Kain-Nosgoth
Member
persona 2's dark is way better than persona 3's dark (even though i loved it, and it made sense considering the story, didn't saw it as "edgy"), you should try it
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Persona 5 |OT2| Someone must have been helping you go to bed early. Talk!
- Thread starter BRSxIgnition
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persona 2's dark is way better than persona 3's dark (even though i loved it, and it made sense considering the story, didn't saw it as "edgy"), you should try it
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
P3's dark made a lot of sense seeing what they're up against. Or the arcs the characters go through.
Also you have to read a lot into it to get an edgy thing.
Also you have to read a lot into it to get an edgy thing.
MisterShine
Member
edit:
nah forget this post don't want ending spoilers in a regular thread. We can talk about this stuff in the spoiler thread.
nah forget this post don't want ending spoilers in a regular thread. We can talk about this stuff in the spoiler thread.
D
Deleted member 57681
Unconfirmed Member
Took a breather, tried boss 3 on hard for the third time and finally won.
Either I was very underleveled - around 26 for everyone - or you really have to distract him with an item for the last few rounds. I really see no other way how you can avoid being fear-gased and steamrolled otherwise. The Wild Clogs do nothing.
ASilentProtagonist
Member
The final stretch of this game has just been rough on hard NG+, wheww.
Good to hear, I want a little challenge at some point in NG+.
sabertoothzombie
Member
I'm almost done with my first playthrough of the game. I'm starting to get that depressed feeling I got at the end of P4 when I knew I was going to be done with the game, but didn't want to be.
That said, I'll eventually need to do NG+ to do some stuff I missed. I never did the fishing
That said, I'll eventually need to do NG+ to do some stuff I missed. I never did the fishing
I think by "mature and dark," people mean that something is maturely exploring the darker parts of humanity.
The problem is that it's usually done in a gratuitous or heavy-handed way, concerned more with the aesthetics of the subject matter rather than genuinely exploring the subject matter. Faux-maturity/immaturity and darkness is as hard to swallow as "Gothic poetry" from high school.
P5 definitely gets a bit carny. Its Memento quests in particular are incredibly heavy-handed. But that's side-content. In terms of the main villains, the first three are agonizingly gratuitous, particularly before a boss fight, but I can't tell if that's reverent to Japanese stage-play culture or not. Persona 5 deals with mature themes, but I'm not sure it does so with anymore depth than Persona 4 would. I like that P4 highlighted the protagonists' inner conflicts, and I feel that's particularly unique. Persona 5 takes the concepts Persona 4 laid and turns it into a more typical super-hero story.
The problem is that it's usually done in a gratuitous or heavy-handed way, concerned more with the aesthetics of the subject matter rather than genuinely exploring the subject matter. Faux-maturity/immaturity and darkness is as hard to swallow as "Gothic poetry" from high school.
P5 definitely gets a bit carny. Its Memento quests in particular are incredibly heavy-handed. But that's side-content. In terms of the main villains, the first three are agonizingly gratuitous, particularly before a boss fight, but I can't tell if that's reverent to Japanese stage-play culture or not. Persona 5 deals with mature themes, but I'm not sure it does so with anymore depth than Persona 4 would. I like that P4 highlighted the protagonists' inner conflicts, and I feel that's particularly unique. Persona 5 takes the concepts Persona 4 laid and turns it into a more typical super-hero story.
What's others take on the following? End game spoilers!
Kind of wish Goro was not "insane" and was more "determined and burdened" so I'd rather have it showing that his mistake was that he felt that the team held him back from his goal so he didn't ask them for help and continued with his plan because he was already too far in with murdering people (no turning back), being more broodish and more rival like. While making his cognitive version the insane puppet for a complete contrast. It would have felt a little more tragic. Hard to feel sorry for the guy or even care when he's throwing a tantrum and calling you a "piece of shit" during your battle with him. Made the whole sacrifice scene insanely awkward for me.
ASilentProtagonist
Member
You should probably mark that as an end game spoiler btw.
Goro's character was pretty great up until palace 7. His "psychotic" personality just felt forced, and his English voice actor couldn't pull off the crazy side of Goro. He felt like a really crappy Light Yagami.
