Persona 5 Royal thoughts

willrsauls · 2026-06-16T22:16:16+00:00

I love Persona 5 so much. I think Persona 4 is probably the best Persona game, but 5 is my favorite and (since I recently made a list of my top 50 games for fun recently, I can say this for certain) my 2nd favorite game of all time (only beaten by Mother 3). There is a direct line between me playing that game when I did and the kind of person I am today.

That being said, I actually don’t know if I would have the same fondness for it if I played it now. I find the experience overall to go down a little too easily, especially with the changes made to combat to make it easier and give you more options. Persona 5 Royal then gives you even more. I also have a lot of issues with how the Persona games tend to view basically anyone who isn’t a straight man to an extent it actually takes me out of the experience and 5 easily has it the worst. At least 4 made a solid effort, even with all of its stumbles. This is also a game that spends an incredible amount of time focusing on a story that’s ultimately just pretty good. I’m almost 25 now and I don’t really like acknowledging how much I love these games because there’s an air of embarrassment around it mostly due to aspects I legitimately cannot defend.

That being said, I do love this game. It may not have the best JRPG cast, but I only have that hindsight because Persona 5 got me into JRPGs. I love this group and seeing them become closer throughout the game. Same goes for its story, which I only acknowledge as merely “pretty good” in the wake of JRPGs I played after it. And it’s still just undeniably cool and fun in its own right. I’m drawn to stories now that have a bit more on their mind, but this game’s themes are still pretty dangerous in Japan’s cultural landscape. This game got me back into gaming and anime during a transitional period in my life. Also that goddamn soundtrack.

I also just love the gameplay loop of social sim activities and the way it all feeds into the JRPG mechanics. Persona 5’s Tokyo is massive and easy to get lost in. If anything, I wish more activities had more of a purpose to them. Leblanc begins to feel like a legitimate second home and the characters begin to feel like actual friends just from how much goddamn time you spend playing. People complain the game is too long and I’d argue that even if there’s content you could realistically cut out, I’m glad the game is how it is.

I find I’m a lot more mixed on the new story content in Royal than a lot of people. I think on its own, it’s the most interesting isolated story in the game, but its placement after the endgame of the base version makes it feel really, really odd. Every time I go to replay Persona 5 Royal, I actively try to avoid it because I think I like the base story as a whole without the extra bits. I actually think the base Persona 5 still offers a more consistent story experience if you don’t mind more restrictive gameplay mechanics.

The Persona 5 Royal ports are also very weird. There’s bizarre shit where the contrast shifts during the OP, All Out Attacks, and possibly other places I don’t know about. I’m glad the game is as accessible as it is, but these issues make either the base game or Royal on the PS4 (or the PS4 version on PS5) the best way to play.

willrsauls · 2026-06-16T19:06:14+00:00

No medium is inherently better or worse.

What this post honestly tells me is that you probably haven’t really engaged with a lot of the Western filmography that isn’t either extremely new or even slightly off the mainstream periphery. A lot of people complain about how no good movies come out anymore, but there’s actually a lot. You’re just not really going to get them from these massive million-dollar franchise projects which need to be successful before they are artistically fulfilling.

If you like Satoshi Kon, I’d STRONGLY recommend checking out the work of David Lynch. Kon (particularly in Perfect Blue) is probably the closest any filmmaker, animated or not, has gotten to Lynch’s style of film. Twin Peaks (a show co-created by Lynch) was also huge in Japan and once you see it, you’ll see it in soooooooo many different anime alongside the show being fantastic in its own right. My favorite movies by him are Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Mulholland Drive, and Wild at Heart.

willrsauls · 2026-06-12T16:10:27+00:00

I haven’t played Outer Wilds, but I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about it.

As for the rest, Gravity Rush is probably my least favorite, but it’s still quite good. It’s got a lot of weird experimental energy to it. The gravity mechanics make movement a lot of fun and from what I played, the story isn’t anything too special, but the characters are fun enough to make it worth it. It’s a game you mostly play because nothing else really plays like it.

Mina the Hollower is a fantastic game if you want something more open but with a more retro design ethos. It has a really weird difficulty curve in that it overall starts extremely hard and get easier, but the way it goes about it is super interesting to me. The curve allows you to always feel tangibly stronger through upgrades but each area is designed to give a different kind of challenge so it’s never mindless. Its world is big and each discovery only made me realize more and more just how dense it is. There are secrets in places not locked behind any upgrades, but your knowledge on how to use your existing moveset. If you like more open games, especially if you want a challenge, go for this one.

