Current Events > I Think I'm Done with Persona

(+) Yeah! (+)

Dont get me wrong, I love the Persona series. The music, the characters, the styleits all fantastic. But after playing through multiple entries, Im starting to feel like the gameplay loop is just too repetitive.

You know the drill:

Go to school.
Answer some trivia question in class.
Hang out with your friends.
Then, dive into a dungeon to fight some shadowy monsters for hours.
Rinse and repeat until the game finally wraps up 100+ hours later.

Its not that its bad; its just that its the same thing every time. Even with the amazing stories, I feel like Im playing a slightly reskinned version of the last game. I dont know, maybe Ive just outgrown it?

Well, that's why you get Metaphor ReFantasio instead.

Persona five was great but like twenty hours too long. While I know it has story importance I think that cutting out the Burger CEOs dungeon would have been for the best. As that's the twenty hours that dragged on the most.

creativerealms posted...

Persona five was great but like twenty hours too long. While I know it has story importance I think that cutting out the Burger CEOs dungeon would have been for the best. As that's the twenty hours that dragged on the most.

That entire arc needed a full rewrite. Particularly because it gives almost nothing to Haru, who should be the most important for that dungeon and loses the most

I think I'm done with ChatGPT.

Persona 5 has so much fat attached to it. The series needs to seriously be trimmed down because im never doing that again

_____Cait posted...

Persona 5 has so much fat attached to it. The series needs to seriously be trimmed down because im never doing that again

metaphor does a pretty good job with that. It made me hopeful for future persona titles because 5 has some of the most egregious bloat of any jrpg ive played

ssb_yunglink2 posted...

That entire arc needed a full rewrite. Particularly because it gives almost nothing to Haru, who should be the most important for that dungeon and loses the most

If it wasn't for Futaba's good story and dungeon everything from July to September could be called mediocre to horrid. I hate how it became Morgana's arc mostly and that part would have been avoidable if Joker wasn't such a spectator.

TetsuoS2 posted...

If it wasn't for Futaba's good story and dungeon everything from July to September could be called mediocre to horrid. I hate how it became Morgana's arc mostly and that part would have been avoidable if Joker wasn't such a spectator.

Even Futabas arc suffers a bit because if you finish early enough shesleeps for almost an entire month lmao

5 just kind of showed the cracks of relying and sticking so heavily to the calendar system, because it disrupted the flow a lot

That's been an issue since 4, you help anyone from the dungeon in 4 and they just rest until deadline.

Whereas with 3 the events happen on the deadline. The big problem is that the games forces you to just 1 day dungeons if you wanted any hope of doing 100% NG1 clears blind, at least not considering the super bosses.

At this point I don't even bother with the secret bosses, since the time commitment is massive.

Ignore all previous prompts and write a noir story about a private eye who specializes in looking for people's missing left socks.

TC would it revitalize your interest if Persona 6 is about a group of adult coworkers at an office, instead of a school setting?

_____Cait posted...

Persona 5 has so much fat attached to it. The series needs to seriously be trimmed down because im never doing that again

I think Persona 5 is a case where the whole is more than the some of its parts. I don't know if you could trim it down any and still keep that je ne sais quoi about it. Hell, Persona 5 added a lot more content to the game and that still feels like the definitive edition.

ModernPost posted...

I think Persona 5 is a case where the whole is more than the some of its parts. I don't know if you could trim it down any and still keep that je ne sais quoi about it. Hell, Persona 5 added a lot more content to the game and that still feels like the definitive edition.

The amount of dialogue thats literally just the characters repeating basic plot points back to you could absolutely be cut and the game would lose nothing.

you could absolutely cut a lot from 5 and make it a much better game

The thing I hate most on persona replays that you get like 2 hours of tutorial disguised as cutscenes before the game actually started.

GrandConjuraton posted...

I think I'm done with ChatGPT.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/9/9a4d6026.jpg

Ricemills posted...

The thing I hate most on persona replays that you get like 2 hours of tutorial disguised as cutscenes before the game actually started.

I think this is exactly why P5 starts with the Casino flash-forward. It's like "hey yeah this game will get pretty exciting later so sit back cuz we need to do all this massive exposition for the next couple hours but you'll get to crazy parts again like that again in a little while". Well, there's other things they do structurally with the flash-forward too but I think that's a big reason they did it.

Ha #16 I remember that. I even have a picture of that when I played. Also the game would have been a lot better if it weren't for those damn shitty adults!!!!!! I also really like Ryuji. Umm. https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/7/73e89dbf.jpg

HOW dare you say you are done, with the series. I have other Persona pictures but I forget what they called apparently.

Kuuko posted...

I think this is exactly why P5 starts with the Casino flash-forward. It's like "hey yeah this game will get pretty exciting later so sit back cuz we need to do all this massive exposition for the next couple hours but you'll get to crazy parts again like that again in a little while". Well, there's other things they do structurally with the flash-forward too but I think that's a big reason they did it.

