Idun is super cute

An amazing game but I do think I prefer the Persona Series. I want more combat from persona, and less from SMTV. Meanwhile I want a little less story from Persona and more from SMTV. I finished Metaphor and while it fits in between these games, Its disney-esque story and characters were a massive departure from either of these series. Atlus games are the only ones I feel safe buying on day one anymore though.

Short review: this is an entertaining game but not really outstanding. Quite lengthy due to the game mechanics management.

If you're as clueless as me about this game series let me explain what this is about. You run around with superpowers in a fantasy wasteland and decide the fate of humanity with your actions. Most of all you collect demons, give them skills and increase their stats and levels. Eventually you merge them into new demons (usually stronger) and as your list of collected demons expands you decide to ditch some from your active party and focus on newer ones. At all times you can resummon any demon you have learned about but you may have to customize it again which can be little or a lot of work depending on your current resources.
It's a continuous improvement cycle and the core mechanic that defines this game. For bosses you often have to assemble a party focused on specific elements and defenses.

The pros:
- the demon mechanic is fun and gives you a lot of customization options
- there are a ton of demons in this game (judging from my current experience 200+)
- you can spend a lot of time with this game
- new mechanics and minigames pop up all the time to spice up things
- lots of hidden stuff, exploring every nook and cranny is generally rewarded
- you get to decide the fate of humanity (always fun)
- the story bits are interesting in my opinion (but it's more of a combat-focused game - in fact there is hardly any story until you finish the first map which can take a few hours)
- the demon world is quite atmospheric overall (the complete blend of music & sounds, looks, encounters, etc.)
- the landscape can be pretty despite being a wasteland (not much change in scenery though)

The cons:
- for the most part this game is about fighting and managing your party, not much else
- the fighting is all about exploiting weaknesses which is a bit of a one-trick-pony sort of thing (you get extra attacks from it, more damage, your super skill bar charges faster, etc.)
- collecting the resources to improve your party involves a bit of grinding (running back and forth for quests, collecting respawning stuff, fighting for XP)
- the maps are not all that large which makes it surprising how much time you can spend with this game
- managing demons can become annoying when you have to respec for specific boss fights because your current party is weak against the skill set of the boss
- this game gave me severe headaches due to the harsh jumping - playing it for extended periods of time almost made me vomit
- the wasteland environment can get old and many of it's shapes and textures aren't that impressive, the focus is really more on the demons and their animations
- all the japanese expressions make you feel lost at times (Where the heck is Shibu? What was the meaning of Magatsuhi again? ... Did I even just spell this word right?)