I agree, it actually felt pretty anime troupy with Goro suddenly going "good", and sacrificing himself. There are some people you just can't "fix", I thought the Persona writers of all people would've known that.
I agree, it actually felt pretty anime troupy with Goro suddenly going "good", and sacrificing himself. There are some people you just can't "fix", I thought the Persona writers of all people would've known that.
Tyrant Rave
Banned
pls mark spoilers, I don't know if that block is an end game spoiler and if I'm close to it
What, you don't think Strega is the most mature and coolest shit ever?????????
Yeah let's gloss over that shit stain.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Dude, the equivalent in P5 ain't much better lol. Nor is P4's
"motherfucking bitches" cop.
At least goth girl led to some really nice story bits instead of how abrupt the other 2 are.
Don't you dare talk shit about Revolver Jesus, Goth Girl and Grenade Guy
Gotta love the evil jesus theme.
I spent most of my free time with confidants and I don't think I'm anywhere near maxing half of them. I finished all palaces the least amount of time possible. And I'm in palace 6 right now. How the hell am I gonna pull this off in NG+? I honestly don't think there's enough time for everything. Is there really no room for error?
chrominance
Member
You could try checking the Item menu and seeing the details on a book, but that might just tell you what the book is. Worst-case scenario, though, you can always check at the school library (sit at one of the round tables) or at Leblanc (use the small bookshelf at the bar on Sojiro's right/closer to the door).
Your social stats carry over in NG+, which should help a lot. You can basically skip all the book-reading/movie-watching/etc. tasks and focus on confidants.
Also, if you're playing it like I did, you'll end up finishing a whole bunch of confidants extremely late in the game. Maybe the same with social stats, even; I thought I was really far behind, especially compared to people in this thread, but I managed to max everything except Guts in the end (4 for Guts).
Goth girl made one of the weakest Persona characters into one of the better ones. Before her, Junpei was a worse Yosuke and Yosuke is already a weak character.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Yeah, it's called character developement in the main story, which P4 forgets to do once the dungeons are done.
I think pre-Chidori Junpei is still better than Yosuke, since he has qualities other than "Is Best Friend of MC". His jealousy of the MC in the earlier arcs was well done imo.
I'm trying really hard to understand what you mean by this. What is wrong with the velvet room?
OniBarubary
Banned
If you hate Revolver Jesus you're a bad person and don't understand true art.
He looks like Jesus! And he has a revolver!
He looks like Jesus! And he has a revolver!
It's the reason why P3 >>> P4
While decent, he was far too grating in the first half of the game for me to like him.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Hell, I even felt like ryuji developed as a character by the end.
Yosuke just stayed a fucking asshole throughout.
Yosuke just stayed a fucking asshole throughout.
Probably the chains and stuff and Caroline's mean attitude. In which case it's just passing down judgement while lacking any context.
Isn't it amazing how much of a difference swapping the O with U makes? Yusuke in Persona 5 on the other hand is amazing. "How could this be?"
To be fair, he did develop quite a bit in his social link.
...It just wasn't reflected in the main narrative. Also nobody in P4 got to do things outside of Naoto and the protagonist by the end which was a bummer.
Persona 3 was impressive at the time, but yeah, looking back it was a lot of overly edgy Evangelion-wannabe anime angst. Tried too hard to seem deeper than it was too, I mean watch that opening lol.
P4 was goofier for sure, but it felt more authentic because of it, and made the serious moments feel more powerful.
P5's dark stuff feels way less forced but it shares some of the goofiness of P4, which I like, but as it stands, only the P2 duology feels truly dark and mature to me. P1 has its moments as well, but it felt more like a proof of concept.
P4 was goofier for sure, but it felt more authentic because of it, and made the serious moments feel more powerful.
P5's dark stuff feels way less forced but it shares some of the goofiness of P4, which I like, but as it stands, only the P2 duology feels truly dark and mature to me. P1 has its moments as well, but it felt more like a proof of concept.
