I finally got around to trying my first Persona game. I tried Persona 5, and right off the bat, I did not like the cinematic style of this game.
I am not really sure what it is about it, but I guess it was just not for me.
Are the other ones like this too?
I am looking for a good jrpg to get into on the switch that is not final fantasy, dragon quest, or pokemon. (I’ve played those a lot recently)
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Cinematic style as in it’s heavy on cutscenes, or that you didn’t like the art direction? If it’s the former, that’s been the general orientation of the genre for a little while now.
You could try something more gameplay-oriented, like Octopath Traveler, Shin Megami Tensei V, or Rune Factory.
Thanks, I think it is a bit the art style I did not like. I do not particularly like cut scenes, but the anime art style was not for me. I was considering smtv actually. I will give that a go.
Early Persona 5 is pretty rich in set pieces as it slowly introduces its many systems, but it does open up quite a lot after a while. It’s a content-rich 100+ hour long game, it kind of has to. It still has a lot of cutscenes even after that, but they’re mostly of the gamey yapping portraits kind, with cinematic cutscenes and anime FMVs left for climactic moments.
Persona 3 and 4 are similar in style, though not quite as cinematic, and you get to the meat of the games faster.
Persona 1 and 2 are completely different beasts, and what you dislike about Persona 5 so far will have no bearing on whether you’ll like those. The most modern versions are on PSP, however.
As for other JRPGs on Switch, from the same developer there’s Shin Megami Tensei V and the remaster of III. Even though they’re also from Atlus, they very much go in the opposite direction of Persona and are very stoic games where it’s mostly just you, the environment and the systems, and cutscenes are far and between.
Someone else mentioned the Trails games and I’ll second that. Like the Persona, they’re very story-rich, but not as budget-rich as Persona 5, which puts constraints on how that story is told. Also, if you like action RPGs, from the same developer (Falcom) there’s the Ys games. Ys: The Oath in Felghana is pretty much the pinnacle of the genre and is pretty short, so it’s a good snack between bigger games.
Give Monster Hunter Stories a go. It’s a turn-based JRPG in the Monster hunter word with Pokemon-Gotta-Catch-Them-All elements.
Another good JRPG series to play on Switch is Xenoblade Chronicles. Start with X.
Recently, I enjoyed the remake of Trails in the Sky FC a lot, but there is a huge gap right now in that series that you cannot play on Switch. It’s best to play this series in order, so I cannot really recommend starting with it right now as long as the gap isn’t filled with remakes or ports.
When you like to dip your toe into the Tactical JRPG genre, you can find a treasure trove of great titles on Switch as well. Final Fantasy Tactics, Valkyria Chronicles, Unicorn Overlord, and Triangle Strategy to start with.
Last but not least, I’m a fan of the Atelier series since it hit my sweet spot between comfy and adventure. It’s rather obscure in the larger JRPG landscape, but it has been a long-running series since 1997 with a steadily growing following. Story-wise, the series is generally more about personal goals and friendships than the large-scale world-ending events in most other JRPG series, but that is the appeal for me. They come in arcs of 3 (plus a bonus 4th title sometimes), so you can start with whatever first title in an arc that you want. Personally, I would recommend starting with the first Ryza since it has enough modern conveniences.
Don’t know if it’s on Switch but I highly suggest Tales of Berseria.
Sorry to hear that.
I liked the “Trails” games a lot. “Trails in the Sky” (the first installment) has remakes in more modern graphics if that’s important to you.
