#and I kind of want to use 'conducting'/'tuning' in p5

[auncyen]

I FINALLY FINISHED STELLA GLOW.

my thoughts--

I paid $9.99 (and tax) for this game and for that price I think it’s safe to recommend if you want to try a strategy rpg that’s...usually on the easier side?  I don’t play strategy rpgs often myself, and most of the times I was having difficulty it was really because I was trying to do the “bonus” missions--the only difficulty spike I’d fault the game itself for is the final boss, who has a gimmick that you can’t really adjust for on the fly--if you don’t bring the right equipment/orbs, you’re probably sunk.  Also, 6/8 of your party will be fixed for the start of the end, so you’re screwed if like me, you did not level some of them :)  That is the part that sucked and broke all the immersion of “oh the world is ending in only a few days and the party narrowly saves them” because that is the only time in the game I actually had to grind.  And I had to grind a lot.

If I had to name the biggest reason not to buy this game, I would first point you to this character design.  This is arguably one of the best characters for combat in the game outside the witches.  Her personality is decent.  Inevitably, however, things keep coming back to her appearance, and somehow I just.  Managed to miss that this game is kind of a harem set-up.  Outside Nonoka’s character design there’s other little unfortunate things like “tuning” being set up as somewhat adversarial (there’s eventually a decent in-world explanation for why that is, but it still doesn’t stop it from coming off as like “oh [girl] won’t tell me what’s wrong, GUESS I GOTTA FORCE HER”, which actually makes it kind of satisfying when one witch is like “you know what?  yeah.  get in my spirit world.  FIGHT ME.  I’M GOING TO PUMMEL YOU.” once you have met all the witches you can easily guess which one this is) and the animation for “conducting” a witch to bring out her strongest powers is...thrusting your dagger into her chest while she gasps and of course. the first witch you actually do this with.  is the 15-year-old.

...

There were distinct points where I was glad to have only paid $10 for it.

I mentioned when I was playing the demo of the art being charming to me like BD’s and that’s true pretty much all the way through.  It looks very nice, and since it’s a plot based on song, there’s quite a few songs with vocals that are pretty nice.  The plot is a little “uhhhh??” at times but stays simple enough that nothing’s too glaring.  Unfortunately quite a bit of character development seems to be kind of gated behind free time usage, and your first playthrough you will only have enough free time to max six characters with careful planning, according to other players.  I only maxed four.  So especially at the end, you’ll have moments of characters talking about things that sound like they probably came up in their free time character arcs and I’m just like “well yeah that sounds appropriate for this character type but WE DIDN’T REALLY DISCUSS THIS”.  Free time is supposed to be much more generous in ng+, which kind of makes sense as a bonus, but at the same time, it’s so restrictive in the first playthrough it kind of works against the close-knit group they seem to want to portray at the end.

Similarly the exp cap from lower level enemies being a thing for only the first playthrough is baffling to me because first playthrough is the time when players would most need grinding since they have less experience with the combat system??  otherwise you gotta rely on play coin battles.  I only had 13 play coins so I could only do 1.  I started trying to earn more play coins only to realize my 3ds does not count steps accurately at all, so...that was discouraging.

That said I blasted through this in less than 3 weeks (it’s supposed to take about 40 hours, my playtime has quite a few hours over but that’s partially because of times I just put the 3ds down and started doing other things), so yes, gameplay wise it’s pretty fun.

[symphonicwinds]

Sophia reviews P5 Confidants Pt. 2

If you haven’t read the explanation/seen the first part of this series, please click here! This part covers Arcanas 5 - 9 (Hierophant to Hermit). As always, this post contains late ass spoilers so please read at your own risk! 

The next part will cover the next 4 -5 arcanas, so stay tuned!

V. HIEROPHANT – SOUJIRO SAKURA

BEST LINK IN THE GAME.

Sorry. I just, holy shit you guys. Soujiro’s link is the best link in the entire game. Hands down. No question. I love Soujiro so much.

I think Soujiro’s link succeeds where other links don’t in a few ways.

1.       Coffee/curry making

The coffee/curry making mechanic is great because not only does it allow you to make SP healing items, but it allows you to bond with Soujiro outside of his social link. You also get to learn new facts about coffee, similar to Catherine’s alcohol system, making it pretty much my favourite nighttime mechanic. It makes Soujiro’s social link easier to max, it gives you an SP healing item and you get to hang out with Soujiro, who is like, the best non-party member in the game. There is no downside to making coffee.