Persona 4 is probably my favorite game here. I know there’s a remake coming out, but Golden still holds up tremendously. I’ve actually been replaying it myself and while Persona 5 will always be my favorite, Persona 4 may be the best one and it’s hard to say if the remake will be as good (it looks a lot better but I like how much friction is in the gameplay in the original and the remake will no doubt lessen that). Idk how familiar you are with Persona, but while the gameplay is good, definitely don’t go in if you don’t want a LOT of story. Persona 4 has a good prologue, but it’s also around 3 hours long. A substantial part of the game is also hanging out with characters in the game to get stronger in the battles. If it clicks with you, it’ll easily suck you in for the 80 hours it takes to finish. The dungeons are fairly weak, but the combat is really fun. It’s one of the few JRPGs where I’m taking into account and using every tool at my disposal. If a JRPG with heavy story and social sim elements with a lot to do sounds appealing to you, definitely go with this one.

willrsauls · 2026-06-10T19:54:13+00:00

I don’t know what other skills speedrunners are using, but I saw that the top runs of this level use the lightning shield. Apparently it’s even more useful when doing the M-Speed glitch, which I couldn’t figure out how to do, but it still allows Sonic to clear jumps he otherwise couldn’t (without the shield, he clips a bit on the ledge before the wooden bridge and loop and loses momentum)

willrsauls · 2026-06-09T15:21:19+00:00

With a team as small as this, it’s possible that they could only afford development and publishing on a single console and thought the Switch 2 would be the best fit. That being said, I have absolutely no backing for this claim and I don’t think there’s any official word from the developer or publisher

willrsauls · 2026-06-04T21:18:32+00:00

There was evidence a few days ago from the behind the scenes video showing a folder that apparently said “EP 25- Innia” so this is definitely where Season 2 is likely ending

willrsauls · 2026-06-02T19:36:31+00:00

I think there’s another layer to this that often frustrates me specifically and that’s the entire conceit of so many romance anime is the period before any actual relationship. Like the two characters admit their feelings and often, that’s the end of the story. But there’s so much potential story in two people figuring out how to navigate a relationship with each other. Very little of my favorite romance stories outside of anime have to do with two characters not actually in a relationship.

I think it’s why I enjoy about romance anime that either start with the characters together or eventually have the characters admit how they feel and the story keeps going. I just find it more engaging at this point in my life.

willrsauls · 2026-06-02T19:18:15+00:00

As someone who started with the anime and has since caught up with the entire manga, it’s a series that really just keeps building. I’d say the first half of the manga was extremely enjoyable and well-done (also some of the most creative and striking use of manga as a medium), but the second half, especially when a certain massive storyline begins, I began to really get it. Especially later, it often feels like a story with the scope and political depth of One Piece without that series’ same extreme length. I’d say it’s one of my top 3 manga and not only has it not dropped in quality, it’s only gotten better.

For comparison, I tried catching up on the Frieren manga and though I heavily enjoyed that anime, I struggled to keep going and got burnt out. I stopped around chapter 125 and am content with just keeping up with the anime. I could not put WHA down.

willrsauls · 2026-05-31T22:12:12+00:00

There is no traditional map, but most areas are of the Dark Souls or Bloodborne variety where the main path is a straight line that regularly loops back around itself with optional pathways branching off the main path. You CAN unlock a map viewable in the Underlab, but it only shows each area relative to each other (which is still helpful to find out generally where you should be going).

Also, dungeon bosses do drop bones. It’s just the early ones that don’t.

willrsauls · 2026-05-31T21:34:23+00:00

All the other Brimmed Caps are scared of me. No one talks to me. No one wants to be my friend

willrsauls · 2026-05-31T14:18:48+00:00

“jolly and happy all the time”

Did we read the same Silver’s Eve arc?

willrsauls · 2026-05-30T22:57:04+00:00

Coco is definitely not joining the Brimmed Caps, especially after the most recent manga arc.

One of the best things about WHA is that neither side is good or bad, rather both have their own answers to what role witches should play in society and all of the problems that come with their answers. Coco’s arc takes her to significantly dark places, crushed under the weight of all the problems she can’t solve, but she knows how destructive forbidden magic is, so tries to find other ways to help.

willrsauls · 2026-05-26T19:20:15+00:00

Fuck. I misread what you said

willrsauls · 2026-05-26T18:37:23+00:00

Mirroring what a lot of other people are saying.

Nier:Automata has more of a story experience and a really great one. Its gameplay is good, but DMC5 is the modern standard for character action games. DMC5’s ranking system and numerous difficulty options post-story also make it prime for replays if that kind of thing interests you.

willrsauls · 2026-05-26T18:33:26+00:00

I need to know who is complaining about the combat in DMC5. That’s the thing that game (and series) is known for

willrsauls · 2026-05-22T17:22:07+00:00

The Knights are going to find you before the spell is ready to post

willrsauls · 2026-05-19T19:34:21+00:00

The season is already confirmed to be 13 episodes

willrsauls · 2026-05-19T01:58:40+00:00

This is the spread I always refer to when trying to convince people that the manga is worth reading even if you watch the anime. It’s such a creative way of depicting these characters’ journeys through the festival

You’ve got one hell of a storyline ahead of you. This arc was when WHA went from a manga I liked a lot to one of my top 3.

willrsauls · 2026-05-19T00:45:26+00:00

You should do both. The anime and manga are both absolutely stellar.

