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[Link_enfant]

I'm currently at

Spoiler

Kunikazu Okumura

's palace, after

Spoiler

Haru

eventually joined my team.

The cast of this game is really, really awesome imo, but I just want to express how I love this new character.
I saw almost nothing about upcoming characters except for the box art and such, and she's like better than what I could expect in about every aspect.

Her look, especially with her metaverse outfit is awesome. I didn't expect her to be the

Spoiler

mysterious black mask character

mentioned by

Spoiler

Madarame

btw.
She just has so much style and grace, I love her posture in battle.
And man, her artwork in the main menu looks so sick.
Her all-out attack special screen was also a very nice surprise.
Her Persona fits her perfectly, just like her nickname (

Spoiler

Noir

).

I really didn't expect to be somehow blown away by another character at this point, but they did such a great job.
I'm still pretty far from being able to date any of the female characters, but in the end I think I'll focus on her instead of

Spoiler

Makoto

, although she already set the bar quite high to me.

Spoiler

Adieu

.

 

[Resident_UA]

I'm in late

Spoiler

December

. Without major spoilers could you tell me if this game is basically about

Spoiler

Trump supporters

or am I reading too much into this.

 

[LiK]

I'm in late

Spoiler

December

. Without major spoilers could you tell me if this game is basically about

Spoiler

Trump supporters

or am I reading too much into this.

Correct

 

[Resident_UA]

Correct

Kind of amazing how everyone isn't writing about this and how topical the game managed to be. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of the new characters so summer was kind of boring, but the last 3 months I payed are way better from story perspective than anything in P4...

 

[LiK]

Kind of amazing how everyone isn't writing about this and how topical the game managed to be. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of the new characters so summer was kind of boring, but the last 3 months I payed are way better from story perspective than anything in P4...

Would've been something special if this came out last year at the same time as Japan. Now it's too late.

 

[poipoipoi9]

Question for the Passionate Listener trophy: Do Futaba's random lines when you're driving around in Mementos count for the trophy?

 

[LiK]

Question for the Passionate Listener trophy: Do Futaba's random lines when you're driving around in Mementos count for the trophy?

No, it has to be during combat.

 

[vypek]

Question for the Passionate Listener trophy: Do Futaba's random lines when you're driving around in Mementos count for the trophy?

I can't 100% confirm but based around the lines that I wrote down it seems like they count if they are not part of banter. Like her commentary about treasure chests or an enemy being easy seems to count.

EDIT: Guess not. I thought overworld stuff counted too. Guess I somehow got it with miscounted lines anyways

 

[Zesh]

So I think I am nearing the end of the game. Can anyone tell me without spoilers if there are any end game secret dungeons/bosses/gear/persona's or anything I should be watching for. I'm almost into December and I just finished all the crazy stuff that happened after

Spoiler

Sae's palace

.

No hidden stuff in NG, really. You can fight the Reaper, and itemize end-game personas for the best gear.

 

[iRAWRasaurus]

Kind of amazing how everyone isn't writing about this and how topical the game managed to be. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of the new characters so summer was kind of boring, but the last 3 months I payed are way better from story perspective than anything in P4...

Late summer to fall felt like it dragged on to me.

 

[mullet2000]

Guys I have a question about the fallout after palace 6.

Spoiler

So I saw all the scenes afterwards with Joker faking his Death and Akechi backstabbing us, and saved once I returned to Leblanc and had the ability to save in my room.

I didn't really follow what my decoy was exactly.

They said it was a cognitive version of myself but obviously they don't mean it in the same way as the palace owners' shadows, or else I would have had a mental shutdown when it died. What exactly was my decoy?

If this is explained later, you can just say it's explained later and that's all good.

 

[Opa-Pa]

Guys I have a question about the fallout after palace 6.

Spoiler

So I saw all the scenes afterwards with Joker faking his Death and Akechi backstabbing us, and saved once I returned to Leblanc and had the ability to save in my room.

I didn't really follow what my decoy was exactly.

They said it was a cognitive version of myself but obviously they don't mean it in the same way as the palace owners' shadows, or else I would have had a mental shutdown when it died. What exactly was my decoy?

If this is explained later, you can just say it's explained later and that's all good.

It's not explained in detail, so:

Spoiler

When they talk about cognitive versions of people, they don't mean shadows,
they mean "fake" versions of people that exist in the Metaverse (like the people at the casino), created by palace owners and shaped after the way they perceive these specific people.

You might remember Joker can ask Sae at some point if she was familiar with that room beforehand and she says yes. That was to confirm that there would be a version of himself in the Metaverse version of the interrogation room, due to Sae being aware that he'd be there after being arrested. The room is affected by Sae's cognition due to being close enough to her palace but appears as normal thanks to also being far enough not to be affected by the distortion.

