Back in April, I purchased Persona 5—my entry into the franchise. I was excited about trying out the game for several reasons, including it being a JRPG, and was not disappointed during my first few weeks of play. However, it was still during the spring semester where I work and so I couldn’t devote much time to gaming. And then, a few weeks later, I managed to snatch up a Switch.
Persona 5 was left in the dust.
Ahem. So it’s nearly July, and it’s officially been awhile since I’ve heard Morgana’s sarcasm. With my summer perpetually filling up with pre-move plans, studying Old English (halp!), class prep, holiday get-togethers, and a bit of vacation time, I figured it was now or never. If I didn’t beat the game this summer the odds of me returning to it would be slim considering the game lineup this fall. I’m not sure what it is, but if I set a game down for any length of time, I’m at risk of moving on to something shinier. This can happen with decent and even good games. It’s rare, but it’s happened. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Anywho. So, with the extra encouragement of a friend playing the game for the first time, I returned to the ole PlayStation 4 and found myself a Phantom Thief on the verge of summer in Tokyo. Oh yeah, and I was quickly reminded that I couldn’t take a single screenshot, which is such a shame considering the art style. Atlus, please!
My first night back, I entered a palace and had a miserable time. I had forgotten enough that I died several times and became frustrated with the combat. The next day, things improved as my muscle memory kicked in, the controls seemed like second nature, and I reorganized my party. That’s when I was able to appreciate the sights, sounds, and actions of the game.
I breezed through the month and found a lot more free time in August with school being out. I rented every single DVD available, worked out, and socialized with Ryuji and Ann, but mostly Ann. 🙂 The social and everyday aspect of the game has its charms and, thankfully, is relatively balanced. But, summer went by quickly and it was back to the pits. I mean, palace. Which is where I hit another slump.
Without getting into it too much, and not wanting to get into spoilers, I’ll just say that I’m finding Okumura’s Palace uninspiring. This might be especially true in light of Futaba’s Palace which I loved. It just seems bland and lifeless, and I’m finding it a grind to get through. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I will be away for a few days and so the palace’s completion will have to wait.
The lack of motivation and excitement I’m currently experiencing with the game sometimes happens with games that require many hours of playtime, but there is a difference between a game like Persona 5 and say The Witcher 3. If I ever got tired of the main story in W3, which I generally didn’t, or didn’t like where I was at in the game, I could simply go and do something else. Persona 5 isn’t that open, but that’s by nature. When you’re engaged with a palace, going out and renting a DVD or eating ramen with a buddy only goes so far to distract and revitalize. Maybe that’s just me though, eh?
Regardless, once I’m back home this weekend I will be tackling the game again. And none of what I just wrote is to say that the game is terrible by any means. I love much about it and see it ranking on my end of the year “Top 10” list.
Have you ever returned to a game after some time and found it difficult to enjoy?
Ah, I have never started a Persona game despite all the raving the series gets, due to the playtime being massive. Although I’d lie if I said I wasn’t really intrigued by the idea of nurturing friendships in an alternate life. Kinda cool!
To answer your closing question, a resounding YES, and as a matter of fact, it’s an Atlus game. And that game is Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan on the 3DS.
I think the issue is simply that I cannot play Altus games. I love the art style and the open nature, and the cartography feature in EO I absolutely adored. But I can’t stand the battle system. It was impossible and it shafted me left and right to the point I always felt cheated.
I tried returning to it on many occasions, only to log a few more hours, get back into it temporarily, only to rage quit when an FoE un-did a half hour of play time. Very very tough games.
Maybe it’s an Atlus thing? 😉
But seriously, I’m feeling so conflicted right now I don’t know how to explain it. Persona 5 is a good game; I just never should have left it.
Massive playtime is something that usually attracts me to a game. From Oblivion to The Witcher 3, I generally love putting in a ton of hours.
I put games down all the time and always find it hard to get back into the story (I usually have to start a new game). Now that I started rambling about progress in my blog, I’ve discovered it actually helps me get back into the game since I have a written record of what I was doing. Right now I have a bit of an in progress mess before I start something new: Final Fantasy IV, Fallout 4, Recore, and LoZ Breath of the Wild. These will be finished, someday.
On a side note, I’ve never played a Persona game yet. They look really good.
Writing about the games I’m playing definitely helps to keep me motivated and focused. For me, I think the difficulty of returning to a game manifests itself more often with DLC content. I played a ton of Fallout 4 and, after finishing the story, told myself I would return when Far Harbor released. Yeah, that hasn’t happened yet. 🙂
Thanks for the comment!