Dougieflesh
Member
Lol at palace 5 "Through that door is the final stretch". Checks progress in the very next safe room. "You're about halfway there."
klabautermann
Member
So, I know you guys said no
talk but Early September Spoilers
Makoto and Yusuke are still definitely my favorites. Futaba had a great arc, but I don't really like her that much. I wasn't really expecting too though so it's probably fine. I also agree that Ryuji get'[s more annoying and frustrating as the game goes on.
Best Girl
the beach trip with Makoto was heartwarming as hell for me. Really like her as a character and I like how much the game kinda pairs her and MC haha.
Makoto and Yusuke are still definitely my favorites. Futaba had a great arc, but I don't really like her that much. I wasn't really expecting too though so it's probably fine. I also agree that Ryuji get'[s more annoying and frustrating as the game goes on.
Makoto comes up with stuff, so does Futaba and Morgana. But the MC is the kind of guy who "gets things done" and "takes charge". Just play some more and you'll see why he is the leader.
Yeah, that was terrible. I don't think the dungeon is that bad, but Morgana kept making me think it was about to end when in reality I had hours left.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Eh honestly, the MC wasn't even that angsty despite his design. The only overly angsty thing about P3 is ken but fuck ken.
INARI
Don't you dare talk shit about Revolver Jesus, Goth Girl and Grenade Guy
Grenade Guy was the coolest. My favourite part was when he used grenades in battle.
Also when he uses a grenade to sacrifice himself.
Have yet to play P5, but P3 and P4 didn't handle their villain reveals well at all. They feel completely at odds with the rest of the game, but at least there's build up and a connection with the character in P4.
ASilentProtagonist
Member
P4's cast had the best chemistry for sure. Even though they're not as well written, and grounded as P5's cast. No social event in P5 surpassed
the camping trip, and "Mystery Food X",
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Uh what. There's barely any buildup in P4 unless you're referring to P4G. P3 at least doesn't try a "SICK TWIST THIS DUDE WAS EDGY ALL ALONG BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING".
I rank P4's cast only above P1's. I definitely preferred P2, P3 and P5's cast.
BrightLightLava
Unconfirmed Member
After 164 hours I finally got the platinum.
Would have been 30 hours sooner, but I missed a text from Mishima and got locked out of one of the requests, so I did a third playthru. The games really easy when you have Yoshitsune from the beginning.
But damn, what a game.
Would have been 30 hours sooner, but I missed a text from Mishima and got locked out of one of the requests, so I did a third playthru. The games really easy when you have Yoshitsune from the beginning.
But damn, what a game.
ShadowSoldier89
Member
because 1 character had good development? Junpei is still the only thing I really like about P3. The rest of the cast is awful
P5's fusing mechanics come off as pure shock value. I dont have a problem with them or anything, but they definitely have an "edge" feeling to them.
Novel Mike
Member
Okay finished it. Detailed thoughts below... Also Wall of Text warning, I spent like an hour getting all this typed out XD
SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE FREAKING GAME!!! Also Persona 4's end game and ending as well!
Overall I guess I can say, Persona 5 is good, maybe even great but its not anywhere near as amazing as Persona 4 was. Part of the problem is the lack of development with your team, Persona 4 did this perfectly with characters playing off each other constantly and even finding ways to make characters like Naoto (who doesn't join until very late into the game) apart of the group earlier on. By comparison the special 'events' play out rather poorly in this game (spoilers for various events throughout Persona 5)
you just don't get the sense that these teammates are really friends outside of being the Phantom Thieves with what I just mentioned but also Ryuji being called an idiot all of the time, Morgana's drama, ect. Persona 4 had multiple events that helped develop the characters not just as teammates but as friends like the Camping trip, the school trip, the school festival, ect. You also saw them interact as friends more so and even as friends with people you could become S-links with, which outside of Mishima you don't really see at all and in the case of Mishima most of the P5 casts sees him as annoying more then anything.
SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE FREAKING GAME!!! Also Persona 4's end game and ending as well!
Okay so theres several things I want to cover here and lets first start with the characters...