 

[MudoSkills]

Guys I have a question about the fallout after palace 6.

Spoiler

So I saw all the scenes afterwards with Joker faking his Death and Akechi backstabbing us, and saved once I returned to Leblanc and had the ability to save in my room.

I didn't really follow what my decoy was exactly.

They said it was a cognitive version of myself but obviously they don't mean it in the same way as the palace owners' shadows, or else I would have had a mental shutdown when it died. What exactly was my decoy?

If this is explained later, you can just say it's explained later and that's all good.

Spoiler

Sae knew he was in the room, this was represented in the metaverse, so he saw him in the room. The cognitive representation of the character isn't the same as a shadow - and someone's shadow would only show up in their own palace, or in mementos.

They make a point of saying during Sae's palace that people aren't always represented as distortions (how Kaneshiro saw people as cash machines), all the customers in the casino look like regular people.

 

[mullet2000]

It's not explained in detail, so:

Spoiler

When they talk about cognitive versions of people, they don't mean shadows,
they mean "fake" versions of people that exist in the Metaverse (like the people at the casino), created by palace owners and shaped after the way they perceive these specific people.

You might remember Joker can ask Sae at some point if she was familiar with that room beforehand and she says yes. That was to confirm that there would be a version of himself in the Metaverse version of the interrogation room, due to Sae being aware that he'd be there after being arrested. The room is affected by Sae's cognition due to being close enough to her palace but appears as normal thanks to also being far enough not to be affected by the distortion.

Spoiler

Sae knew he was in the room, this was represented in the metaverse, so he saw him in the room. The cognitive representation of the character isn't the same as a shadow - and someone's shadow would only show up in their own palace, or in mementos.

They make a point of saying during Sae's palace that people aren't always represented as distortions (how Kaneshiro saw people as cash machines), all the customers in the casino look like regular people.

Got it. Thanks you two.

 

[chrominance]

I'm in late

Spoiler

December

. Without major spoilers could you tell me if this game is basically about

Spoiler

Trump supporters

or am I reading too much into this.

Not literally, as

Spoiler

there are Japanese-specific analogies that are likely more relevant (Shinzo Abe)

. But yeah, kind of.

 

[Watch Da Birdie]

Damn, post Palace 6 story shit was WHOA.

Spoiler

A little too clean of a wrap-up though for me (like how Adechi wasn't careful with what he said over the phone), but DAMN that's how you play 12th-dimension chess!

Also glad to finally have a cool looking boss in Shadow Sae after everything after Kamoshida was visually dull, shame her fight was so easy---her giant finishing attack missed everyone. But my team has access to all three team-wide stat boosters and Morgana healing, so I expected it to be pretty simple.

I just saved after all the plot stuff so now it's time to see what exactly the game has in-store next to me---I believe I have some time for Social Links still, but is the next Palace still recommended to complete it on the first day and use the remaining days to Social Link?

 

[Not Spaceghost]

You know, something that has always bothered me since P3 is that even on days when you have no school and it starts at day time instead of afternoon - hanging out with someone still skips to the evening.

Why shouldn't we get day, afternoon and evenings on sundays and holidays?

 

[mrmickfran]

*Yusuke gets hit with confusion*
*Throws away 53k yen away*

 

[Amirnol]

Just beat this and enjoyed it a great deal. I really missed JRPGs and am thinking about starting another one, but I feel like I could use some suggestions. Any particularly good JRPGs that have released in the past couple years? I've played a decent number of big releases but I feel I may have missed some. Any recommendations would be appreciated!

 

[Lunar15]

Kind of amazing how everyone isn't writing about this and how topical the game managed to be. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of the new characters so summer was kind of boring, but the last 3 months I payed are way better from story perspective than anything in P4...

The game was written years ago, it's not about one movement in particular. It's more about the wave of global nationalism that has been spreading over the last decade or so, and about Japan's ongoing financial crisis. There was a lot of scandal and corruption surrounding the Earthquake/Tsunami/Fukushima reactor, and I wouldn't be surprised if that forced a lot of this as well.

Late summer to fall felt like it dragged on to me.

It's the lowest point in the game, by far.

 

[Quonny]

Secret boss is a DPS race, I see.

Not going for this platinum. Would take another couple dozen hours to get to the point where it would be possible. Not skipping hours of dialogue and running through boring Palaces for a single trophy. Oh well.

 

[Kenaras]

You know, something that has always bothered me since P3 is that even on days when you have no school and it starts at day time instead of afternoon - hanging out with someone still skips to the evening.

