A true Masterpiece

This game kept me hooked for over two weeks despite having played almost half of it on game pass before it got removed from the service and before i could finish it. but i'm glad i got to play it again and this time actually complete it here on steam.

The best thing about this game and what kept me hooked the most is the characters and the quality of the writing; every single character is memorable and makes you care of them and want to see their individual stories to the end. Not only for the protagonists but even for villains as well, each character is very well written with his own motives and convictions ending in a satisfying conclusion at the end of each arc. modern day western developers -looking at you current BioWare- should seriously take notes from JRPGs and from persona games.

The main story is great as well with many WUUUT moments and plot twists especially by the end of the 7th chapter and the character development of the GOAT Goro Akechi and his redemption arc culminating in a big reveal and the biggest plot twist by the end of the Third Semester which elevates an initially hated character into the Ultimate GOAT status by the end. it's moments like these that elevate the story and makes for some weaker story elements and plot holes in favor of a more interesting and complete story with a satisfying conclusion by the end. every single ending feels like it could be a canon ending by itself, even the bad ones and that's how strong the writing in this game is.

The music in this game is also Top tier. Not a single track is below 10\10 and some of the palaces themes will be playing in your head for hours after you're finished with them, it's really unbelievable such a perfect track could exist in a single game, it's just an impossible feat somehow turned possible.

The turn-based combat is one of the best in the genre, very engaging and the huge number of personas to collect and use in combat is insane allowing for so many different strategies against an equal number of enemies, you never get bored of the combat encounters in this game as it keeps things fresh every time even after the 100th hour mark, all of this is elevated by stellar combat music that pumps adrenaline through your veins every single time. this is the most varied and engaging turn-based combat system i ever seen.

this game took me over 120h to complete, which could easily have been be 150 have i not already played over 60 hours on game pass before which allowed me to go through the first 3 palaces in less than 30 hours here on steam, but still it felt like it went by way faster than that and sometimes a 6h play session felt like only an hour or two have actually passed by. this game will stay with me forever and forever will be remembered as one of the best ever made.

11\10 => MASTERPIECE