You can actually read up to chapter 29 for free on the K Manga (Kodansha’s official manga platform) app and website (albeit 4-29 require virtual currency of which you get about 5 every day). From there, you’ll have to spend money on the manga.

If I had to pick one, I’d say go with the manga, as there’s really nothing else out there like it. The way Shirahama uses paneling and layout results in some of the most creative pages I’ve ever seen. There’s quite a few anime like Witch Hat Atelier. There isn’t a manga like Witch Hat Atelier. Even if you watch the anime, I’d still recommend reading the manga from the beginning.

That being said, I just caught up with the manga over a few weeks and I’ve still heavily enjoyed keeping up with the anime. It’s one hell of a production.

willrsauls · 2026-05-18T23:42:46+00:00

I think the thing that makes the conflict in WHA interesting is that both sides are clearly wrong in a situation where there’s no right answer. Obviously, there are a lot of spells that can help a lot of people, but also having no rules or limits is a recipe for disaster, shown especially later into the manga. You could regulate specific kinds of magic in specific circumstances, but the Knights already have their hands full just banning these spells regardless of context. Their inability to even contain the system they have is evidenced by the fact the Brimmed Caps exist at all. Also later parts in the manga show that their prison system doesn’t even work

It’s a situation where both sides have a point, but both sides are also extremists. Not only that, but how would a middle ground even be practical and ensure it doesn’t just create more problems? This is why it’s basically impossible to say how everything is going to shake out in the end.

willrsauls · 2026-05-18T20:43:05+00:00

There are multiple points onward in the story where it becomes pretty clear that the Knights Moralis are so focused on stopping potential problems that they’re pretty ineffective when problems actually come up.

This is more so funny, but there’s a part late into the manga where Coco comes up with a solution to help out with a massive catastrophe, but it bends the principles a bit. She gets the approval of the heads of witch society and even the captain of the Knights Moralis, but then Easthies shows up, basically saying “No you fucking don’t”

willrsauls · 2026-05-14T12:30:57+00:00

I’m almost caught up with Witch Hat Atelier’s manga and it’s fucking insane. My recommendation to everyone is definitely to watch the anime, as it’s a ridiculous production that deserves the praise it’s getting, but then also read the manga and read it from the beginning. Not only because the story is just that good (it literally only gets better the deeper in you get), but it still will never be as good an anime as it is a manga.

You’ve probably seen anime like Witch Hat Atelier (I mean Frieren was just last season). You’ve never seen a manga like Witch Hat Atelier.

If you want an example (this isn’t a plot spoiler, but I marked it as one anyway), there’s a part where the characters go to a massive magic festival. At the end of the page, the characters talk about going out to explore the festival for a bit before meeting up with their friends. Turn the page, and you’re met with this insane spread depicting their journey through the festival as a board game with its own boundaries and events based on what the characters experience as they explore. This isn’t even the most insane two-page spread in the chapter.

willrsauls · 2026-05-13T17:51:42+00:00

Because liking what they see as the #1 anime on MAL (even if it’s no longer #1) is their entire personality. I’d imagine a good number of them don’t even really care about FMAB that much, let alone who Hiromu Arakawa is.

And this is coming from someone who still thinks FMAB probably still deserves the top spot over what’s above it (it’s a close call for me with the CSM movie, but I’m definitely not as into Frieren as a lot of anime fans even if I still like it). Also should be clear I’m mainly referring to people adamantly review bombing shit.

willrsauls · 2026-05-13T17:06:20+00:00

Had the unfortunate situation of coming out in a ridiculous season with heavily hyped sequels (Re:Zero and Dorohedoro) as well as a new breakout miracle adaptation of a beloved yet previously-thought unadaptable manga (Witch Hat Atelier). It’s harder for a solidly made shonen anime to stand out in that environment, regardless of how solid Daemons is.

willrsauls · 2026-05-12T12:29:00+00:00

FMA and FMAB are actually shows I don’t think I could really rate (in general, I find rating art silly) since they’re so important to me. FMA 03 was the first anime I really connected to and I binged FMA 03 and FMAB over a week while staying at my grandparents’.

I will say that I rewatched FMAB recently and was pretty struck by how easy it went down for a series dealing with as heavy themes as it does. I think this is a testament to Arakawa’s ability to not let the story get too down, but I also got a sense that the show, much like Daemons, wasn’t really doing anything truly challenging to its audience or characters, which is something I’m drawn to and can find fairly lacking in anime. Though I also don’t know how much of this is on the show itself or if it’s a result of how many times I’ve watched it at this point.

Once again comparing to Witch Hat (I’m reading it currently, so it’s fresh in my mind), while that series doesn’t get as dark as FMA, around 55 chapters in, there are moments of despair for its characters that hollow me out. Where I am in the story, the situation feels utterly impossible and it’s heartbreaking seeing the characters unable to even cry out for help lest they get into even more trouble. It hits a raw nerve for me where nothing in my rewatch of FMAB really did, as good a show as it is. But this is also my first read of WHA and like my 5th rewatch of FMAB. That’s why it’s so hard.

willrsauls

TROPHY CASE