After hearing all the hype for Persona 5, I was finding it hard to resist a purchase. I was unsuccessful in finding the game locally, apparently it’s popular or something, and instead decided to order it online. It arrived this past weekend, and I’ve been playing it in my free time since.Persona 5 is my first JRPG. That might be surprising, but my time gaming typically involves first-person shooters, survival games, and, mostly, Western RPGs. RPGs tend to rank among my favorite video games which probably contributed to my uncertainty when considering Persona 5. I knew it would be different and probably challenge my expectations, but that could be a good thing, right?

Fourteen hours in, I can say that I’m having a great time with the game. It is a unique experience—one that I’m happy not to have missed out on. I’ve been enjoying the art style, story, characters, social sim elements, and combat.

A few immediate differences I’ve noticed between Persona 5 and the RPGs I’m used to include a more linear story, party and turn-based combat, a dynamic protagonist, and vibrant characters. Oh! And there’s a non-cat cat!

I’ll have a lot more to say once I’m done with the game, but that will probably be awhile. I heard completing the game can take up to 80-100 hours, and that’s fine by me.

Now that I’m less concerned about disliking JRPGs, I’m open to recommendations. What other games/franchises should I look into?