wow! i played persona 3
July 10, 2023
the game is done. what an excellent experience. I'm glad to once again get into something I've seen a bunch of other people talk about and be like "wow, I get it!" i'm fully willing to admit i don't know if i'd ever gotten to Persona at all if it weren't for a dear friend, whose passion for the game rubbed off on me hard.
But god, it was beautiful. i loved the themes and the character writing... the main theme of "death" was surprisingly very nuanced and balanced and they really pushed the narrative elements every which way they could go to tell a story about making the most of your life, not fearing the inevitable, chasing your future, and leaving the world in a way that you won't regret.
the cast is a lot of fun! with the way some people talk so... Passionately about the characters I was fully expecting to hate someone eventually but I love pretty much everyone.. I started the game partly for Aigis in the first place and between the main plot and her Social Link she absolutely moved me oh God. easily my favorite take on the "robot character learns more about life" sort of story yet. i loved learning about and embracing each member of the group through their trials and struggles. Ken and Yukari were the ones I was warned a lot about because of some pretty controversial feelings about them, and I loved them both (though apparently it's The Answer that people don't like? i have yet to check that out.) Yukari's growth and the way she really showed her conviction in the second half of the story made me really admire her, and Ken's role as a boy who was being forced to grow up too fast and learning to live for himself and envision his future made certain I rooted for him. Junpei's subplot in the second half of the game genuinely turned me into an ugly bawling mess...
Tartarus is def one of those things where I see why someone would hate it but I personally love how dungeon exploration is so nicely segmented and balanced from the life part of the game, so you can choose to take it at your own pace. the game had been surprisingly engaging, actually, with even the regular enemy encounters constantly demanding your attention and mindfulness, and buffs and debuffs being very helpful compared to other turn based RPGs that I've played.
the final boss was super cool and exciting and the ending was beautiful god it was just a truly unforgettable experience. i regret not trying it out sooner, but better late than never right?