@Thrillho So, the life sim elements are definitely there, but it's not like it's a dating sim. You don't even have to date, and dating doesn't really change much about the game. Studying is just an activity to raise one of your stats (knowledge). A big part of the game is the way your daily life impacts your dungeon crawling.
Anyway, Persona 5 (and Royal, which is a slightly improved Persona 5) represents, to me, the peak of that particular series. Every previous game I've played had deep, fundamental issues with mechanics and dungeon design. Persona 5 addresses virtually every problem in previous games: negotiations are back and actually fun, unlike in the first two; guns are back; dungeons are actual, specifically designed, and thematically fascinating locations filled with story and setpieces, as opposed to randomly generated chains of hallways; the soundtrack has a lot more range to it; battles are the best they've ever been, even if I think the battle system is still too easy and exploitable (but that's true of the last two Persona games as well, and battles in P1 and P2 just suck); sections of towns and cities you explore and larger and denser than ever before; etc. I love it.
The only real issue I have with it is that the game restricts your freedom at points by not allowing you to engage in side activities for extended periods of time when plot stuff is going on, which can be frustrating. Royal is a little better about giving you more freedom in general, but important story sections still lock you into linear sequences that restrict what you can do.
For the record, I've had no issues with saving. You can save every night before you go to sleep, you're generally allowed to save after big story sections, and safe rooms, where you can save, pop up throughout the dungeons. Of course, there are extended periods of times in dungeons where you won't find new ones, and will have to choose between going back to save or pressing on and risking death. It's a very old-school, PS2 style of game design. With that said, it's still more forgiving than the save point distribution in something like Dark Souls. You also have items that can take you back to the entrance of a dungeon AND you can use safe rooms to fast travel around dungeons. Also, since the game doesn't have random battles, you don't have to worry about getting ambushed and killed before getting back to a safe room. And even if you do get careless and allow an enemy to sneak up on you, the game isn't filled with instant death attacks like some other Atlus games I could mention.
But should you pick up Royal? I mean... you say it looks "a bit too JRPG" for you, which makes me think you're reacting negatively to genre mechanics, the anime stylings, or both, and, in either case, that sounds like you're fundamentally unwilling to open yourself to this type of experience. P5 Royal is an incredible game, but, I mean, you have to have some level of interest in it to begin with. If you're not looking for an unapologetically Japanese JRPG, then you're probably not going to like it.
EDIT: Also, yes, the game is insanely long. The original P5 took me 115 hours to beat, and Royal has an extra school semester, so it's likely even longer. Don't get it if you're not prepared for an epic story and long sections of pure storytelling.
you say it looks "a bit too JRPG" for you, which makes me think you're reacting negatively to genre mechanics, the anime stylings, or both, and, in either case, that sounds like you're fundamentally unwilling to open yourself to this type of experience.
@Thrillho If that sounded judgey, that wasn't the intention.
Anyway, another thing regarding the length, since it sounds like you bought it. While it's an incredibly long game, it's also a very... segmented one. Both in terms of gameplay (going back and forth between story sections, life sim sections, and dungeon sections) and in terms of overall structure. The game isn't chapter based, but it FEELS like it is, so it's probably easy enough to squeeze in some smaller games without feeling like you're interrupting the flow of the plot.
Currently Playing on January 13, 2026: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (PC)
For me Horizon: Zero Dawn, the archery combat is just beautifully done, I find the combat/action gameplay in the other games that you have mentioned mediocre to poor. The other games are still great as overall packages though with The Witcher 3 in particular having an unbelievably deep and amazing game-world as well ‘the best side-quests in gaming’ tm.
If you’re into action-playability H:ZD, if you’re into a great multi-layered narrative The Witcher 3... if you fancy a mixture of both but with a pinch of naval combat AC: Odyssey. All three are great though.
What are some good PS4 games I can get for under $30 on Amazon? I’m thinking of kingdom hearts: the story so far, but I’m wondering if there’s anything else I might want.
Kingdom of Amalur: Rereckoning and Remnant from the Ashes were both around £20 the last time I checked... both are meant to be hidden(ish) gems. I’ve bought them both but don’t know when I’m gonna be able to fit them in.
Damn it @Arugula, I think you’ve done just enough with that explanation that I now have to add yet another game (which I imagine is also a major time-sink) to my already gargantuan backlog. I hope you’re proud of yourself! 😜
Wanting to buy either Cuphead or Super Meat Boy, which game is more accessible? which is the better game?
"Preoccupied with a single leaf, you won’t see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree, you’ll miss the entire forest. Don't be preoccupied with a single spot. See everything in its entirety...effortlessly. That is what it means...to truly "see." "
Just watched a few reviews of KC: D after your suggestion and I’m glad you brought it up as it does look to be something that I would really enjoy. Just ordered the Royal Edition, so I just need to find myself an extra 150 hours for a platinum play through and I’ll be golden... oh and probably another 100 hours or so for the Danganronpa trilogy which I also ordered off of the back of joining this forum 🖖
@Draco_V_Ecliptic I'd say Cuphead is the better game. The old fashioned cartoony visuals are wonderful to look at, and it's very fun to play. Each boss will be tricky at first, but they're usually not quite so bad once you're used to their movement patterns.
In terms of accessibility, there is an easier mode for the boss fights. However, it's restrictive in that you can't battle the final bosses unless all the previous bosses have been defeated on the standard difficulty.
It's been years since I've played Super Meat Boy, but I remember it being quite fun. Can't remember if that had difficulty options or not, but I think the regular difficulty is tougher overall on SMB then Cuphead.
@crimsontadpoles Ok thanks Crim, I didn't realise that Cuphead had difficulty options for the bosses, so that helps a lot.
"Preoccupied with a single leaf, you won’t see the tree. Preoccupied with a single tree, you’ll miss the entire forest. Don't be preoccupied with a single spot. See everything in its entirety...effortlessly. That is what it means...to truly "see." "
@WaveWitch I did say not to expect a smooth performance! That said, I'm someone who doesn't really notice frame rate differences that much unless they're truly terrible.
It's a shame so many people ignore the second game though as I think it's still pretty good and quite a neat idea to have you play as a Big Daddy. And have you played the Burial at Sea DLC before as it's almost worth getting the remaster just for that!
I really liked it, I absolutely adore Greek myth though so it (particularly the DLC) played into my wheel house. I really liked the map and geography too, it’s a huge game-world with loads of naval adventure and battle. I also felt the combat was a little tweaked (& therefore better imho) than origins.
@tangi_atori it's a very well made game, but i ultimately found it too big and repetitive, and despite at least 5 attempts to get properly into, I've abandoned it after 25 hours. The landscapes and towns look great, but you'll start finding them very samey, very quickly. The story, at least in the first ~20 hours is totally forgettable. The combat is pretty unrewarding, the enemies are either very easy or sword-sponges (depending on difficulty setting and level). Traversal feels really good, and there is a lot to discover and loot, if that's of interest.
I think it helps a lot if you are interested in Greek history and myths.
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