Why shouldn't we get day, afternoon and evenings on sundays and holidays?

To be fair, some stat-boosting actions count extra on Sundays and holidays. (Since you have more time to devote.) It's still a bit silly.

What bothered me was how every time the plot advances, you get locked out of doing anything for extended time periods. Need to buy plant food or return a late DVD? Too bad, tomorrow you have to sleep in late, go hang out with your friends for five minutes, then come straight back home and go to bed early. Rinse and repeat for a week straight.

 

[LiK]

Secret boss is a DPS race, eh?

Not going for this platinum. Would take another couple dozen hours to get to the point where it would be possible. That's a shame.

It's honestly not that bad. Beat it first try.

 

[Quonny]

It's honestly not that bad. Beat it first try.

How?

Spoiler

They just heal themselves full after like 3 turns.

 

[LiK]

How?

Spoiler

They just heal themselves full after like 3 turns.

Spoiler

They actually stop healing thsemselves in the next phase when they go with stronger spells from my experience. Not infinite healing, thankfully.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

To be fair, some stat-boosting actions count extra on Sundays and holidays. (Since you have more time to devote.) It's still a bit silly.

What bothered me was how every time the plot advances, you get locked out of doing anything for extended time periods. Need to buy plant food or return a late DVD? Too bad, tomorrow you have to sleep in late, go hang out with your friends for five minutes, then come straight back home and go to bed early. Rinse and repeat for a week straight.

I mean I kinda get the reason why they do it, because they want you to be advancing SOMETHING whether it's a social stat, a book or a social link throughout the entire game. But considering how (and this is especially true in P5) there are quite a few bonus scenes for just hanging out with a character after you max their slink. Which is something not many people will really even see until their 3rd play through, which i feel like isn't something except the most dedicated will do.

But man, id like it if summer vacation actually felt like I had wayy more free time lol.

 

[ShadowSoldier89]

How?

Spoiler

They just heal themselves full after like 3 turns.

Spoiler

They actually stop healing thsemselves in the next phase when they go with stronger spells from my experience. Not infinite healing, thankfully.

from my experience they only heal once

Spoiler

each. However its still a DPS race as there is a strict 25 turn limit, as well as if you arent doing damage consistently they just end the fight whenever.

 

[LiK]

from my experience they only heal once

Spoiler

each. However its still a DPS race as there is a strict 25 turn limit, as well as if you arent doing damage consistently they just end the fight whenever.

Oh, i see. I also I didn't fight them until I was lvl 99 so that helped, lol

 

[muteki]

Maxed my first stat (charisma) after getting to the treasure in palace 5.

Have no idea what to do with my Monday and Thursday evenings now.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

Maxed my first stat (charisma) after getting to the treasure in palace 5.

Have no idea what to do with my Monday and Thursday evenings now.

Other stats or social links! The big bang burger challenge gives you guts, crafting gives you proficiency, reading for any stat, or study for knowledge, i worked at the flower shop for kindness too. Though if you are at palace 5 you should have a lot of evening social links available to you!

 

[Resident_UA]

The game was written years ago, it's not about one movement in particular. It's more about the wave of global nationalism that has been spreading over the last decade or so, and about Japan's ongoing financial crisis. There was a lot of scandal and corruption surrounding the Earthquake/Tsunami/Fukushima reactor, and I wouldn't be surprised if that forced a lot of this as well.

Hashino said it was coincidence, I think.

I do realize that it was written forever ago, but I can't think of more appropriate scenario than what is happening today. That's why I said

Spoiler

Trump supporters

, not necessarily

Spoiler

Trump

. Tendency to defend idea of a man no matter what could be more harmful than the man himself.

Spoiler

People choose to be ignorant and a result less powerful people get hurt.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Correct

Hashino said it was coincidence, I think.

 

[muteki]

Other stats or social links! The big bang burger challenge gives you guts, crafting gives you proficiency, reading for any stat, or study for knowledge, i worked at the flower shop for kindness too. Though if you are at palace 5 you should have a lot of evening social links available to you!

I know, so many evening links. I've got most of the good abilities already though, many of these are otherwise not making the cut. At least until my stats are better. I think my biggest roadblock is with Hifumi and knowledge and it takes so many more extra points to max it. Need more rainy cafe days.

Actually looking into it more I only need Knowledge and Proficiency max for the links I really care about, should be much more manageable.

 

[LiK]

Hashino said it was coincidence, I think.

I'm just projecting because it was eerily similar, hehe

 

[Lunar15]

I'm just projecting because it was eerily similar, hehe

The eerily similar part is the stuff immediately following palace 7. It felt way too real.

