I have been a fan of the Persona series ever since I got Persona 3 for my PSP many years ago. I love the music, the stylish character designs, the storylines, and the use of mythological imagery for the plot and monsters. I'm also a fan of the Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor series, which the Persona series spun off from. When Persona 5 was announced, I eagerly awaited updates on the game.
It was the second Persona game I'd ever completed. The first was Persona 4: The Golden, but I didn't get the "true" ending to the game and have yet to go back and complete my New Game + run.
Persona 5 uses the themes of outlaws, imprisonment, and corruption in places of authority. The protagonist is accused of assault and battery of a man who apparently has a lot of power over small-town police, and is shipped off to live with a friend-of-a-friend in Tokyo to live out his 1 year probation sentence. At his new school, the protagonist is subjected to social rejection as other students have already learned of his criminal record (though not the unjust part), and both the students and teachers are hesitant to get to know him. To make matters worse, the student body and faculty seems to be under the thumb of an absurdly overly-important athletics department - in particular a rather sleazy volleyball coach who treats his female athletes like eye-candy and male athletes like cannon fodder. After accidentally stumbling across a strange castle run by a speedo-clad version of the volleyball coach, the protagonist discovers that he has the ability to step between the real world and the "Metaverse" and to take on a Persona, specifically that of Arsene Lupin the famous phantom thief of French literature. The protagonist decides to use his newfound powers to fight against corrupt adults around him by stealing their Metaverse "treasure" to change their behavior. He's joined by several other teens with similar motives, but the Metaverse is full of more dangers than just the odd boss-battle - there's some real political conspiracy going on here and if the protagonist and his friends aren't careful, they're likely to end up in some serious hot water.
I loved the stylishness of the game - from character design to menu design to music, this game is just dripping with style. The controls were also pretty easy to get the hang of. I also liked how timely and relatable the storyline was - it's not just teens tired of corruption in positions of authority. It's nice to be able to "fight the power" and see immediate change in the hearts and minds of the corrupted, even if it's just in a fictional world. Unfortunately, solving problems in the real world isn't as fun or easy as stealing a "treasure" and fighting a boss-battle with a kickass soundtrack in the background.
I only have a few complaints about the game. They all occur at about the same point in the story - the Big Bang Burger storyline. Not only is the inter-group conflict poorly written, but the dungeon related to that part of the storyline has one of the most frustrating puzzles and battles out of the entire game. Plus, you are given your final party member at this point, but in order to max out the social link with that character, you have to be really, really good at managing your time in-game or have maxed out other relationships earlier in the game to the detriment of non-party (but still valuable) relationships. Basically, they could have established a social link with Haru a lot earlier in the game and had it change to a party-relationship later in the game (like they did with Akechi). I mean, Haru was introduced before the class trip to Hawaii, and that would have been a great time to squeeze in a social-link establishment scene.
A lot of people complained about Mementos, the underground dungeon that basically serves as a level-grinding dungeon. I actually didn't mind the Mementos dungeon, and I liked how it was worked into the overall game. It gave me a chance to get Personas I missed in the boss-level dungeons (which become inaccessible once the boss is defeated, unlike the dungeons in Persona 4). Plus, I liked being able to correct small social wrongs as well as tackle the big ones like corrupt politicians and businessmen.
Overall, though, I really enjoyed this game. And, perhaps this game will get a similar treatment that Persona 4 got with The Golden, only instead of introducing another character storyline, they smooth out the existing flaws with the latter part of the game.
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video games. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Rune Factory 4
For the last few weeks, I've been totally wrapped up in playing Rune Factory 4. I love games that incorporate role-playing and making stuff, so games like the Alchemist series by Gust and the Harvest Moon series are a slam-dunk for me.
The basic premise of any Rune Factory game is that you have to farm and kill monsters to save the world. In Rune Factory 4, you are trying to save the land of Selphia by replacing the Guardians with Rune Spheres so that the land won't shrivel up and die. Like any Rune Factory or Harvest Moon game, you can interact with the townsfolk, participate in events and competitions, farm, create and upgrade items, and start a family. In Rune Factory 4, you can play as either a male or female protagonist - a departure from previous games.
As in nearly every game, your protagonist starts out as a blank slate, unable to remember his/her past or name. In this one, you're amnesiac because you were attacked while enroute with a mysterious package that you were taking to Selphia, and then to add insult to injury, you were pushed off of your airship to drop to your death. Fortunately, you were saved by a lucky landing on top of a dragon - yes, a dragon. This dragon is the ruler of Selphia, and is called Ventuswill, or Venti for short.
Venti decides that you're the visiting prince/princess that they were expecting, and promptly puts you to work promoting Selphia and farming vegetables to nurture your Earthmate powers. However, Venti has a darker secret. For generations, she has been the force keeping Selphia vibrant and living, but the years have taken a toll on her. In the past, Guardians had sacrificed themselves to keep Venti alive, but even their sacrifices and powers have limits, and it soon becomes apparent that if you, the heroic protagonist, don't do something, Selphia is doomed.
The game itself is a good balance between farming/life simulator and role playing game. You fight monsters, complete mini-quests, and save the world by degrees. If you are constantly being defeated by the same dungeon, you can increase your stats by sleeping, farming, creating and upgrading equipment, and even eating dishes with specific properties that give you resistance to ailments or elements. You also build relationships with the residents of Selphia Town, which allows you to invite them on quests or start a family. Some relationships need to be built to a specific point before the game allows you to progress, so make sure that you talk to residents daily, complete their tasks, and give them their favorite items.
