Persona 5 Royal Review

My review for Persona 5 including rankings for each dungeon and confidant as well as my favorite tracks:

This is one of my favorite games ever. It took me well over 100 hours to beat, and it didn’t even feel like it took that long. The combat, the story, the characters, the music, and even the art is all phenomenal and works together so well. Everything feels so planned out and perfectly intertwined to create one cohesive masterpiece.

Palaces (Dungeons)

About half of the game is spent in its many dungeons, and luckily they are really good. I like how this game (mostly) abandoned the randomly generated dungeons from previous entries in the series in favor of a more traditional dungeon with puzzles and more intricate themes.

Suguru Kamoshida

I really like Kamoshida’s dungeon. It is a perfect introduction to how infiltrations work. It teaches you everything you need to know while also being pretty challenging (mostly because you don’t have any strong Personas at this point, but still). I like the music, the theming is good, and Kamoshida really is the worst. I’ll get more into his character when I go over all of the villains, but I really like how this conflict is personal to every character involved at this point in the story. Joker, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana all have reasons to hate this guy. The boss battle is pretty good too, not the best, but definitely not the worst.

Ichiryusai Madarame

Honestly, the thing I like most about this dungeon is the story surrounding it. Yusuke and Ann are hilarious, and I like how it expands on how real life can change Madarame’s cognition. As far as theming goes, the museum isn’t as interesting or fun as some of the others, but it obviously makes sense, cuz, you know, Madarame is an artist. The boss fight isn’t that great, but still not awful.

Junya Kanehsiro

This is one of the best dungeons in the game. The bank aesthetic is really fun (perfect for a heist) the music is great, and you’re at a point now in the game that your moveset has expanded to the point where you have some real options in combat. I also like Makoto’s character, and now she gets to be involved as the straight man in the group, which makes for a nice dynamic. Kaneshiro himself is unspectacular as a villain because he is so cartoonish, but he isn’t the worst. The puzzles in this dungeon also take a step up and work into the theme well. The boss fight is pretty fun, definitely better than Madarame’s, but still not the best by a longshot.

Futaba Sakura

This one is interesting because Futaba isn’t even a bad guy, however, that is probably the only interesting part. This dungeon is very forgettable, which is weird because I like Futaba and I like pyramids. The puzzles are pretty good, but honestly, I think the fact that Futaba isn’t a bad guy kind of lowers the stakes. You grow to hate the villains of the previous three dungeons, but Futaba literally wants you to change her heart and she invites you into her dungeon. I don’t care for the boss fight that much either, and it is one of the easiest for sure.

Kunizaku Okumura

This is the worst part of the game by far. The whole Okumura arc is boring and frustrating. Not a good combo. I will talk more about the story and Okumura himself later, but the dungeon itself isn’t much better. The factory aesthetic is fine, the puzzles are fine, even pretty good until… that stupid maze at the end. I hate mazes. It took me so frickin long to beat that stupid maze. Mazes are the least fun kind of puzzle. I thought the maze was bad until I did the boss fight. That boss fight makes the maze look like genius game design. I lost about 8 times before I had to just swallow my pride and lower the difficulty. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the difficulty. Metroid Dread is one of my favorite games of all time, and that game is extremely difficult almost the entire way through. I lost way more than 8 times against some of that game’s more difficult bosses. This boss, though, isn’t hard because the AI is smart. It isn’t just really powerful. It has a stupid ass gimmick that makes most of the fight come down to luck. If I miss even one attack, I basically lose the fight. What? Come on! All the other boss fights are fair and have a gimmick that at least isn’t stupid. It is such a long slog of a fight too. It has to be one of the longest fights in the entire game. My least part of the game by far.

Sae Nijima

After the game’s worst two dungeons, the game gets back on track with one of its best. Sae is an interesting antagonist at this point in the game. She is actively against you, but she isn’t evil like the other antagonists to this point. You also get Akechi for this dungeon, and any excuse for more Akechi is a good one. The puzzles and gimmicks are all really good. The music is good. The Casino aesthetic is cool. The final fight is good and very unique. The story around the dungeon is good. The whole dungeon really comes together really well, and it almost makes you forget about the disaster that was Okumura’s dungeon.

Masayoshi Shido

This dungeon is pretty good. It has some difficulty, which is nice considering Shido is basically the main villain of the whole game. The aesthetic of the cruise ship is fine. I don’t like the mouse sections very much though. The final fight was fun, but ultimately kind of underwhelming. The Akechi fight on the other hand was really good.

