Persona 5 - Here We Go Again!
Started the New Game Plus right after the end credits ended. Overall this is definitely one of the best game I have played this year (which is not saying much since I have only played from games this year). One disappointing discovery I had is that character levels and the items from the previous runs don’t carry over. Even though it makes sense to not start with everything and at high levels, but I did feel a little bummed out I had to grind again for the levels. The good news is the weapons carry over and there is no level requirement for weapons so characters still become over powered to some degree. I think the items that maxed out confidants give are also carried over.
As I start, the end game weapons make my physical attacks really good (pretty much good enough for everything in the first Palace. The Demon compendium also carries over and so does the money. So I summoned so nifty shadows with useful spells. There is really no incentive to be playing at harder difficulties so I’m not going to be doing that anyway. I am really glad Atlus understands there is no point in setting an achievement for high difficulty. Let the people play the way they want to. I usually don’t have enough time to be banging my head against a difficulty spike just to see the rest of the content.
I had forgotten how gross Kamoshida is. He is a sex pest as well as a violent student beater. To keep with the portrayal his persona inside his own cancel is revolting as well. He wears a regal cape and crown, and nothing other than a speedo. Final boss transformation still manages to make him look even more gross. The long slimy tongue and attacks with names like lustful eyes. The palace is full of statues of naked or semi-naked students in sexual poses.
The game is definitely meant to be played more than once. All the content does not open until we get to the NG+ mode. With a hard time limit to finish each run of the game it is also not possible to do everything within one run. So everything that carries over allows the player to do more. For example, if all the social skills were maxed out in the last run, I don’t have to do them again. Which means I don’t have to grind by going to the bathhouse or keep going to my part time jobs. This allows me to focus on Confidants and making coffee. Coffee is important because it allows me to refill my SP while in the dungeon so I can use up the least amount of days to finish each palace.
Having the knowledge of late game story gives more perspective to the player about the conversation snippets too. Sojiro’s character is definitely more sympathetic now that I know more about what is going on in his life at this time. He is cranky because he is worried about Futaba’s future. He is probably talking to Futaba about getting home instead of getting into somebody’s bed.
All the money that carried over helped once I got to Shibuya. I basically bought out all the shops over there and still have half of the money left over. I’ve been buying all the drinks from the vending machines because there is a trophy for that.
The themes in the game and the problem it chooses to highlight are relevant to the current cultural climate. The movement towards fixing the society is not something I see commonly in JRPGs. Off the top of my head, the last game I remember to have done that was Final Fantasy VII and its treatment of climate change. There was also Xenosaga with philosophy heavy story and themes. But the gameplay was not fun and nobody played it. So it never finished telling the story it wanted to. I remember buying the first and never finished it. Then never bough the next one. So far everything looks immensely replayable in Persona 5.
It starts right in the middle of the action. The Hero is running through a casino. This is a tutorial section. Turn based fighting and the stealth actions are taught here. Stylish is going to be the keyword going forward. Everything just pops off the screen and music gets your blood pumping. The Hero makes the jump out of the Casino. Annnnd, there is police all over the place. Beaten and arrested, he is taken in custody for interrogation. The young public prosecutor shows up to ask him what he has been doing. It is time to settle down and listen to the story.
Hero tried to save a woman from being sexually assaulted. As no good deed goes unpunished, he was accused of assault by the actual assaulter. And the victim testified against him. So Hero is now a disgrace with criminal record. This is apparently too much for his parent and the tell him 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air'. Well no, not entirely. He is moving to Tokyo to go to a different school while on probation, and has to live with a stranger who is being paid to keep him there.
04-26-2020
