#fes is very good 4 that... and even though i played it unmodded there are def mods out there that make it more tolerable

[crescentfool]

after a year of on-and-off playing, i finally finished persona 3 fes (the journey) and it was a very lovely experience! so i thought i’d write a post compiling some of my thoughts about it!

first things first, p3p or p3fes:

i enjoyed fes a LOT but for people who are looking for a smoother game experience and fun social links, i would suggest playing femc’s route on p3p, and then watch the p3 movies to see minato’s journey.

that said, if you feel that 3d models are important to help immerse yourself in the setting and storyline (like me!), i would still recommend playing fes!

and if you are not entirely sure if you want to commit to an 80+ hour long game… the movies are a very good starting point!

where im coming from:

before i actually get into Some of My Thoughts™, a lil’ precursor  i did go into fes with the general gist of p3’s plot (i watched the movies).

p3 fes was the second persona game i played (after p5r), but i have seen a good chunk of gameplay of the other games (p1, p2is, p3p, and p4g).

i can say that playing the game definitely heightened my appreciation for the characters and setting in a way that the movie couldn’t. soufhglkhdf i loved it. 

but anyways. some More Thoughts™ under the cut, mostly just about fes’s gameplay and Some Spoilers!

on the gameplay:

i think that playing fes after p5r was really interesting! i felt that i could see the foundation of what makes up the ‘modernsona’ games. it’s not as streamlined as p5r (no baton passes 💔) but i think it’s still playable (though that might be because i played on easy, lol).

tartarus, i found it… oddly calming? but i understand if people feel it’s repetitive, and not as interesting as the dungeons in p5r. i enjoy that tartarus isn’t as segmented since the story beats didn’t have to be tied to it.

i think the worst part of the gameplay to me was anything to do with the golden hands…. it’s very annoying to get into a battle with them on the map, and once you DO get into a fight they can just run away before you can do anything? so i’m glad that their appearances in p4g are much more fair and feel more rewarding bc i had to abuse so many save states just to hit the fuckers.

in regards to the ai, i think they’re alright unless you’re trying to pull off a more elaborate strategy that isn’t “knock down enemies and all out attack them.” i think the directions that you can give SEES are fairly straightforward but there have been times where their decisions are questionable (no mediaharan or… attacking when the final boss activated their reflect barrier… lol).

i found fes to be tolerable but i do think that sometimes enemy advantage attacks combined with the ai can be rather punishing when party members heal people that aren’t the leader (given the if protag dies = game over). totally not speaking from experience haha what do you mean (volume warning)???

if you’re playing on emulator i highly recommend keeping save states! i used them a lot for hands and the (groans) random skill mutations and. shuffle times. im cheap. i know. but don’t b afraid to make it easier for urself ✨ 

there’s also the new moon difficulty mod for anyone who’s concerned about the game balance, but i haven’t played it myself.

on the characters / story:

i liked sees when watching the movies, but gosh, playing the game really heightened my appreciation for them! especially yukari, i loved her social link and i really enjoyed getting to know her better.

that said. anyone who’s been in the p3 fandom long enough probably has heard that minato’s social links are… lackluster. there are a few good ones (that weren’t SEES) that i really liked- bebe (XIV), mutatsu (XVI), and akinari (XIX)! but all of these are… available in femc’s route and she gets a lot better options. i don’t want to sit through nozomi and kenji’s social links again </3

even if i feel that minato’s SLs are a bit meh, i really appreciate how SEES’s social links are handled and that their development does not hinge on minato DOING things- i think it allows for stronger and more believable character arcs and i loved seeing the different dynamics among the cast!

i think that playing the game and living out each day brings out the inherent strength of the persona calendar system- i really felt a stronger attachment to the characters and their individualized storylines than i did in the movies, which in turn enhanced my enjoyment of the themes portrayed in the narrative. which. i already enjoyed a lot (gestures a lot at ryoji mochizuki who everyone probably knows that he’s my favorite character ever).

if it’s not readily apparent! i really! enjoyed playing FES! im glad i chose it over p3p bc :) i like to look at minato and smile at his silly little animations. but uh. i think that’s all i have to say!

if anyone wants any specific thoughts™ on the characters / gameplay, feel free to leave an ask !!! i would be happy to answer it whenever i have the chance to~

 TL;DR: p3 GOOD i loved it a lot