Man... what a great game.

I love how well it handled pretty much every character compared to the base game, and the additions of Sophia and Zenkichi are both fantastic.

I do think that the game tackles similar themes to Royal, and while the overal themes are better handled in Strikers-

I do think the ultimate resolution of the narrative conflict is stronger in Royal, and Maruki is just more interesting than EMMA, who is kind of Yaldabaoth 2, Electric Boogaloo in terms of design, even if it is better executed .

Anyway I now crave Strikers/Royal crossover content so please

i love strikers... im still at the tail end of royal but i liked strikers better lmao. p5 good tho

my trash boy was excluded from Strikers i'm allowed to be biased

yes i know strikers came out first i'm not sincerely mad but DAMMIT

ONE OF THE OVERARCHING THEMES OF STRIKERS IS THE CYCLE OF ABUSE

AND HOW PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCE TRAUMA WITHOUT A SUPPORT SYSTEM CAN GO ON TO HURT THE PEOPLE AROUND THEM
HELP

Ryuji finally getting to say "fuck" in Strikers tho

HE GOT TO SAY THE FUCK WORD

I loved Strikers

Like half the time I was thinking 'where was this quality of character writing in the base game'

I think Ann, Ryuji, and Haru got the best of it, but Strikers was good to everybody.

which, to be fair, those three... kind of needed the uppies?

'Haru Gets No Screentime' is literally a fandom meme, and Ann/Ryuji both are poorly characterized throughout the bulk of everything that doesn't involve Kamoshida

This isn't to say that I don't have complaints.

This game has not one, but two hot springs/bath scenes, and both of them took me out of the story badly enough that I very much sighed. Like really? We're doing this. We're forced into this. Okay.

Can a Persona game not just fucking subvert the trope for once

everybody goes to an onsen

it's a wonderfully relaxing time

the end

Complaint number two: why is every boss so fucking horny

that's not really a complaint

just an

observation

actually it kind of is in the case of mariko

like I get why 'Gluttony' is thematically connected to a Haru arc

it's because that was her dad's thing

but it never really sold me on the connection to Mariko, it felt like they shoehorned that in and as a result her Shadow kind of just
made me uncomfortable

this aspect of mariko's character waited until now to be brought up, and it just seems offputting when you're set up with this pristine snow city that's obsessed with perfection and glittering ice castles and all these ice personas and

really feels like they're setting up Vanity there, right? wrong! It was totally Gluttony the entire time!

Because... um. The political world is eat or be eaten! Yes.

Also the previously-discussed issue of EMMA's design and characterization just being a better-executed Yaldabaoth. But I digress.

Strikers was good!

I enjoyed it a lot and now I find myself eagerly awaiting Tactica

wheeze