Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES

Rating based on having played Reload.

The most Mid persona game by far. Persona 3 has story that sound well written on paper but for some reason I didn't feel emotionally invested. I didn't care until the climactic finale which is really what salvages this whole thing. The pacing of the difficulty is horrible and all over the place. The story pacing is also bad including multiple whole months later with no story developments. Combat is easily cheesable but AI party is overhated, easily manageable, nobody did anything I didn't want

The gameplay of FES can be aggravating due to the lack of control in teammates further hampered by how shallow the combat is, which is emphasized by the shoddy "The Answer" chapter. P3 is otherwise a wonderful experience; the structure lends itself into an engaging gameplay loop of time management and social links that tie into the game's core theme of life and purpose before death. Some plot beats are questionable, but this games ties together its cast and narrative in ways its sequels don't.