I really want to like these characters a ton but its hard to really love them. Ryuji never stops being an asshole or an idiot (although the game gives him one heroic moment at least) which leads me to the same conclusion I had made in a previous post that if Ryuji did not start out of one of the Phantom Thieves the others would have never wanted him to really join. He is the reason you are caught by Makoto and in general he has a bad attitude around literally everything, even when the group is in freaking Hawaii! It's not just him though, I don't think any of the characters are really bad but none of them are really great either. Yusuke is aloof largely for the sake of being aloof and quirky. Morgana is fine for the most part but he can be irritating at times (and not because he tells you to go to bed) and I liked his sacrifice at the end and just really didn't feel the need for him to come back (outside of the writers wanting a clear and happy ending).
The girls are another story though being all over the place. Futaba is actually pretty great all around, I really liked how she attaches herself to Joker and Sojiro so well once you capture her heart and speaking of that, her awakening is possibly the single most interesting element that relates to the previous game. She goes into her own palace and although its not stated in the exact same way, accepts her shadow and unlocks her persona. It's very very similar to how the P4 cast awakened although they rejected their shadows at first, its also not at all like how the rest of the P5 cast awakens which I found really interesting.
It's unfortunate that the rest of the girls don't fair as well at least in some aspects. Ann is a great character at least in the beginning, her reasoning for striking back against Kamoshida is well founded and extremely well done, hell the entire first arc is extremely well done and I think its the single best arc of the entire game if not the entire series and a lot of it has to do with Ann. Shes looked down on by her peers because of rumors and Kamoshida and her one friend tries to kill herself after Kamoshida rapes her when Ann refuses to sleep with him (thanks to the MC talking to her and just giving her an ear) which makes her want revenge and to strike back against Kamoshida for what he did.
However later on Ann just doesn't really develop anymore, instead being relegated to being a dizzy model and basically only serves the purpose of being eye candy for the player which I absolute hate. Her s-link doesn't really help this as at all, I have no idea why they even made a majority of the s-link about her modeling carrier and instead about her relationship with Shiho (who does show up again at the end and its well done) as her main development through the first isn't about her being a freaking model its about her friendship with Shiho. The whole model perspective just adds on to the over sexualization of her character.
Speaking of which I think thats the biggest problem with her character. Despite being sexually harassed by Kamoshida and him constantly trying to get into her pants throughout the first arc the rest of the game pretty much treats her as piece of meat for the player to look at. Ryuji tries to peek under her shirt when they are driving around in Futaba's Palace, the beach scene specifically puts her out in the forefront and jesus christ her animations in her Palace outfit holy shit. Her idle animation is literally her swaying her hips and chest suggestively at the player, her casting animation has her bend over so you can look at her cleavage, when she gets knocked down her ass sticks straight up into the air, ect.
It would be one thing if her character and romance was about her being proud of her own sexuality (reinforced by her Persona Camen being a dominatrix and her outfit being a BDSM latex cat suit) but her character is nothing like that, her development as a character is far and away nothing even remotely close at that and if you romance her its as generic as you can get with not even a hint of the more dominating aspect you would expect from her Persona. It just doesn't fit her at all and just shows how her story and character arc don't match the visualizations we are given as players. It IMO relates directly to the same mistakes the developers made with Rise in Persona 4, with her Shadow about wanting her to 'bare it all' really being about people really seeing who she really is (not the false image of her as an idol) her s-link being about her idol carrier and only briefly touching on whom she really is as a person and how she wants to express it.
See I wouldn't really have a problem with Ann's character being about sex (both the positive and negative aspects) and her becoming more sexually positive after being sexually harassed after so long with her showing a rather dominate side to her personality and what not. Hell in that context the animations would actually make sense with her using her own figure and what as an advantage in battle by distracting the enemy (which she does during dialogs with her 'Sexy Talk' ability) but thats not the character we are presented at all and thats just a huge mistake in my book because it makes the development she gets during that first arc seem completely pointless and it feels rather scummy for the game and the camera to oggle her at every turn.
For Ann TLDR: Her Persona, outfit, and character development do not match the character she is after the first arc and it feels like a completely missed opportunity since the game goes really freaking hard into the more sexual aspects of society... bringing me to the other two girls.