Yaldaboath/Holy Grail

This dungeon is kind of meh to me. Obviously it is nothing like the others, and doesn’t really follow the others in structure at all. Honestly, the story kind of goes off the rails a little bit at this point. I preferred the story when it was a little more grounded, but it makes sense that the story would go this way to wrap everything up. The bosses do not disappoint. Both the Holy Grail and Yaldaboath make for fun and very challenging fights. Interesting that the developers clearly know how to make a good, challenging fight, and yet they thought the Okumura fight was passible.

Takuto Maruki

The Royal exclusive dungeon is great. Maruki might be the best villain in the whole game, and the puzzles are great. The final fight was great too. Especially when it devolves into a straight up fist fight between Joker and Maruki till the very end. Getting to use Akechi again, as well as Sumire, was really fun.

Mementos

Mementos is this game’s version of the auto-generated dungeon format, and I honestly think it does it the best, even though you don’t spend nearly as much time there as in Persona 3’s Tartarus or Persona 4’s dungeons. I like how they tie it into the normal game play loop as well, as there are several quests throughout the game to help people in Mementos. It is a good way to make it present throughout the story so that it isn’t completely out of nowhere when it becomes the focal point of the final part of the game.

Dungeon Ranking:

1. Nijima (Casino)
2. Maruki (Laboratory)
3. Kaneshiro (Bank)
4. Kamoshida (Castle)
5. Shido (Cruise Ship)
6. Madarame (Museum)
7. Mementos
8. Yaldaboath/Holy Grail (Depths of Mementos)
9. Futaba (Tomb)
10. Okumura (Spaceport)

Also, side-note, I really like finding all the will seeds too. Not only do they add more depth to each dungeon, but the rewards you get for finding them are extremely useful. I wish Persona 4 would have had something like this.

8.5/10

Confidants

Most of the other half of the game is spent with confidants. I really like this take on the social link system. It gives real benefit to spending time with these characters other than just a bigger boost to fusions. I like how each of them teach you a different skill, or provide you a certain service that helps the Phantom Thieves. Even though I think the Confidant system is better than the Social Link system from a gameplay standpoint, the actual characters and stories tied to them are more of a mixed bag than Persona 4, which had the best social links this series has to offer.

(when it comes to main characters that also have a confidant, I mostly just talk about their confidant story line, and then a more broad overview of their character later)

0 Igor (Fool)

Igor is pretty much a total nothing in Persona 3 and 4, but I actually like him in this game. He is actually a real character. Since this was the first persona game I played, I totally didn’t see the twist that he was really Yaldaboath coming. I probably could have predicted it since his voice was different, had I played the other games, but this was good. I like that there is very subtle foreshadowing to his true nature. I will say, Evil Igor’s voice is way cooler than actual Igor’s.

I Morgana (Magician)

I ultimately don’t care for Morgana as a character that much, but his confidant story is actually pretty good. He goes from a cocky cat that I would put down if he couldn’t turn into a bus, to ultimately the hero at the end of the story. You really get to feel his insecurities and why he puts on this cheesy bravado all the time. A pretty good confidant for a pretty not great character.

II Makoto Nijima (Priestess)

I like Makoto the character, but I have mixed feelings about the confidant. I think the confidant gets too focused on her friend, and not enough of it is hanging out with Makoto. Ultimately I think she develops fine as a character by the end, but I wish that was reflected in the story, which is a problem for all of the characters that are part of the main party except for Morgana and Akechi because theirs work a little differently.

III Haru Okumura (Empress)

I’ll save my thoughts on Haru later. The confidant itself is fine, I guess. It is kind of a retread of Mitsuru’s social link from Persona 3, but Haru is much less charming, so this one isn’t as good.

IV Yusuke Kitagawa (Emperor)

I like this one. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is nice because Yusuke is such a wacky guy. I like that this development that he goes through throughout this confidant is tied to his art, and not really him as a person. This makes it so that it doesn’t really need to tie into the plot at all, but it is still impactful.

V Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant)

This one is tied to the plot pretty nicely, and foreshadows Futaba’s existence perfectly. This is one of the few confidants where I actually care that much about helping him. A lot of the other characters don’t really mean much to Joker personally, but seeing Sojiro getting taken advantage of kind of hits different.

