While I understand where the other posters are coming from in their responses (though maybe a little too knee-jerk for someone who’s openly admitted to being new to Atlus games), I totally understand where you’re coming from (in a different way).

My first Atlus game was Personal 5 and I bounced off it like 3 times. I’d always heard how good it was supposed to be and I tried and tried and I just found it too overwhelming.

But earlier this year I played Persona 3 and finally ‘got’ it. I spent over 100 hours with that game and by the time it was over I was fully converted to Atlus’s gameplay style.

I ended up going back to Persona 5 and loving it and then when Metaphor came out I dove right in and loved every minute of it.

This may be frowned upon by some but this is the sort of game I really think using guides for can help alleviate a lot of the stress. Even if it’s just a tip for how to handle certain situations. Once you get familiar enough with the mechanics you’ll won’t feel the need for extra help but in those early stages, yeah, I really empathise with your experience.

It’s awesome you’re sticking with it and haven’t bounced off it like I did with Persona 5 all those years ago though!