time so long as you’re not in a dialogue sequence
or cutscene.
Even the map looks kind of cool. Well. Sort of.
Outside of the Palaces, you’ll need to go to school,
socialise with your friends, study for exams, and
work to earn money and increase your skills. All of
these events cause time to pass, and with only so
much free time per week, it’s a delicate balancing act
to improve your relationships with party members,
advance your stats, and earn money. Some character
storylines require your stats to be at a certain level
to progress, and there are dozens of activities spread
out across the city, and dozens of characters to
interact with and get to know. What makes them
all worthwhile is the way that relationships tie into
abilities in game - improving your relationship with
a character grants either them or you new abilities,
including a chance to remove status effects from
allies, take damage in your place, even survive
hits that would otherwise have killed them. These
become all-but essential as the game progresses, but
even if they weren’t, the storylines you’ll uncover are
interesting enough to be worth the time investment
anyway.
There’s so much more I haven’t mentioned - the
randomised levelling dungeon that is Mementos
and its extra Phantom Thief targets, the way the
game is framed as an interview in a police cell, all of
the little touches and humorous twists that give the
game it’s personality.
Persona 5’s surface might be all about the style, but
beneath that glossy exterior there’s a fiercely beating
heart. This is a game with a lot to give, and it gives
it readily. Persona 5 is the epitome of JRPGs, and a
game that should not be missed.
10/10
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