VI Ann Takamaki (Lovers)

This one really hurts by not being reflected in the main plot. This whole confidant is about her being stronger emotionally and becoming someone that looks out for others and can be relied upon, but she doesn’t really get to show that in the story. Looking at the confidant in isolation, it’s pretty good. Ann is a very likeable character, and Mika is the worst, so helping Ann confront her is rewarding. Good, but ultimately wasted by the fact that we don’t see this character growth in the main plot.

VII Ryuji Sakamoto (Chariot)

Ryuji is my favorite character in the game, and his confidant is good as well. I like that it is basically a continuation of the Kamoshida arc (Ann’s confidant could have been that, but strays off that path pretty far sometimes). It is pretty convenient that the new coach would be so vocal about his nefarious plan in public, but ultimately this story really works in showing Ryuji move on and be able to leave Kamoshida and track behind him.

VIII Goro Akechi (Justice)

This is the most important social link to do in the whole game. Akechi isn’t my favorite character, but he is the best character. Being able to become friends with him and compete with him; being able to see how he views life and the Phantom Thieves really makes the main plot much better. I especially like the rank where he challenges you to a fight in Mementos.

IX Futaba Sakura (Hermit)

Even though I like Futaba, her confidant really isn’t all that good. The “character development” in this confidant doesn’t really matter. Yeah, she gets out of her shell… but she already does that in the main plot, so this confidant seems redundant a lot of the time.

X Chihaya Mifune (Fortune)

This is one of the more forgettable confidants. She has no connection to the overall plot, she is boring as a character, and her story isn’t all that intriguing. Her upgrades aren’t even that good either.

XI Caroline and Justine (Strength)

I don’t really care about this one. They aren’t very likeable as characters, and they can’t develop too much or else the main plot wouldn’t make much sense. There is some foreshadowing at the Igor reveal, but that is the best part of the confidant.

XII Munehisha Iwai (Hanged Man)

Iwai is objectively cool. He’s no nonsense and his story is good. The upgrades are really fun to use as well. They were able to make a confidant character good without him being tied to the plot, or overdramatic. I like it.

XIII Tae Takemi (Death)

Takemi is also really cool. She is like the girl version of Iwai in a way. Cool, no nonsense, and principled. She has good upgrades too. Her story is also pretty sad, and more grounded than some others. Well done.

XIV Sadayo Kawakami (Temperance)

This is one of my favorites. Not only is this the most useful confidant in the whole game, but the story is effective. Kawakami is getting screwed over real bad (just like everyone else), but you actually care because you see the emotional and physical toll this is taking on her, and she is likeable so you want to help her. I also like it because she is a character that is involved (even if only a little bit) in the main plot, so you get to see her outside of her confidant.

XV Ichiko Ohya (Devil)

Ugh. This one sucks. Ohya is an annoying perv, her upgrades are the most useless in the entire game, and the story is lame. She just does everything on her own and tells you about it. Lame.

XVI Shinya Oda (Tower)

This one is pretty forgettable. The upgrades are fine, but the whole confidant doesn’t really stand out in any way. Shinya himself is kind of boring. The story is sweet, but ultimately I don’t care that much.

XVII Hifumi Togo (Star)

This one is slightly better than Shinya’s because it can be funny sometimes, and the story is a little more interesting. It’s okay, but not particularly great.

XVIII Yuuki Mishima (Moon)

Mishima is a conceited douchebag, but that’s what makes this confidant so entertaining. Him becoming a target in Mementos because of his ego blowing put of proportion is hilarious. I love how he thinks that he is like the most important part of the team, even if you constantly belittle his efforts, it is just so funny.

XIX Toranosuke Yoshida (Sun)

I’m not a big fan of this one. It is better than some of the other average confidants, but his upgrades aren’t very good, and the story just isn’t very engaging. I do like how he is kind of the exact opposite of Shido. That was a nice touch.

XX Sae Nijima (Judgement)

Sae is a fine character, but the fact that several confidant levels are just skipped over just feels kind of cheap.

– Sumire Yoshizawa (Faith)

I like this one. Sumire is likeable, and her story is really tragic. A good combination. Perfectly ties into the themes of the game, and really does the heavy lifting for her character.

1 Takuto Maruki (Councillor)

This does a good job of setting up Maruki. It gives an insight into how he thinks and what his goals are. He really is trying to do what’s right; he just doesn’t get the big picture. Great way to introduce a villain.