2.       Futaba and Soujiro in one link? Sign me the fuck up

I’ve mentioned before that Persona 5’s confidants are great because they often involve other characters outside of the protagonist. Soujiro’s confidant is unique in that it heavily involves Futaba, rather than a minor character. So not only do you get character development from Soujiro, you also get character development for Futaba! Seeing them bond and become closer is the most heart warming thing in the entire game. You can also see how much Soujiro loves Futaba, not just because she’s the daughter of the woman he loved, but for herself, and seeing how far he’ll go to protect her (and later you) literally melts my heart.

3.       Soujiro gradually warms up to you

At the beginning of the game, Soujiro treats you as little more than a burden to him, and often threatens that he’ll kick you out if you cause any trouble. However, as you advance his confidant, he slowly warms up to you, and by the end of it you, him and Futaba are basically an adopted family. And can I just say that this family dynamic is great because it emphasises that everyone chooses to be together? It’s definitely a family built on love and trust, created over time and I absolutely adore the Sakura family.

4.       Great dynamic between strength and vunerability

While you see Soujiro at a lot of his weakest moments throughout his story (main story and social link), Soujiro never appears weak, in a way where he needs rescuing. Obviously you do end up rescuing him in the way of stealing Futaba’s uncle’s heart, but he never shows signs of weakness throughout the game. He is incredibly resilient, which is admirable, but you know that he is not perfect and that he is incredibly vunerable, especially when it comes to Futaba. It creates this weird mix between wanting to protect him, but also respecting him for his own strength, which he has in spades.

5.       Great synergy between main conflict and side conflict

Soujiro’s social link succeeds where Haru’s fails in that it handles multiple issues extraordinarily well. It focuses his relationship with Futaba and his issues with Futaba’s uncle as the central plot, and smaller moments are devoted with resolving Soujiro’s feelings for Wakaba, Futaba’s mother. Both stories are presented so well, and it makes Soujiro an incredibly interesting and dynamic character.

As I previously mentioned, Soujiro’s confidant skill is allowing you to make coffee and curry. The farther you level his confidant, the better you get at making curry and coffee. This is introduced early in the game and his food will be ABSOLUTE LIFESAVERS in Palaces, and at this point of the game the best SP healing items you can get are pop cans that heal 5 SP, in contrast to the coffee which heals 30. The only downside to this is that it takes time to make, but again, you get to learn about coffee and hang out with Soujiro! Guaranteed to have a good time.

VI. LOVERS – ANN TAKAMAKI

Ann is… one of those confidants where I like her in the main story, more than her social link.

I sympathize with Ann a lot because I can personally relate to her story in game. I also think that she’s adorable and I love her relationship with Ryuuji.

But her social link. Oh man.

I had originally decided that Ann was best girl, early on in the game. She was it. She was going to be my waifu. But then I did her social link, and I just, couldn’t do it. I felt like her social link was weaker in comparison to some of the later links because I didn’t find her story that compelling. I appreciate aspects of it; her, realizing that she loves modelling and working hard at it, her relationship with Shiho and her dealing with Shiho’s recovery, but these things were overshadowed by what I disliked about the link. I didn’t really like Mika, and the use of her as a foil for Ann wasn’t that effective for me. I think it would have been better if Ann had reached her “cap” when it comes to her modelling career, and then from there she can realize that she needs to work hard in order to get what she wants. Mika completely fell flat for me as a character, and all of her interactions with Ann were very unenjoyable and borderline unpleasant to watch.

Ann’s link definitely had the Protagonist as a cheerleader to Ann’s pursuits. And as much as that can be applied to literally every social link, I didn’t feel like the Protagonist was as active in Ann’s story. Obviously the outlier here was when the Protagonist gets to tease Ann to make her “stronger”, but that aside, he felt like he was watching, rather than getting involved.

All of that aside, I think my biggest issue with Ann, not only as a character but with her social link, is that it feels like you mixed Rise and Chie’s social links from Persona 4 and put it into one person. Ann, also feels like a mix of Chie and Rise. I don’t really like saying that about the Persona 5 characters, because overall I feel like they’re all diverse enough to be considered their own people, but Ann is pretty much my sole exception to this. In short, there were times where Ann really felt like Rise (modelling and bubbliness) or really felt like Chie (with the “getting stronger” objective and her feistiness), and I did not enjoy the times where Ann felt like Chie, just because I don’t like Chie.

And with all of those things together, Ann’s social link is probably one of the more weaker ones in Persona 5. It’s not bad, but I simply didn’t enjoy it as much as the others.

Ann’s unique confidant boost is making negotiations with Shadows easier. This isn’t really that great, just because literally every party member gains this ability as well, so it doesn’t really give the player incentive to level her confidant for the sake of her bonus.

VII. CHARIOT – RYUUJI SAKAMOTO

I liked Ryuuji’s link. It is not one of the best, I enjoyed it and I liked seeing Ryuuji outside of the Phantom Thieves.

