighed down by them. Their interactions feel natural and their chemistry is really good. There are few canned gags/routines but is used with restraint. It also really helps that the Cooperations also manage to really flesh out the characters overall arc through the game while still being fun at the same time. This can be said of the non-party member Cooperations as well. They flesh out the characters amazingly well, much better than the previous games, and are still feel fun. Their integration into the main story is very well done to boot, creating a much more cohesive product.
On the sound front, the music is absolutely fantastic. Their decision to go with jazz as the main influence was absolutely perfect. There are a ton of great tracks and I think itll hold up much better than the prior games in the long run. However, what I really want to praise is the voice acting in the Japanese version. Most VAing in Japan is pretty standard stuff. It all really blends together after a while. Persona 5 avoids this by having their cast really step it up. Theres a lot more emotion and nuance to the VA work than what Ive seen form other titles. When combined with the writing, the VA work really makes some scenes have a real impact to them. Even for the veteran actors in the group, its just a whole other level of work in this game.
Ive heaped a lot of praise on the game but I do have a few problems with the game. The graphics could be a little better, particularly the textures. Its pretty good overall and oozes style but the signs and the like are really awful looking. Another problem is that the shop menus and the party menu are overdesigned at times, reducing the overall usability. They look great but there are sometimes too many things flying around or its annoying to read because of the layout. Some of the sound effects that play when you press buttons or do some things are also really annoying as well. The game also as few problems due to the structure. Its not a huge deal but its something that obviously needs to be fixed at some point down the line. Later characters don't get as much interaction time with the cast reducing their overall presence and impact when that shouldn't be the case.
In the end though, that stuff is sort of minor. The game itself manages to nail everything else. After beating the game, I feel that the game is good enough to make it on my top games of all-time list pretty easily. Its so good that it actually makes me a little worried about whether or not they can live up to the expectations theyve set for themselves if and when they decide to do a Persona 6.
Light Spoilers from here on. If you know whos in the cast, then you can read these. Just my thoughts on them in general.
MC: I really like his design and the fact he has a legit background really helps give him a bit of a personality. Its just a little bit though as you can still role play as you like but he definitely has a sense of humor/sarcasm that isnt overly strange or contradicts his look.
Ryuuji: Hes the moodmaker and the delinquent of the group. Ryuuji can be a little frustrating at times because hes a bit brash and loud. Some other folks can attest to this, lol. The energy he brings to the cast is really good though. He fits in the same role as Yosuke and Junpei as the MCs best friend and hes overall better than either of them despite a few of his own problems. He also feels like a better delinquent than either Shinjiro or Kanji.
Ann: Shes a pretty interesting character as far as Persona characters go. As far as Ive seen, shes not so much concerned about herself as she is others, especially her friends. Its a pretty stark contrast to Chie and even Yukari. Both fill the same role as she does as the MCs first female friend and the person that has a dynamic with the MCs male best friend. Even there though, shes unique because her relationship with Ryuuji is far less antagonistic than Chie was with Yosuke or Yukari with Junpei. In fact, Ryuuji and Ann really play off each other well as shes the other moodmaker of the group in many respects. She has some of the funniest moments in the game.
Morgana: I really wasnt sure what to expect from the cat but I was pretty satisfied. Definitely my favorite character in the slot. Teddie and Aigis dont compare. Morgana has some great sound clips too like YOSSSSH which was great every time I heard it.
Yusuke: Literally the starving artist. Hes kind of the weird one out of the cast but not so much so that its bad. Its just unique and adds some real flavor. Its sort of hard to compare him to other chars is the only thing. He also has some of the most hilarious moments in the game.
Futaba: The other strange one (relatively speaking) along with Yusuke. I really like her character and her story is VERY, VERY compelling. Easily blows the other navigators out of the water though that isnt very hard. Her voice actress did a really amazing job as well.
Makoto: I like her a lot. Its hard to pin which character slot she really fits in because she has a few different elements weve seen from elsewhere in the series on top of her own thing. It was really refreshing having her though because she balances the team out without adding a lot of extra quirkiness.
Haru: The character thats easy to classify, shes Mitsuru + Yukiko + Fuuka in many respects. Shes a little quirkier but in a funny way. I didnt get her as far as I had hoped in her cooperation but one of her early ones is hilarious and horrifying.
Goro: What time is it? Its time for justice! Thats all really. I kinda like the character but all he talks about is justice so its a little silly.
Other characters: The support cast in this is really great. All of the Coops were fantastic. Toranosuke Yoshida gets special mention here because he really has a great little tale in his. Soujiro as well, easily one of the coolest characters weve had in Persona
BIG SPOILERS, DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE GAME, THIS IS A WARNING.
Adults are fucking scumbags in this game, lol. Theres the shit that happens in Story 1 with Kamoshida but the others are no different and equally bad. The big thing is that we see the effects of Kamoshidas shit first hand which makes it visceral. Then theres the stuff that happened with Futaba both in her dungeon and in her back story. =/ At least its balanced out a bit because Soujiro is goddamn amazing. His scene with Futaba and the MC in LeBlanc had some serious feels. ;_;
Im pretty split on Goro. I like the concept of his story and his position in the cast but I feel like they didnt build it up enough to have the impact it should. This was easily the most telegraphed twist as well so I felt like they absolutely needed to make it compelling for the player. Also, pancakes.