Confidant Ranking:

1. Kawakami (Temperance)
2. Akechi (Justice)
3. Iwai (Hanged Man)
4. Takemi (Death)
5. Maruki (Councillor)
6. Ryuji (Chariot)
7. Sojiro (Hierophant)
8. Mishima (Moon)
9. Yusuke (Emperor)
10. Ann (Lovers)
11. Sumire (Faith)
12. Makoto (Priestess)
13. Futaba (Hermit)
14. Morgana (Magician)
15. Hifumi (Star)
16. Yoshida (Sun)
17. Haru (Empress)
18. Igor (Fool)
19. Shinya (Tower)
20. Chihaya (Fortune)
21. Sae (Judgement)
22. Carolina and Justine (Strength)
23. Ohya (Devil)

Overall, the confidants are pretty good, but not great. It doesn’t reach the highs of Persona 3, and it doesn’t have the consistency of Persona 4.

8.5/10

Story

I’ll go through this by arc. First, the intro. I like it. Joker running through the casino, and you have no idea what is going on. I’m not usually a fan of the story starting in the middle of the action, but it is actually relevant to the plot, so I like it.

The Kamoshida Arc is one of the best. The conflict is personal to everyone involved. Kamoshida ruined Ryuji’s track team and alienated him from his peers. He abused several girls at the school including Ann and her best friend Shiho who attempted suicide because of it. Joker could be expelled, and Morgana needs the Phantom Thieves in order to explore Mementos and figure out about his past. Everyone has personal beef with Kamoshida, and it really raises the stakes and drama unlike any of the other arcs.

The Madarame arc isn’t nearly as dramatic or personal as Kamoshida’s, but it is really funny. The whole bit with Yusuke and Ann is pretty good. Madarame is a pretty meh villain on his own, but this is a pretty good second arc overall.

The Kaneshiro arc is kind of a mixed bag. Kaneshiro is definitely the least believable villain and the most cartoonish. This is also the least personal conflict. While he is terrible, Makoto has only just barely met him. However, this arc has my favorite version of the Phantom Thieves. The party isn’t too bloated, and Makoto can be the straight man in a cast of mostly comedic characters. The dungeon itself is very good as well.

The Futaba arc is fine. Probably the most average arc in the game. I like Futaba, but she hasn’t developed her likeable characteristics yet, so she isn’t very entertaining. The dungeon isn’t very good either. I like that Sojiro gets to be involved a bit, so that’s nice.

The Okumura arc is the worst part of the game. The dungeon isn’t very good. The villain isn’t good. The new Phantom Thief isn’t good. Morgana goes from annoying to intolerable… and Ryuji is still the butt of the joke. While Okumura is a bad dude, he is not nearly as bad as any of the other villains, which was abundantly clear from the beginning. I understand that afterwards you get the context that Akechi and Shido were manipulating you into changing Okumura’s heart so that you could be framed for his mental shutdown, but I knew from the beginning that this was a bad move. One of the most annoying things about Morgana is brought to the spotlight in this arc. He always jazzes up everyone in the group (especially Ann) except for Ryuji, who he relentlessly slanders at every opportunity. Ryuji usually takes it pretty well, but the second he comes back, Morgana takes it personally and leaves the group. Ryuji is clearly on the right side of the issue, but everyone gets mad at him. They do Ryuji so dirty. Haru as a character isn’t bad on paper (still not good though), but she really doesn’t get any sort of spotlight here. Morgana and Ryuji’s quarrel take way too much time for us to really get attached to Haru like all of the characters. I like the ending with Akechi causing the mental shutdown and stuff, but man was this frustrating to get through.

I don’t know if the “Sae Nijima Arc” would be the right thing to call this part of the game. Clearly Sae isn’t evil, she just has a huge ego. This is one of my favorite parts of the game. Not only does Akechi join the gang, but you know you’re about to be arrested, so you’re always on edge wondering what’s going to happen that gets you caught. The whole interrogation thing comes full circle, and the game can actually end here based on your choices which is pretty cool. The whole plot to fool Akechi is pretty tightly written too. When he comes in and shoots you in the face, it’s pretty shocking, especially everything he and Joker had been through at this point. Crazy how the game can go from by far the worst arc in the game to maybe the best.

The Shido arc is pretty good. I like that after every other character in the game got a villain personal to them, Joker gets the man who screwed him over and got him into this situation in the first place. Shido himself is pretty cartoonish, but he is so hateable that I think he is an effective villain. The best part of the arc is probably Akechi. It’s hard to say that I “like” Akechi, but his character is so well written and so well voiced, that I am really enthralled whenever he is on screen.