I think Ryuuji’s link is good because it showcases Ryuuji’s character well. The Ryuuji in his confidant is very different from Skull/Phantom Thieves Ryuuji, as he’s a lot more soft spoken and caring in this. Obviously some of his brashness and anger is still there, but his link reminds you that Ryuuji isn’t just some thickheadded idiot, and is more perceptive and intelligent than what you see in the main storyline.

I think my biggest issue with Ryuuji’s link was that it wasn’t really about Ryuuji. While it did show Ryuuji in a softer light, in a way, Ryuuji was sidelined in his own confidant in favour for his track team. It’s not enough of an issue for you to say, forget that this is Ryuuji’s link and not the track team’s link, but I kind of wish that it was a bit more centered around him. But what was there was incredibly solid, and I liked seeing Ryuuji plot his little missions to eavesdrop on the new track coach, and him obtaining the resolve to train on his own, rather than depending on a team.

Ryuuji’s unique confidant boost is the ability to INSTANTLY KILL ENEMIES that are weaker than you and take their personas if you have room. This is actually, really really great. Especially when you’re combing Momentos for targets on high levels, it makes Momentos traversing a breeze. Also, if you power grind to 99 to fuse all of the personas/fight Caroline and Justine, it makes the last dungeon a freaking cakewalk.

VIII. JUSTICE – GORO AKECHI

Goro’s link is another link that advances as the story advances, so I’m going to talk about Goro’s relationship with the Protagonist and him as a character in general.

Goro is my favourite character in the whole game.

I’m not going to lie. Totally had a crush on Goro since day one. I have a thing for pretty boys, and I genuinely, genuinely thought that Goro was earnest in his sense of justice and in catching the Phantom Thieves.

I was wrong. I was so, so wrong.

I was kind of hoping that he wouldn’t be the traitor because he was the Justice Arcana, and how could he be evil when he shares an arcana with Nanako Dojima? But he was.

It’s wrong to say that Goro is evil though. It simplifies his character when he is the most well written and the most underutilized character in the whole game.

What makes Goro’s character work is the Reveal. Again, I did not anticipate him being evil at all, and it shocked me that he was. Similarly to the Fake Igor, learning about his backstory and his plans makes you rethink every single encounter and appearance you’ve seen. And, even though his pride did not allow him to see his father’s plan to dispose of him after the election, you have to give him credit for being able to create/conduct such an elaborate plot against the Phantom Thieves.

Goro is a murder. He’s also a sociopath. But he is a product of years, and years of emotional abuse, and being absolutely starved of any love and affection. What makes Goro compelling is that he didn’t have to be evil. That, as Yusuke said, any one of the Phantom Thieves could have became like him if they hadn’t met the Protagonist. And he acknowledges this! He knows things could have been different, but they aren’t and that’s what makes his character so tragic. And despite loathing and being extremely jealous of the Protagonist, he genuinely cares about them, from not exposing Morgana’s identity to Shido to “sacrificing” himself to allow them to escape. He had experienced genuine care and love from the Protagonist, when it was already too late, and that’s what makes him a fantastic character.

When it comes to his relationship with the Protagonist, their bond is subtle, but impactful. Even though Goro knows who you are and your identities, he still confides in you, about his past in Leblanc and of his tiredness of being the Detective Prince. I’ve seen some people critique Goro’s social link because it doesn’t seem to make sense in certain areas why it would increase, but I feel like it’s your subconscious trust of Goro, even if it’s not openly displayed. All of this cumulates in the final battle with him, where, despite fully knowing that he had killed both Futaba and Haru’s parents, that they were willing to team up with him to take down Shido. I found this moment to particularly impactful because it also, ultimately changes Goro’s mindset too, as this offer is what provokes him into saving you from Cognitive Goro and telling him to avenge Shido in his honour.

Unfortunately, other than basic party skills, Goro does not provide any sort of social link bonuses. That isn’t something you really neeed to worry about, because he’s a story progressing social link and maxing him is part of the true ending but it still kind of blows that he doesn’t really add much to your gameplay :/ 

IX. THE HERMIT – FUTABA SAKURA

Futaba is definitely one of my favourite characters in the game, and she was more a little sister to me than Nanako ever was. Between her confidant, Soujiro’s confidant and the main story, she probably gets the most screentime other than the Protagonist. And her confidant is solid too!

Futaba’s social link is similar to Ryuuji’s where her personality really shines. She is incredibly endearing in her attempts to intergrate herself into society/fulfill her promises, and there was a good mix of humour with serious moments, similar to Yusuke’s social link. Futaba’s link was more successful than Yusuke’s in that she made me laugh! Futaba is genuinely an enjoyable character to watch, with all of her erratic behaviours, and it offset the more serious parts of her social link quite well. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a bad thing, but I felt like the humour outshone the serious issues in Futaba’s social link.