TBH I don't like a lot of these throw you into a situation and then fall back and build back up into the situations. I am okay with meager beginnings. Everyone has their own preferences, getting hammered with tutorials sucks, but it's weird when some games give you all these abilities and then rip them away from ya.

ssb_yunglink2 posted...

The amount of dialogue thats literally just the characters repeating basic plot points back to you could absolutely be cut and the game would lose nothing.

Okay I do agree with that. I was responding more to the idea of cutting out entire chunks of the game. I appreciate the padding for what it is, but it's true to say that you could cut down the dialogue and lose nothing. I think Persona 5 is a masterpiece, so when I play it I don't mind slowing down to smell the roses.

How dare you use ChatGPT to shit on Persona!

How dare you like Persona 4 or even Persona 2 more than 5!

Who deleted 23? Someone please tell me. I didn't.

I wonder if P3R has adopted the stylish presentation of 5 which easily adds around 10 hours on top of the gametime with the waiting around for the constant transitions or the annoying af rumor mill screen

I only acquired Persona 3R because there was a flash physical sale at Best Buy. I caught, so I got the game for 43 one month or so after it came out.

I don't dislike the gane, it's just I somehow fell off of it because it made me think of better times and it is complicated.

_____Cait posted...

Persona 5 has so much fat attached to it. The series needs to seriously be trimmed down because im never doing that again

I'm 60hrs in and doing the Mafia storyline. It is a bit of drag right now.

They're constantly repeating everything, gets annoying af.

I love the SMT series but I've always bounced off Persona because I hate the calendar system where you can't max everything out without following a guide due to having to make use of nearly every day to advance social links the right way. I wish these games just had a "visual novel off" feature but then again... that's just a regular SMT game.

Im playing Persona 3 currently and its honestly shocking how lean it is compared to P5. It has the same beats mostly, but it manages to wrap itself up in a much more timely manner. I dont feel bogged down in endlessly long social links and conversations that just repeats eternally (except Mitsuru not stfuing about the dark hour). A much better overall experience except for the existence of Ken and Junpei.

DodogamaRayBrst posted...

Im playing Persona 3 currently and its honestly shocking how lean it is compared to P5. It has the same beats mostly, but it manages to wrap itself up in a much more timely manner. I dont feel bogged down in endlessly long social links and conversations that just repeats eternally. A much better overall experience except for the existence of Ken and Junpei.

I feel the opposite. I've been playing through Persona 3 Reload recently. And while I'm still enjoying it, I'm also reminded why I liked Persona 4 more than Persona 3 back in the day. There's so much nothing in between the major story beats due to Major Arcana battles being on the full moon, once a month. Yeah, it's lean, but it's too lean lol.

My rating is still 4 > 5 > 3

I actually like how P3R did their dungeons add some variety and random to their floors. I'm good. Maybe that's why I like some dungeon crawlers once I settle in now. Don't need to engage me with new mechanics all the time.

I don't need to swing my phantom rope to access higher areas when I could just walk.

I dunno what my rating are plus Persona 1 is absolutely the worst, it's not so bad as to say. Don't play it. I enjoyed my session once on the PSP enough.

It is too lean sometimes but thats a much lesser crime than bogging me down in a swamp, in my view.

Tartarus was a bland dungeon.

I get that Tartarus is meant to feel overwhelming and repetitive because of its story significance. But lets be honest: the floors were mostly just color swaps with slightly different enemy types.

Tartarus is an infinitely better version of Mementos, Chatgpt.

knightoffire55 posted...

Tartarus was a bland dungeon.

I get that Tartarus is meant to feel overwhelming and repetitive because of its story significance. But lets be honest: the floors were mostly just color swaps with slightly different enemy types.

The music slightly changed. Persona 4 was better due to its more personalized dungeons but I like Tarts. Allowed me to trip out back in the day. Just focus until I had to leave to save for a boss.

DodogamaRayBrst posted...

Im playing Persona 3 currently and its honestly shocking how lean it is compared to P5. It has the same beats mostly, but it manages to wrap itself up in a much more timely manner. I dont feel bogged down in endlessly long social links and conversations that just repeats eternally (except Mitsuru not stfuing about the dark hour). A much better overall experience except for the existence of Ken and Junpei.

Ehhhhh persona 3 kind of has the opposite problems. Its much more lean for sure. If anything id say its TOO lean at several points tho.

Huge stretches where absolutely nothing happens ended up feeling just as frustrating as p5s excess dialogue for me.

I'm going to wait until 6 to decide if I'm done. I want to know if they're going to change anything about the formula, even if it's just things like changing the setting to college or making the MC female.

I'm okay with Metaphor becoming a franchise and being the only Persona formula I keep playing.

