Persona 5 – The Opening Hours
Persona 5, and by extension Persona 5 Royal, are some of the best role-playing games ever made. Combat, characterization, voice acting, dungeon design – pretty much everything is incredible. The story’s themes of rebellion and breaking free from society while working to reform it are also excellent. This doesn’t even account for all of the new content in Royal, from the new Ultimate Persona to new party member Kasumi.
However, there’s still one big flaw that continues to hamper both releases – the beginning, specifically the first several hours. This can range from five to eight depending on who you ask. To be fair, the actual content of this is pretty good, introducing the core themes and characters in excellent ways while also demonstrating how a Palace works. It’s just that the overall pacing and time required can feel like a drag, especially considering just how much better the rest of the game is when it opens up.