The Holy Grail/Yaldaboath thing is kind of iffy. It wraps up the story well, emphasizes the themes of the game, and is pretty good from a gameplay perspective… it just seems kind of disconnected from the rest of the game. Shido IS the main antagonist. After defeating him it kind of feels like the game should just be done. There are no personal stakes here, and since I don’t like Morgana, I don’t care about helping him. I do like the Igor was an imposter plot. I knew he was suspicious, and I felt validated. It would have been more obvious if I had played the other Persona games first, but I didn’t, so I was still excited.

The Third Semester is really good (except for Human Morgana… I never want to see that again). Maruki is such a great villain. You can see why he thinks the way he does, and he is ultimately a good person… he’s just naive. He wants to help everyone, and he has a way to do that. This arc does such a good job of emphasizing this game’s themes. We should never give up our agency. Even if that means that we must suffer and deal with the cruelties of life, having the ability to grow and make meaningful choices makes it worth it. Maruki doesn’t understand this, and that is why he needs to go down. Getting to have Akechi and Sumire as part of the group is really fun too. They are such great characters that it is always nice to have them around. The final fight is fantastic as well. Much better than Yaldaboath.

Story Arc Ranking

1. Third Semester/Maruki Arc
2. Tricking Akechi Plot/Sae Nijima Arc
3. Kamoshida Arc
4. Shido Arc
5. Kaneshiro Arc
6. Madarame Arc
7. Holy Grail/Yaldaboath Arc
8. Futaba Arc
9. Okumura Arc

8.5/10

Characters

Villains

I’ve already talked about each of the villains to an extent so I’ll keep it brief.

Kamoshida

Very good villain. He is so despicable in such a real, dark way that affects everyone involved. Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, Joker, and even more minor characters like Mishima, Shiho, and Kawakami are affected by this. Ryuji and Ann’s whole confidants are about the aftermath of Kamoshida’s actions. He is such an impactful villain, and a great one to start with.

Madarame

Eh. He is obviously awful, not quite to Kamoshida’s level, but still clearly evil nonetheless. He really only affects Yusuke, which is fine, but I like the villains that really affect more than just the new member of the team. Pretty forgettable overall.

Kaneshiro

He’s just a typical mob boss. Very evil, but just kind of cartoony. He isn’t the same kind of evil as many of the previous two enemies. Seeing his comeuppance is satisfying, but I wish his conflict with the Phantom Thieves was more personal.

Okumura

He isn’t nearly as bad as the others, but that was by design. He would be the most forgettable if it wasn’t for how frustrating this part of the game is.

Shido

While he is kind of cartoony, that is fine because he has a true impact. He screws over Joker and Akechi so badly that you can’t help but hate him. I’m not quite sure if he is the most evil of the bunch, but he might be.

Yaldaboath

Eh, don’t really care.

Maruki

Such a well written and nuanced villain. I already talked about him a lot, but he is a perfect final adversary, which is impressive because I thought Shido filled that roll pretty well.

Villain Ranking

1. Maruki
2. Kamoshida
3. Shido
4. Kaneshiro
5. Madarame
6. Okumura
7. Yaldaboath

Phantom Thieves

Ryuji Sakamoto

FOR REAL!? Ryuji is by far my favorite of the main cast. He is the one of the best written best friend characters I have seen and maybe THE best teenage boy character. His voice acting is great, he is the funniest in the cast, and he always has your back. He is even more endearing because everybody else is always dogging on him. He is always one of my favorites to use in combat. His character development is one of the best in the game too. He goes from rebellious, reckless, and cocky to a more understanding yet confident dude by the end.

Morgana

Morgana is my least favorite outside of Haru. He is so arrogant, and so mean to Ryuji. He has pretty decent character development as he learns to humble himself in the end, but that doesn’t make him likeable. He’s also super horny over Ann, and it’s pretty weird sometimes. I don’t use him in fights very much either. I like using the healers in the other Persona games, but this guy just doesn’t pack much of a punch. His confidant is an automatic one as well, so it doesn’t feel like your relationship with him is as personal. He would be a lot better if he was funnier.

Ann Takamaki

Ann’s character development is pretty uneven. Most of it is in the confidant, but it doesn’t translate to the main story, so it seems pointless. She also has basically no personal stakes in the story after the Madarame arc. She is mostly useless except as the “emotional core” of the group if you want to call her that. She is entertaining though, and she plays really well off of Ryuji and Yusuke, so I still like having her around. I like using her in fights too, as she usually does the most damage.