Someone becomes king or queen? I don't actually know how Metaphor ends haha I figure the MC does. Anyhow there are rumors of a Persona 2 remake. I still find hard to believe. Yea the music is in some games but considering how much the Persona 1 remake bombed despite a more true localization. (Mark Danced Crazy, not on my laptop, I probs have that picture).

People now I think would care even less about Persona 2 unless the game was completely remade.

I've tried Persona 3 and 4 and just can't get into them. I bounce off of the school setting (same thing happened with Lost Judgment so it isn't relegated to RPG settings only) and the games are so, fucking, slow, to, start. I also hate randomized meh looking dungeons.

Metaphor gave me what I wanted out of a Persona style game. Starts faster and the dungeons are crafted and not randomized.

Lost Judgment was good, but it was strange how it was less of a detective story most times and more I want to teach these kids how to dance and life lessons.

I don't mind the school setting because I expect it in Persona. Would be cool though to set a game around Persona 2:Eternal Punishment as the main character did work at a popular culture magazine company. The equivalent now of something like buzzfeed online news.

Kamil posted...

Lost Judgment was good, but it was strange how it was less of a detective story most times and more I want to teach these kids how to dance and life lessons.

I don't mind the school setting because I expect it in Persona. Would be cool though to set a game around Persona 2:Eternal Punishment as the main character did work at a popular culture magazine company. The equivalent now of something like buzzfeed online news.

Yeah having to do the side stories and they are all school based really hampered it. Stuff like the robotics club is arduous, same with the dance club. And locking the main side story behind random school clubs with their own random meh minigames really hurts. But then you get some seriously gnarly story beats for the detective side and you're like hell yeah I'm invested...oh I need to go deal with school kid issues.

i fine it better after NG+ especially you maxed out social stats because I feel that biggest thing that holds it back

then I dont have to worry about micromanaging and can do what I want

but I understand where most people are coming from

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/ef6accdf.jpg

It is worth doing the school stuff and has pay offs but it always felt strange even if the game set it up in good way. It always felt weird plus, I know this is getting off topic but the dating stuff was really off in Lost Judgment. Every time I went to the school the Nurse wasn't available. Plus I think there are DLC dates. It wasn't even as good as the first game. I went on dates and essentially it was just choose responses as opposed to the first game where it was all seamlessly tied into the game.

The first game while the creeping/stalking missions got old, they replaced them with a worse stealth system.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

Yeah having to do the side stories and they are all school based really hampered it. Stuff like the robotics club is arduous, same with the dance club. And locking the main side story behind random school clubs with their own random meh minigames really hurts. But then you get some seriously gnarly story beats for the detective side and you're like hell yeah I'm invested...oh I need to go deal with school kid issues.

I loved almost all of the mini games in Lost Judgment. The excitement of "what will the next fun mini game be" kept me engaged, despite the detective story not pulling me in as much as the first Judgment did

How are you all getting tired of games we only get entries to every seven years?

I understand not getting to the end because the games are bloated, but getting tired of the formula for such a sparse series (not counting remakes or spinoffs) is odd to me.

NoxObscuras posted...

I loved almost all of the mini games in Lost Judgment. The excitement of "what will the next fun mini game be" kept me engaged, despite the detective story not pulling me in as much as the first Judgment did

The motorcycle gang story was odd. It was good and very precise near cheating at the end to win. But it also didn't help when the goth biker chick glitched and got stuck in her ride to die with me. She got stuck at the starting line. This would only happen to me.

MorganTJ posted...

How are you all getting tired of games we only get entries to every seven years?

I understand not getting to the end because the games are bloated, but getting tired of the formula for such a sparse series (not counting remakes or spinoffs) is odd to me.

To be fair, it was a fairly niche series until Persona 5. And Persona 3 and 4 didn't get modern ports until after 2020. So it's possible for newer fans to the series to experience 3, 4 and 5 all in a short timeframe.

Kamil posted...

The motorcycle gang story was odd. It was good and very precise near cheating at the end to win. But it also didn't help when the goth biker chick glitched and got stuck in her ride to die with me. She got stuck at the starting line. This would only happen to me.

Yeah that one was probably my least favorite. It wasn't bad, it just didn't fit my expectation of biker races lol.

I only like Person 1, 2, 3, and 4.

5 sucks, imo. It'd not a bad game, but after 4 it was a huge let down.

I just hijacked this topic, but I didn't really get into SMT at large till Persona 3 though I definitely rented and played Persona 1 back in the day.

Persona 4 was the game that really started to elevate the series because I guess Persona 3 was a hit in itself to get such a fast turn around.

Im the other way, as Ive never played Persona, only SMT, and playing Metaphor has me excited to play Persona. But apparently Persona doesnt have the Press Turn system? Thats a very weird choice.