These won't be as long but I thought I'd touch on them as I like both Makoto and Haru but they each have issues. Makoto is actually pretty great and her awakening scene is easily my favorite with her being a strong kick ass fighter. Her Social link as well is about her getting out of her rather enclosed shell and making a friend and coming to terms with who she is and what shes done. However, despite how smart she is her whole screw up trying to get to Kanashiro and him wanting her to become a prostitute felt contrived and completely unnecessary. I mean we already just had an entire arc build around sexual harassment at the first arc we really didn't need to see it again here although its downplayed compared to Kamoshida. Despite this I still like Makoto as a character and in terms of character arcs she easily has one of the best of the entire cast.
Haru on the other hand has a lot more problems. First off she joins way to late into the story to really make an impact and you can't start her s-link until even after that palace has cleared giving you very little time to get to know her as a teammate or as a friend. This is compounded by her arc largely being the exact same as Ann's with her father selling her off as a trophy wife to some rich asshole for political gain. It's made worse by it not even being resolved after that arc because her father dies. It also doesn't help that Morgana's drama largely takes away from her spotlight when she first shows up. Now I didn't finish her S-link (because as I said she joins so late you barely have time to get it done) so I can't say how she ultimately develops but its largely about her not knowing who to trust in wake of her fathers demise and how she feels like everyone is using her (including her Fiance) and its likely about Joker helping her to stand up for herself and have her own voice which is fine and I would have liked to have seen that.
So yeah the male characters are okay with some hilarious moments throughout but the girls clearly steal the show both in good and bad ways. I really don't understand the necessity of making both Makoto and Haru both have issues about sexual harassment when they did that to death with Kamoshida in the first arc, it makes Haru's arc feel recycled and no where near as interesting even though its about her father more so then her fiance (although the mission directly states 'Days until Haru is Sold off' or something like that :/ ) and in general makes all the adults in this game seem like creepy perverts and now I feel like the developers were projecting the more I think about this >.>
I've talked about the story and twists in previous posts (although that was before I finished Shido's palace) but real quick on that... Akechi is just freaking wasted as a villain. He shows up in Shido's palace, shows he can use multiple Persona (although its only 2 and never really clear if he has the power to use more then that like Joker or not) and then for some god awful reason the Thieves try to reason with him and get him to join them properly... DESPITE THAT HE KILLED HARU'S DAD AND COUNTLESS OTHERS!? LIke seriously I was rolling my eyes so hard at this scene, people have called the Persona 4 cast a bunch of goodie goods but jesus that scene defied all damn logic. He also goes out like a punk which was just vastly disappointing for a character that they built up so much from the 'reveal' his reasoning was also extremely lame.
Okay so... past that at the very end the final boss of the game is... The Holy Grail... why? I mean its actually the God of the collective unconscious or something to that effect who wants to control everything but why lead with the Holy Grail being alive first? It was just weird and the whole way it plays out really made me feel like they were trying to do something similar to how Izanami was in P4 but the problem is that Izanami was foreshadowed from the get go and foreshadowed later on too when you eventually get a history lesson about her and Izanagi. The Holy Grail and the God behind it just come out of no where. Now the twist with Igor and the twins now THAT was well done but the actual villain behind everything just felt like a repeat of Persona 4 without nearly as much foreshadowing and build up? No that wasn't nearly as well done as it could have been.
It also doesn't feel like the game earned it after everything, the entire final arc felt remarkably similar to Persona 4 even down to the final 'fight' being you using her persona and 1 shotting the final boss after everyone gives you encouragement and the ending playing out with the MC going back to his home (although at least your friends drive you their I guess?) granted similar elements happen in Persona 3 as well but the ending of Persona 3 plays out vastly differently but this just feels like almost the exact same damn thing yet again.
I didn't hate it or the game but it certainly felt rehashed more then anything else and honestly just makes me want to play through Persona 4 again.
I really want to like these characters a ton but its hard to really love them. Ryuji never stops being an asshole or an idiot (although the game gives him one heroic moment at least) which leads me to the same conclusion I had made in a previous post that if Ryuji did not start out of one of the Phantom Thieves the others would have never wanted him to really join. He is the reason you are caught by Makoto and in general he has a bad attitude around literally everything, even when the group is in freaking Hawaii! It's not just him though, I don't think any of the characters are really bad but none of them are really great either. Yusuke is aloof largely for the sake of being aloof and quirky. Morgana is fine for the most part but he can be irritating at times (and not because he tells you to go to bed) and I liked his sacrifice at the end and just really didn't feel the need for him to come back (outside of the writers wanting a clear and happy ending).