Futaba’s other friendship is with her friend Kana, who she wishes to reconnect with. Although Kana is not explicitly shown in the entirety of her link, she works because she is a support to Futaba’s development, and acts nicely as Futaba’s motivation to overcome her social anxiety and past trauma. Again, this allows Futaba to remain the center of her link, while the other characters support her, in contrast to Ryuuji, who got overshadowed by the track team.

As a romance option, oh boy. I’m not surprised that Futaba is popular as a lover, because she so freaking endearing and adorable, especially when you confess to her. Her link is also fairly obvious in showing her affection for the Protagonist, and it legitimately hurt me to reject her. While I personally see her more as a little sister (especially with her Japanese voice actress making her sound a lot more childish and zany), her romance link is TOP NOTCH.

Futaba’s social link bonuses are probably one of the best of the game, as she gives you a variety of supports in battle, from things like evasion/speed ups to free heat risers and SP healing. She can also figure out the layout of various Momentos floors, and replenish treasure in palaces/Momentoes, making her supremely useful and worth your time to max out, above other characters.

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Chinese media outlet GNN Gamer recently conducted an interview with Atlus general manager and Atlus USA President and CEO Naoto Hiraoka.

Persona 5 will be released in China on March 23, 2017, and Hiraoka discusses the upcoming release, in addition to Atlus’ position in the Asian market.

Asian Market Priority

The first title released by Atlus in Traditional Chinese was Persona 4 Golden. The players’ positive receptions were beyond their imagination. From then on, they have been thinking about their future releases in the territory, and plan to do everything they can to release these versions not far from the Japanese release dates.

The Traditional Chinese version of Persona 5 will be released on March 23rd, earlier than in North America and Europe, with the Japanese release having been the fastest. Atlus is honored that the Asian market will be receiving the game quickly. Asia, North America and Europe are regarded as Atlus’ most important areas, and they will be giving top priority to the Asian market in the future.

Chinese Version of ‘Persona 5’

While the game was originally listed to release on September 15th in China, Hiraoka states that the primary cause of the delay was the game’s size. It has a very large amount of text and voice, and just the text translation took more than four months. The implementation then took two more months. Atlus regards the translation of the Traditional Chinese version as a top priority in their development schedule.

Regarding the unique font used in Persona 5, Hiraoka says that the translators responsible for the Asian region made a lot of attempts for the P5 text style to remain consistent. P5 contains very unique UI and other elements, and they did their best to not go against the atmosphere of the game’s Japanese version, which was a very difficult task.

Hiraoka says that the Japanese version has had a large variety of DLC released, and that they have plans to provide this to players of the localized Chinese version in the future.

The first time the Traditional Chinese version of Persona 5 was put on dispay was at the Taipei Game Show 2017 (in January 2017). In response to a question concerning if they have any large-scale promotional plans for the game’s release on March 23, Hiraoka states that they have been discussing what kind of publicity will achieve the greatest effect, along with the expectations of the players, and that they should look forward to a lot.

Atlus after ‘Persona 5’

Hiraoka states that the JRPG genre has been in the doldrums in Europe and North America, but that it is recovering alongside a trend of cool Japanese games. The Persona series, as a representative of the genre, bears the responsibility as a standard for the genre, and Atlus hopes to maintain that attitude in the future. While maintaining Atlus’ unique originality, based on their vision of “continuous innovation,” they will seek to actively challenge new things, and strive to create games players who have become fans of theirs look forward to.

Studio Zero, created by P5’s producer and director Katsura Hashino, represents Atlus’ vision of “continuous innovation.” Hiraoka says that it is regrettable that the “innovation” part has been stagnant in recent years, and that is what Atlus wants to restore with the new studio. Studio Zero’s new game is still in its beginning stages.

Regarding a ‘Persona 6’

GNN Gamer asks Atlus: “Because Studio Zero has been established, we will not see “Persona 6″ anytime soon, right?” Hiraoka responds by saying that the Persona series remains Atlus’ most important work, and that this will not change in the future. “The next step for it is already in preparation, so stay tuned!”

Nintendo Switch’s ‘Shin Megami Tensei’

As a home console, Hiraoka says that the Nintendo Switch is revolutionary. They are pleased to present the latest release in the “Shin Megami Tensei” series on the Switch. They cannot disclose more than they already have for the title, but they can say that they are making preparations for the series’ 25th anniversary. Follow-up news will be released in due time.

Read

(Good stuff. I feel like P6 might be too soon tho, I’d like them to expand in more spin off games but hey I’m down for anything~! 8U)