 

[LiK]

The eerily similar part is the stuff immediately following palace 7. It felt way too real.

Not gonna lie, it made that fight so much more intense as a result. Not sure if that was a good thing or not. Lol

 

[Opa-Pa]

I could swear someone shared an interview here where Hashino implied the Trump parallels were intentional... Or maybe I read it wrong? Not sure.

 

[Lunar15]

I could swear someone shared an interview here where Hashino implied the Trump parallels were intentional... Or maybe I read it wrong? Not sure.

No, he specifically said they were coincidental. He mentioned that the Trump election was "unsurprising" because he's been following global nationalism.

Dude does not like the current nationalistic streak of Japan, that's for sure. He basically made a game about how most of its problems are the fault of its own people.

 

[LiK]

No, he specifically said they were coincidental. He mentioned that the Trump election was "unsurprising" because he's been following global nationalism.

Dude does not the current nationalistic streak of Japan, that's for sure. He basically made a game about how most of its problems are the fault of its own people.

It's a fantastic commentary about what's going on with the world.

 

[Cannon_Fodder]

I could swear someone shared an interview here where Hashino implied the Trump parallels were intentional... Or maybe I read it wrong? Not sure.

Hashino mentions that he wasn't surprised by Trump because the he was talking about the kind of movements that get people like Trump elected. The parallels to Trump are there because of parallels between real Japanese politics and real American politics.

 

[Opa-Pa]

No, he specifically said they were coincidental. He mentioned that the Trump election was "unsurprising" because he's been following global nationalism.

Dude does not like the current nationalistic streak of Japan, that's for sure. He basically made a game about how most of its problems are the fault of its own people.

Hashino mentions that he wasn't surprised by Trump because the he was talking about the kind of movements that get people like Trump elected. The parallels to Trump are there because of parallels between real Japanese politics and real American politics.

Oh right this makes more sense, yeah now I remember. That's some sad irony in there ugh.

 

[LiK]

Persona 5 is a lil too real.

 

[Quonny]

After trying for a good hour and a half on the secret boss, then failing because of RNG at the last possible moment, I'm done.

Back in the envelope it went.

Overall, this game was pretty dang good. First Persona game, enjoyed it quite a bit. However, it had major, major issues that can't be ignored. The pacing in the back third was atrocious. The localization, while mostly fine, had some rough spots. Half of the cast was one-note or boring. Gameplay was either punishing or a joke I felt.

But the style, world, and so on, top notch stuff. 88 hours later, I can finally put the game to rest. Just missing that one trophy, but I'm not running through another Palace then grinding a Memento boss for an hour for the yen to combine a broken Persona. All good though. It's just a trophy.

 

[Dave1988]

*Yusuke gets hit with confusion*
*Throws away 53k yen away*

Heh, chump change

 

[Fjordson]

Good lord, Chihaya's social stat bonus when she reads your fortune must be huge. I went from rank 4 Charisma to rank 5 in like less than a week it seems. Just a few trips to the bath house. Honestly thought my game was glitched when it hit level 5 that fast.

Now I can stop fooling around with all this other trivial shit and get back to what's important: hanging out with Makoto.

 

[Ultimadrago]

After trying for a good hour and a half on the secret boss, then failing because of RNG at the last possible moment, I'm done.

Back in the envelope it went.

Overall, this game was pretty dang good. First Persona game, enjoyed it quite a bit. However, it had major, major issues that can't be ignored. The pacing in the back third was atrocious. The localization, while mostly fine, had some rough spots. Half of the cast was one-note or boring. Gameplay was either punishing or a joke I felt.

But the style, world, and so on, top notch stuff. 88 hours later, I can finally put the game to rest. Just missing that one trophy, but I'm not running through another Palace then grinding a Memento boss for an hour for the yen to combine a broken Persona. All good though. It's just a trophy.

But who gave you that Valentines chocolate?

 

[JJShadow]

I'm about to send the calling card for Palace 6, how many hours till I beat this? Going away for a few days next week and I'd like to wrap it up before leaving

 

[Lunar15]

I'm about to send the calling card for Palace 6, how many hours till I beat this? Going away for a few days next week and I'd like to wrap it up before leaving

Completion times all over the place, but you've still got a good ways to go. 20 hours or so?

Strictly speaking:

Spoiler

2 more dungeons and a whole lotta cutscenes.

 

[BBboy20]

Do slink boosts occur if you accept the usual IM requests or are those only reserved for the immediate ones and/or select confidants?

 

[Dave1988]

9,999,999 yen get! Time to fuse some Personas!