On the character front, I feel like Haru definitely should have been introduced to the cast much sooner than she was. As a result of being the last main party member to join the group, she really doesnt get time to meld into the party as well as the others did and while she fits the dynamic, we dont really get to see her interact as much as we should have gotten. Its a bit of a shame because she seems like a fun character. When she took the MC to drink Black Ivory coffee in her cooperation, I just had to laugh at his reaction. Then she went on to mention cats did it too and thought about whether Morgana would do it or not I almost died from laughter on stream.
The run to the end through the last dungeons really reminded me of Nocturne a lot. It was a pretty cool aesthetic to bring back.
I also really appreciated that they stayed on point with the themes and had a few messages to convey to the player. Totally flipping the viewpoint of the situation on its head and making the critique of Japanese society with the story they built up until that point was great too. I mean the message was already sort of embedded into the stuff they were telling but making it really apparent and furthering their message to individuals was on point. I just wasnt expecting those two giant things at the end, lol.
Theres a lot more I could ramble on about but itd probably be too long. Considering not many folks have played them yet and there doesnt seem like too many people have finished the game themselves, Ill save it for another time.
I can answer any specific questions if folks have them.
Despite already being spoiled on a lot of things, your review has me hyped for the game again. Thanks. Glad the general character writing seems to be improved.
I've listened to a total of like 5 tracks and this one stood out for me. I had to stop right after so I could experience the music fresh with the game, but what I've heard so far has been incredible.
This is sad to read. No way I'm doing a 2nd playthrough of this game since it's too long. 38 hours and only going to the fourth dungeon with around 15 social links. Maybe in another year or the inevitabile update of this game.
I've listened to a total of like 5 tracks and this one stood out for me. I had to stop right after so I could experience the music fresh with the game, but what I've heard so far has been incredible.
Beneath the Mask, Last Surprise, and Life Will Change are obvious standouts. The Dungeon 3 and Dungeon 4 themes are extremely good. Rivers in the Desert is fantastic as well. Will Power has a ton of energy too.
The one track I really liked that isn't on the 20th Anniversary OST that I got is the one that plays during emotional scenes in the game. It's really good but I don't know the name, lol.
This is sad to read. No way I'm doing a 2nd playthrough of this game since it's too long. 38 hours and only going to the fourth dungeon with around 15 social links. Maybe in another year or the inevitabile update of this game.
It was the same as P3 and P4, so it's not a real surprise. You have to grind your stats so that eats up time that you can use to do Co-Ops. So it's extremely difficult to do so if it's your first time playing the game and you're not relying on some guide that plans it all out.
This is sad to read. No way I'm doing a 2nd playthrough of this game since it's too long. 38 hours and only going to the fourth dungeon with around 15 social links. Maybe in another year or the inevitabile update of this game.
I think you can come pretty close to maxing them all out given that a lot of them are automatic rank ups. You just have to be a bit of a min maxer and not be reload shy especially for testing max favor point answers and generally be kind of savvy about how to spend time. Also at the start it takes quite a bit of farming money the later it goes the easier it becomes because of slink bonuses.
I'm at 15/21 guaranteed maxed slinks(also counting all the ones that will rank up automatically) currently with the date being 11/11.
Of the 6 I have left only Tower, Hierophant and Empress are still pretty low. The rest are super super close around 6-9 rank. If I have another free month I might be able to do it else I'm probably going to miss out on 1-3
Also definitely would have been a lot easier with knowing a few things for optimizing like the importance of Fate and Temperance and generally which stat requirement occur at what points.
Holy shit, I just got one of the treasure monsters as a persona instead of just killing them. Turns out they're fusion treasure mines for anti elements skills.
P5 just has so many little cool new gameplay additions that make playing around so much more fun, this is going to be great for optimizing personas later just for fun.
Holy shit, I just got one of the treasure monsters as a persona instead of just killing them. Turns out they're fusion treasure mines for anti elements skills.
P5 just has so many little cool new gameplay additions that make playing around so much more fun, this is going to be great for optimizing personas later just for fun.
There's not just one kind. Each different one is a fusion treasure mine for different stuff. The first one in the game back in dungeon 2 has every element's tier 1 all-enemy-target damage spell, for example.
There's not just one kind. Each different one is a fusion treasure mine for different stuff. The first one in the game back in dungeon 2 has every element's tier 1 all-enemy-target damage spell, for example.
Basically each dungeon has a new type. If you missed it or weren't able to catch it, the Menentos floors unlocked after a dungeon will have treasure monsters from that dungeon. If your luck's not great it will require a lot of floor changing and running around though.
Shouta, how long would you say the final dungeon is? I'm currently on
December 10th
or something like this and I'm wondering if it's possible to finish the game in 4-5 hours, given that I'm high level enough that I don't have to grind in Mementos anymore.