The game has flaws, though. The only way to learn most of the recipes for food or items is by consuming "breads", and after a certain level, you can't learn anything new from these breads. You have to get access to the post-game activities to get full completion of your various recipe books. Some of the recipes require rare item drops, or in some cases, oddly specific items (ex: medium size milk) to create.
Another flaw in this game is that you practically require a game guide in order to complete some of the main-line quests. Some events don't trigger unless specific conditions are met, but it's not immediately obvious what sets them off. There are three main story arcs, but the trigger for the third one seems to be especially difficult to set off.
It's also really challenging to find all of the fishing, mining, and drop items for some of the recipes. You don't necessarily have to have those recipes to beat the game, but if you're a completionist, this game is going to be a bit of a grind-fest for you. I still haven't managed to catch a sunsquid or a blowfish despite hours of fishing, and don't even get me started on trying to find light ore. I beat the game, but I admit that the higher level equipment recipes and upgrades probably would have resulted in less cussing and trips to the infirmary.
Some of the things I liked about this game is the adjustable level of difficulty. If you're not sure about your coordination in the fights, or you are just tired of the same boss one-hit-k.o.'ing your party, you can easily bump your difficulty down to Easy, or you can set it higher if you want more of a challenge. You also have a wide variety of weapons that you can master, and a ridiculous number of skills and spells you can use, so there's a weapon and skill-set for every gaming style.
The art and character designs are up to the usual standards of the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games, making the game visually appealing as well as fun to play. Finally, the characters in Selphia are fun to interact with. I enjoyed going around town getting to know everyone and their favorite items, and the town events involving each character revealed a different side of everyone.
If you're new to Rune Factory series, I'd recommend this one as a starting point because of the adjustable difficulty level and more streamlined controls. It's not a perfect game, but despite my complaints, I did enjoy my time in Selphia. The three story arcs, and post-game Sharance Maze, give you hours of play-time and probably the most bang for your gaming buck. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some squids to catch.
The basic premise of any Rune Factory game is that you have to farm and kill monsters to save the world. In Rune Factory 4, you are trying to save the land of Selphia by replacing the Guardians with Rune Spheres so that the land won't shrivel up and die. Like any Rune Factory or Harvest Moon game, you can interact with the townsfolk, participate in events and competitions, farm, create and upgrade items, and start a family. In Rune Factory 4, you can play as either a male or female protagonist - a departure from previous games.
As in nearly every game, your protagonist starts out as a blank slate, unable to remember his/her past or name. In this one, you're amnesiac because you were attacked while enroute with a mysterious package that you were taking to Selphia, and then to add insult to injury, you were pushed off of your airship to drop to your death. Fortunately, you were saved by a lucky landing on top of a dragon - yes, a dragon. This dragon is the ruler of Selphia, and is called Ventuswill, or Venti for short.
Venti decides that you're the visiting prince/princess that they were expecting, and promptly puts you to work promoting Selphia and farming vegetables to nurture your Earthmate powers. However, Venti has a darker secret. For generations, she has been the force keeping Selphia vibrant and living, but the years have taken a toll on her. In the past, Guardians had sacrificed themselves to keep Venti alive, but even their sacrifices and powers have limits, and it soon becomes apparent that if you, the heroic protagonist, don't do something, Selphia is doomed.
The game itself is a good balance between farming/life simulator and role playing game. You fight monsters, complete mini-quests, and save the world by degrees. If you are constantly being defeated by the same dungeon, you can increase your stats by sleeping, farming, creating and upgrading equipment, and even eating dishes with specific properties that give you resistance to ailments or elements. You also build relationships with the residents of Selphia Town, which allows you to invite them on quests or start a family. Some relationships need to be built to a specific point before the game allows you to progress, so make sure that you talk to residents daily, complete their tasks, and give them their favorite items.
The game has flaws, though. The only way to learn most of the recipes for food or items is by consuming "breads", and after a certain level, you can't learn anything new from these breads. You have to get access to the post-game activities to get full completion of your various recipe books. Some of the recipes require rare item drops, or in some cases, oddly specific items (ex: medium size milk) to create.
Another flaw in this game is that you practically require a game guide in order to complete some of the main-line quests. Some events don't trigger unless specific conditions are met, but it's not immediately obvious what sets them off. There are three main story arcs, but the trigger for the third one seems to be especially difficult to set off.
It's also really challenging to find all of the fishing, mining, and drop items for some of the recipes. You don't necessarily have to have those recipes to beat the game, but if you're a completionist, this game is going to be a bit of a grind-fest for you. I still haven't managed to catch a sunsquid or a blowfish despite hours of fishing, and don't even get me started on trying to find light ore. I beat the game, but I admit that the higher level equipment recipes and upgrades probably would have resulted in less cussing and trips to the infirmary.
Some of the things I liked about this game is the adjustable level of difficulty. If you're not sure about your coordination in the fights, or you are just tired of the same boss one-hit-k.o.'ing your party, you can easily bump your difficulty down to Easy, or you can set it higher if you want more of a challenge. You also have a wide variety of weapons that you can master, and a ridiculous number of skills and spells you can use, so there's a weapon and skill-set for every gaming style.
The art and character designs are up to the usual standards of the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory games, making the game visually appealing as well as fun to play. Finally, the characters in Selphia are fun to interact with. I enjoyed going around town getting to know everyone and their favorite items, and the town events involving each character revealed a different side of everyone.
If you're new to Rune Factory series, I'd recommend this one as a starting point because of the adjustable difficulty level and more streamlined controls. It's not a perfect game, but despite my complaints, I did enjoy my time in Selphia. The three story arcs, and post-game Sharance Maze, give you hours of play-time and probably the most bang for your gaming buck. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some squids to catch.
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