Yusuke Kitagawa

Yusuke is basically the comedic relief. He really doesn’t add anything else to the story at any point, but I still like him. He is really funny, but that’s partially because of how Ryuji and Ann respond to him. His confidant is good which makes me appreciate his character a little more. I don’t like using him in fights very much either.

Makoto Nijima

I really like Makoto. She is the straight man in the group and brains, which is a nice breath of fresh air. The rest of the group before she joins is pretty dumb, all in their own way. She is pretty sweet and likeable after her first introduction, and she has a lot more going on in the than any of the other Phantom Thieves as she is connected to both the Principal and Sae. I like using her in fights too as a secondary healer and for her durability.

Futaba Sakura

If you romance Futaba I think you’re weird. She is giving off HEAVY little sister vibes. With that out of the way, I will say that she is very entertaining. The scene where she calls Mishima an NPC is the most legendary moment in the whole game. Her voice lines can get pretty annoying in fights though, even more annoying than Morgana if you can believe it. Her character development is pretty good, which comes with the side effect of her confidant seeming redundant.

Haru Okumura

Haru is pretty bland. I have never liked the plain “nice” girl archetype and that remains the case here. The thing is, none of the Phantom Thieves fit into a stereotypical mold that well, so they all feel like real people. Haru feels like some fake character written by a totally different team. She throws off the team chemistry, and she doesn’t have any unique dynamics with any of the rest of the cast. Part of that can be blamed on Morgana for stealing too much of the screen time during the Okumura arc, but her personality isn’t doing her any favors. It also really doesn’t help that her confidant is a less charming version of Mitsuru’s from Persona 3. She is pretty good at fighting though, which is definitely her best quality.

Phantom Thieves Ranking

1. Ryuji Sakamoto
2. Makoto Nijima
3. Ann Takamaki
4. Yusuke Kitagawa
5. Futaba Sakura
6. Morgana
7. Haru Okumura

Other Characters

Goro Akechi

Akechi is the best written character in the game. His dialogue, his internal conflict, his morality, and his relationship with Joker. He is a frustrating antagonist and a charming rival at the same time. He has one of the best confidants in the game, and some of the best voice acting. He is also one of my favorites to fight with in the couple dungeons that he is on the team. It is hard to say whether he better fits in the Phantom Thief category or the Villain category, which is a testament to how well written his inner conflict is.

Sumire/Kasumi Yoshizawa

Sumire is a pretty good character. She plays perfectly into the themes of the game, and is a standout in the 3rd semester. I wish she would have developed some sort of friendship with other members of the team that made her inclusion in the 3rd semester feel more natural, but it was mostly fine because she already had a strong relationship with Joker, and had met Akechi before. I mainly like that she provides a more nuanced look on the Phantom Thieves’ morality than any of the other team members.

Sojiro Sakura

Sojiro is great. He starts off as a total asshole, and yet he turns into a funny, endearing father-like figure. His relationship with Futaba is definitely a highlight. I also think his voice acting is some of the best in the game.

Sae Nijima

I don’t have much of an opinion on Sae. She is used well as a plot device, but really doesn’t have anything going for her outside of that. There is really nothing I like about her other than her use in fooling Akechi. Her story with Makoto is pretty good too, but she can’t really stand on her own as a character.

9/10

Soundtrack and Art

This is where the game truly goes above and beyond. The UI design, the atmospheric soundtrack, the cutscenes, and how it all blends in with the art style, gameplay, and themes is beautiful. Everything in this game fits together so well, and is so aesthetically pleasing.

Beneath the Mask and No More What Ifs are the main standouts in the soundtrack as they further display the parallels of Joker and Akechi.

Top 10 Music Tracks

1. No More What Ifs
2. Beneath the Mask
3. Tokyo Daylight
4. Have a Short Rest
5. Last Surprise
6. Price
7. Layer Cake
8. Butterfly Kiss
9. Tokyo Emergency
10. Mementos

10/10

Conclusion

This game definitely has some flaws as its characters don’t quite stack up compared to other Persona games, but they are mostly entertaining nonetheless. The dungeons are by far the best in the series, the villains are really good (especially Kamoshida and Maruki), Akechi is one of if not the best character in the series, and the art direction is masterful. If this game handled its character development a little better this game could have been perfect.