Kaiganeer posted...
mainline SMT is literally just persona but with less features tho
it's like if you took the mapping+exploration out of etrian odyssey or all the cutscenes out of mgs4
Not true, and SMT is especially not without it's own perks over Persona anyway. In SMT area design, exploration, gameplay pacing, party customization and challenge are better at the expense of some Persona's exclusive mechanics and features such as it's calendar and time frame system, and the ins and outs of the high school / free time slice of life routine between dungeons. So in SMTV you don't have to worry about doing dungeon runs in a single afternoon so you can devote more free time to grinding social links / confidants ranks, or your own social skills, like optimal play dictates, nor are you forced to wait for certain dates, weeks in the future, hours later, just for the story to finally be able to progress.