Hey y'all.

I just wrapped up Persona 5 after what seems like a lifetime of marathon sessions, which are quite hard to do when you work full-time and have family obligations, let me tell you. In a sense, I feel both relieved, and totally crushed, like saying good-bye to a good friend, as they embark on a new adventure without you. Oh, and this will be rather spoiler-heavy, so please, don't read this if you haven't finished the game(Or do it, I'm not your dad.)

Persona 5 not only marks the first time a main-line Persona game has arrived since this console generation, but for me, probably the first "true" JRPG I've played since Final Fantasy 10. It has all the trappings of such a game; turn based battles, heavy focus on story, and some anime melodrama. In a departure from (most) JRPGs that I've played, though, it goes with a modern-day setting, eschewing the sword and sorcery of a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, for cell phones and toy guns(That actually work. Cognition is a hell of a drug.) You play as an unnamed protagonist(Akira Kurusu in the manga, Bismo Funyuns in my playthrough) who is falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit, and is sent packing to spend a year's probation in the care of a man he's never met. As you try to make it through a year in the life of a Japanese high schooler, you discover that the world is not all that it seems, and that there is a second, Cognitive world, nicknamed Metaverse, that both lies within and outside of the "real" world, and that by challenging the distorted desires of the depraved and powerful within their Palaces, you can also change their hearts in the real world. Helping you on your journey are your fellow Phantom Thieves, composed of teens of all walks of life(Insert Breakfast Club here), as well as others whose goals are the same, even if their methods are different. Also, a cool-as-heck cat, Morgana. He's cool, I love my beautiful cat son.

This is, of course, a greatly simplified look at the real nuance and depth of this game, which I could spend hours, if not days, yammering on about, but hey, I'm just trying to collect my thoughts on this completely awesome experience. And one of the best, if not key, parts of the whole journey, is Shoji Meguro's fucking fantastic, acid jazz styled soundtrack. From the very chill "Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There" being the first song you hear, to the blood-pumping battle music in "Last Surprise", to my favorite, the Palace Theme "The Whims of Fate", never once did I not feel SOMETHING because of the music. And sure, yeah, the singer didn't do a perfect job with the enunciation of every word, but hell, I've heard native English speakers butcher songs worse before, so I can cut her some slack. And it's not just in the Metaverse and Palaces, there's great music all over. If I ever get the chance to visit Japan, I'm going to feel sorely out of place walkin' around without hearing "Beneath The Mask."

And the social aspect of the game, my god. At first, I was hesitant to get involved, because most games I've played with this kind of feature have been a bit...lacking..in that aspect(Lookin' at you, Dragon Age Inquisition.), with little emotional pay-off outside of thinking that maybe they'll show it. And sure, this game has romance options, but Persona 5, for whatever reason, grabbed me by the heartstrings and didn't let go. From trying to comfort a party member after her friend attempted suicide, to helping a lonesome, exploited fortune-teller realize she isn't bound by fate, to uncovering, and resolving, the blackmail of a teacher's utterly regretful mistake, not once did I feel like I wasn't making a difference in some digital character's life. Which sounds silly, I guess, but I'm getting older and appreciate things like that more than I used to. Maudlin, sure. But damn if it didn't give me some feel-good vibes, which fits tonally with the protagonist.

But it's not all about cheering up sad waifus and jammin' to dope music, it's an RPG, which means, battles. Turn-based battles, mind you. And, as I can tell, it follows the Persona/SMT mold of battle, with weaknesses and buffs/debuffs being a far more integral part of battle than just hitting harder than the enemy. Some new things to the fight however, are the Baton Pass system, where after striking an enemy's weakness, you can tag in a party member for a heavy hitting attack, the Gun, which is...well, it's a fuckin' gun. What can I say about that, that wasn't already covered by DMX: "KNOCK KNOCK OPEN UP THE DOOR IT'S REAL, WITH THE NON-STOP POP POP OF STAINLESS STEEL!" Which is exactly how I felt every time I set up an All-Out Attack, which occurs when you've knocked every enemy down, either by exploiting a weakness, or hitting them with a crit. And it's pretty much what it sounds like: You and your party members bum-rush and just beat some ass, with an added victory screen if you happen to defeat the enemy(And they're all amazing.) It all adds to a very engaging, cerebral experience that I, personally, haven't had from an RPG in what seems like forever, if not a long time.

So, I guess yeah, I'm a big fan of the game, and I'm not ashamed to admit that there were some parts where I might have teared up, especially towards the end of the game. Hell, I immediately started over with a New Game+, because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to my friends. Not yet at least.

Just beat this earlier today and yeah... helluva game. I'm going to miss my Phantom Thieves but I'm also happy to see them ride off into the sunset.

I'm a bit confused about who the "target audience" of this blog is meant to be. This is Giant Bomb, a site with an extremely enthusiast community, but you spent so much of the text explaining basic game concepts and Persona/SMT series tropes. You've also labelled this blog with spoiler warning, so presumably anyone reading this has already finished the game.

I think you've got some interesting perspectives, but making the reader trudge through paragraphs of information they likely already know isn't the best. This reads more like it's targeted at someone with little knowledge of the game.