The girls are another story though being all over the place. Futaba is actually pretty great all around, I really liked how she attaches herself to Joker and Sojiro so well once you capture her heart and speaking of that, her awakening is possibly the single most interesting element that relates to the previous game. She goes into her own palace and although its not stated in the exact same way, accepts her shadow and unlocks her persona. It's very very similar to how the P4 cast awakened although they rejected their shadows at first, its also not at all like how the rest of the P5 cast awakens which I found really interesting.
It's unfortunate that the rest of the girls don't fair as well at least in some aspects. Ann is a great character at least in the beginning, her reasoning for striking back against Kamoshida is well founded and extremely well done, hell the entire first arc is extremely well done and I think its the single best arc of the entire game if not the entire series and a lot of it has to do with Ann. Shes looked down on by her peers because of rumors and Kamoshida and her one friend tries to kill herself after Kamoshida rapes her when Ann refuses to sleep with him (thanks to the MC talking to her and just giving her an ear) which makes her want revenge and to strike back against Kamoshida for what he did.
However later on Ann just doesn't really develop anymore, instead being relegated to being a dizzy model and basically only serves the purpose of being eye candy for the player which I absolute hate. Her s-link doesn't really help this as at all, I have no idea why they even made a majority of the s-link about her modeling carrier and instead about her relationship with Shiho (who does show up again at the end and its well done) as her main development through the first isn't about her being a freaking model its about her friendship with Shiho. The whole model perspective just adds on to the over sexualization of her character.
Speaking of which I think thats the biggest problem with her character. Despite being sexually harassed by Kamoshida and him constantly trying to get into her pants throughout the first arc the rest of the game pretty much treats her as piece of meat for the player to look at. Ryuji tries to peek under her shirt when they are driving around in Futaba's Palace, the beach scene specifically puts her out in the forefront and jesus christ her animations in her Palace outfit holy shit. Her idle animation is literally her swaying her hips and chest suggestively at the player, her casting animation has her bend over so you can look at her cleavage, when she gets knocked down her ass sticks straight up into the air, ect.
It would be one thing if her character and romance was about her being proud of her own sexuality (reinforced by her Persona Camen being a dominatrix and her outfit being a BDSM latex cat suit) but her character is nothing like that, her development as a character is far and away nothing even remotely close at that and if you romance her its as generic as you can get with not even a hint of the more dominating aspect you would expect from her Persona. It just doesn't fit her at all and just shows how her story and character arc don't match the visualizations we are given as players. It IMO relates directly to the same mistakes the developers made with Rise in Persona 4, with her Shadow about wanting her to 'bare it all' really being about people really seeing who she really is (not the false image of her as an idol) her s-link being about her idol carrier and only briefly touching on whom she really is as a person and how she wants to express it.
See I wouldn't really have a problem with Ann's character being about sex (both the positive and negative aspects) and her becoming more sexually positive after being sexually harassed after so long with her showing a rather dominate side to her personality and what not. Hell in that context the animations would actually make sense with her using her own figure and what as an advantage in battle by distracting the enemy (which she does during dialogs with her 'Sexy Talk' ability) but thats not the character we are presented at all and thats just a huge mistake in my book because it makes the development she gets during that first arc seem completely pointless and it feels rather scummy for the game and the camera to oggle her at every turn.
For Ann TLDR: Her Persona, outfit, and character development do not match the character she is after the first arc and it feels like a completely missed opportunity since the game goes really freaking hard into the more sexual aspects of society... bringing me to the other two girls.
These won't be as long but I thought I'd touch on them as I like both Makoto and Haru but they each have issues. Makoto is actually pretty great and her awakening scene is easily my favorite with her being a strong kick ass fighter. Her Social link as well is about her getting out of her rather enclosed shell and making a friend and coming to terms with who she is and what shes done. However, despite how smart she is her whole screw up trying to get to Kanashiro and him wanting her to become a prostitute felt contrived and completely unnecessary. I mean we already just had an entire arc build around sexual harassment at the first arc we really didn't need to see it again here although its downplayed compared to Kamoshida. Despite this I still like Makoto as a character and in terms of character arcs she easily has one of the best of the entire cast.
