Can someone explain this a bit more to me? I've seen Persona before, and my buddy has it, and I thought it was a fighting game?
Now I'm seeing videos of this and it looks like a turn based RPG? But like very little combat?
How does this game play out? Heavy narrative it seems like obviously, but outside of that how much combat and actual gameplay is there to be had?
edit; very rarely am I this ignorant on any type of game or confused about gaming in general, but I can't figure out this fucking Japanese shit for the life of me. it looks cool though and I think I want to play it
It is turn based, combat is mixed with story progression. You do activities that lead up to dungeons which are around 1-2 hours each (so far, done 4). Dungeons unlock further progression in a randomized side dungeon you can enter for grinding, loot and getting new personas (spirits with different abilities/resists). You get boss encounters in the side dungeon too based on story (you learn of a bad person and their evil heart materializes in the dungeon, you can save up several boss encounters in the side dungeon, so don't have to do it constantly). Tactical combat to the point of rewarding you by exploiting weaknesses. Hit a mob weak to lightning with lightning and you get a new turn as they are knocked down, knock down all enemies and you get a chance to do a combined attack for heavy damage or try to get a mob as a persona or get money/items from them. If the persona you are using is weak to a mob attack, you get stunned and they get a new attack. So the combat is good (if you like turn based).
It is heavily story based though. And a
JRPG by being very Japanese in style. As to the story, you get the ability to enter peoples distorted hearts to change them so their real life selves undergo a positive change and the story does not shy away from elements that you would tie to bad hearts. Depression, suicide, abuse (mental, physical, sexual), drugs, murder, trafficing (sex, drugs).
It is a high scool simulator with the above mixed in. You spend days bettering yourself in social skills, which unlock the ability to do more activites and more social links. It is time management as in you generally have a day and an evening activity each day following a calender. You have to choose who you talk to and what stats you raise. IE: Entering a dungeon (have to be day) will also cause you to get tired and not be able to do much in the evening. That said, there are some acitivites that doesn't cost time, like buying things. Since it follows a calendar, certain things are tied to certain days like date xx/xx you get a question in class, answer it correctly and you get a boost to your knowledge stat. Questions are real, so you migt know the answer to some, while others are more obscure or dealing with Japanese things. Since every day progresses some part of a story, be it main or side quest or your stats, it quickly (for me at least) turns into the Xcom feeling of just one more day/turn.
It is as you said, very Japanese, but I recommend just trying it. It's not really an either or game. If you only like combat, be it turn based or not, there is way too much other content to make it enjoyable. If you only like story, there is also way too much combat to make it enjoyable. If you enjoy it or not depends on what you mean by "actual gameplay". If you don't think running around figuring out who to talk to, what stat to raise with what activity, mixing personas to get new ones, etc is gameplay, then around 50+% of the game might not be that enjoyable for you.