Haru on the other hand has a lot more problems. First off she joins way to late into the story to really make an impact and you can't start her s-link until even after that palace has cleared giving you very little time to get to know her as a teammate or as a friend. This is compounded by her arc largely being the exact same as Ann's with her father selling her off as a trophy wife to some rich asshole for political gain. It's made worse by it not even being resolved after that arc because her father dies. It also doesn't help that Morgana's drama largely takes away from her spotlight when she first shows up. Now I didn't finish her S-link (because as I said she joins so late you barely have time to get it done) so I can't say how she ultimately develops but its largely about her not knowing who to trust in wake of her fathers demise and how she feels like everyone is using her (including her Fiance) and its likely about Joker helping her to stand up for herself and have her own voice which is fine and I would have liked to have seen that.
So yeah the male characters are okay with some hilarious moments throughout but the girls clearly steal the show both in good and bad ways. I really don't understand the necessity of making both Makoto and Haru both have issues about sexual harassment when they did that to death with Kamoshida in the first arc, it makes Haru's arc feel recycled and no where near as interesting even though its about her father more so then her fiance (although the mission directly states 'Days until Haru is Sold off' or something like that :/ ) and in general makes all the adults in this game seem like creepy perverts and now I feel like the developers were projecting the more I think about this >.>
I've talked about the story and twists in previous posts (although that was before I finished Shido's palace) but real quick on that... Akechi is just freaking wasted as a villain. He shows up in Shido's palace, shows he can use multiple Persona (although its only 2 and never really clear if he has the power to use more then that like Joker or not) and then for some god awful reason the Thieves try to reason with him and get him to join them properly... DESPITE THAT HE KILLED HARU'S DAD AND COUNTLESS OTHERS!? LIke seriously I was rolling my eyes so hard at this scene, people have called the Persona 4 cast a bunch of goodie goods but jesus that scene defied all damn logic. He also goes out like a punk which was just vastly disappointing for a character that they built up so much from the 'reveal' his reasoning was also extremely lame.
Okay so... past that at the very end the final boss of the game is... The Holy Grail... why? I mean its actually the God of the collective unconscious or something to that effect who wants to control everything but why lead with the Holy Grail being alive first? It was just weird and the whole way it plays out really made me feel like they were trying to do something similar to how Izanami was in P4 but the problem is that Izanami was foreshadowed from the get go and foreshadowed later on too when you eventually get a history lesson about her and Izanagi. The Holy Grail and the God behind it just come out of no where. Now the twist with Igor and the twins now THAT was well done but the actual villain behind everything just felt like a repeat of Persona 4 without nearly as much foreshadowing and build up? No that wasn't nearly as well done as it could have been.
It also doesn't feel like the game earned it after everything, the entire final arc felt remarkably similar to Persona 4 even down to the final 'fight' being you using her persona and 1 shotting the final boss after everyone gives you encouragement and the ending playing out with the MC going back to his home (although at least your friends drive you their I guess?) granted similar elements happen in Persona 3 as well but the ending of Persona 3 plays out vastly differently but this just feels like almost the exact same damn thing yet again.
I didn't hate it or the game but it certainly felt rehashed more then anything else and honestly just makes me want to play through Persona 4 again.
Overall I guess I can say, Persona 5 is good, maybe even great but its not anywhere near as amazing as Persona 4 was. Part of the problem is the lack of development with your team, Persona 4 did this perfectly with characters playing off each other constantly and even finding ways to make characters like Naoto (who doesn't join until very late into the game) apart of the group earlier on. By comparison the special 'events' play out rather poorly in this game (spoilers for various events throughout Persona 5)
TV Station visit is short and is only used as a plot point to introduce Akechi to the team, Fireworks festival is rained out, Hawaii trip sucks because Ryuji's complaining and Mishima's fanboying, Beach Trip is too short, School Festival is used also as a plot point.
ASilentProtagonist
Member
Persona 2 still has the best story of the bunch.
Congratz! How hard was the platinum?