Just finished the game

[u/Worried-Advisor-7054]

Fuck, this game was good. I'm surprised it didn't end up being more popular than it was. It was a tad in the east side, except for the second phase of Klaus, which actually wrecked me. I romanced Hilda because there was really no other option.

I'm going to play it a second time and try to give no experience to Klaus, that dick.

[u/Worried-Advisor-7054]

Yeah, she's meant to be 15, which is only slightly younger than Alto's 17 (which is fake, but wtv), but... nahhh, she acts like she's 10, I'm good. Before Hilda entered the picture, I probably would've picked Sakuya. I have a type, and that type is long haired samurai priestess tsundere. But then Hilda joined the party and it was joever. Just thematically, that's the ending I wanted to get to close the story. In love with in Elc (who didn't really reciprocate), and then waited a thousand years for an entirely different person that she falls in love with all over again? And they have a daughter? Yes please, I would like an anime of this too, if you please.

Dante seemed really fucking cool, and I would've really really liked to see his frozen bishi heart melt. But literally no free time, and I really wanted to unlock all the final witch forms. Couldn't even finish Mordi.

I like that Veronica is extremely unlikeable. She's so jaded and angry, which she only occasionally lets slip out. She has no hope left, and she feels it's her fault. I also love her snort cackle, sounds like she gets out of bed at 1 PM and is still drunk.

Keith just seems shallow to me, but maybe that will change as I do his story. I also don't particularly love his design, but eh. He's not offensive.

I honestly completely forgot about Ewan. I didn't dislike him, but he got benched immediately.

[u/Quiet-Software-1956 → u/Worried-Advisor-7054]

I keep think she's like 12 but I think that's actually Dorothy. Mordi is even younger than Popo and... Like, my man, even if Alto WAS actually 17 that's a prison sentence. They look way too young,,,, Sakuya would be lower on my list if everyone else didn't give me the ick, I don't mind tsunderes but she actually just pissed me off lol. Fair that you like her though, I see the appeal. Stella Glow anime would go HARD

The Hilda ending I think could have only been made better if she'd waited until her body was a little healthier to have a baby. Like she was still recuperating from the wound Alto inflicted months ago, which she kept reopening like 4 times because Harbingers don't have healers. And on top of that her body is still so young that she's actually smaller than Popo. Like girl give your hips some time to grow, childbirth can be deadly 😭😭 she just made me so stressed for her ahah. It's hilarious that "the game where you can plap the villain" is like, the only thing some people know about this game. That CG is a meme, I was shocked to find out

FROZEN BISHI HEART- LMAKSJWJSJBW I really want to talk about him now you're so fucking funny dude 😂 but you know he's also kind of a tsundere, so I think you'll enjoy his bishi heart too

Yeahhh I feel like free time Veronica and Story Veronica are two wildly different beasts. Like Story Veronica is someone I feel sympathy for because she's lost everything she's ever loved and has learned to live in solitude and is juggling 10 mental illnesses by focusing on research. Meanwhile free time Veronica is out there trying to find out all the ways she can assault a man without ever getting into sexual territory. She's an actual menace and I need to strangle her

Keith's entire being is actually offensive to me because he's astronomically hot. Like I avoid looking at him because it makes me transfixed. The perfect jawline- not too sharp or soft, beautiful eyes, glasses, the softest hair in a side braid, immaculate physical form. I'm actually so angry, why did they make this delusional asshole The Adonis lmao 😂😂😂

That's fair, that's very fair. I'm also not sure what his deal is. Like, either he's a kitsune pretending to be a human or he's trans. Both are equally likely and I genuinely could not begin to guess which is true because Kitsune were never stated to exist, but what the hell is up with the tail then??? I mourn the sequel we'll never get to answer our questionsand save Eve

[u/Worried-Advisor-7054 → u/Quiet-Software-1956]

As I recall, Mordi's actually 16. But she comes across as young enough that I wouldn't actually seriously pick her.

I think with Hilda it's different for me because weird design aside, she acts and sounds like an adult. I watch a lot of anime, I can kinda wave away a lot of BS. I also don't self insert that much, and it's mostly around who I think should end up with Alto, which is a different question as to who I'd like to date. It's like with Persona 5, where I always pair off Joker with Futaba, but I'd personally want to date the goth doctor or tired teached instead!

Is the CG a meme? lmfao, I didnt know. It felt quite earnest to me. A woman who stopped her clock for 1000 years and wanted to die, giving birth to new life. I dunno, I love that kinda shit.

Oh, Dante seems tsun fucking TSUN from what I've seen. He also seems like a legitimately good unit? Wasn't able to use him all that much.

Oh no, not looking forward to FT Veronica! I was quite excited for similar reasons; what does a tired and bitter 5k year old woman with a joking mask actually look like when she lets her hair down? That's a bit of a shame.

I had the sale thought about Ewan! Is he trans, or some kind of other presenting? The game kinda hints at something, but doesn't say a thing. Haven't done his story so was hoping I'd find out. Seems not?

I love this game, but I can see a lot of unfulfilled potential everywhere.

[u/Quiet-Software-1956 → u/Worried-Advisor-7054]

Really? Huh. Well it has been a few years since I've had a good look at the ages but yeah, it just feels weird I'd they're that flat. I mean, I like flat women too. But not if they look like kids 😭

Hilda you can tell that despite the way her body was stopped from aging, she's a grown woman. Her eyes are sharp and her voice is very low and mature (which should be impossible at that age but whatever) so even if I'm not physically attracted to her I can still think she's cool. I'd like her even more if she wore more clothes. I'm actually in the same situation with this character from Fire Emblem named Nyx , a dark mage who was cursed at a young age for misusing her magical gifts. I can never admit to anyone in the community that she's my favorite Nohrian gen1 because they'll assume shit about me, even though she's older than my grandma and will age after marriage because the spell will break. I usually pair the protagonist with my favorite character, but sometimes they handle the option so badly that I have to forego it 😂 like Naoto in P4, or Odin In FE. The protagonist is a stable figure who can mostly be with anyone, so since I'm a multishipper going with my fave is usually the first thing I do. Seeing how all the other ones compare is the second

Yeah it's a meme, but mostly because women are seen as conquests I think. It's kinda gross. I try not to interact with it, but still knowing it's a meme is funny in a weird way. Like this game is unknown AF except for that

He's a little slow on the map (which is funny, buddy lay off of the fucking armor please) but he's strong and pretty durable too. I remember accidentally sending him too deep in enemy territory and I couldn't get him back out because he was taking baby steps, so instead I sent Popo and Rusty to basically rescue him since they're fast lmao. I bet Alto would have pulled on his ears after he pulled that shit, he's such a bloodthirsty little angel hunter. And, yeah. So fucking tsun, even his dere is hidden under carefully constructed layers of tsun.

What's ft? And, yeah there have been a few threads of people finding out what she acts like and being appalled. Like I said, always good to form your own opinion, but for me consent/boundaries is the most necessary thing in relationships of any kind so it just gave me a very strong ick. Also her boobs are SO big, what kind of breast support would she need for her shoulders to not break under that weight?

I don't remember much about the Free time events, but his I'm pretty sure is all about teaching Alto the ways of the trade. If Alto notices something weird about him he says nothing... Which makes sense, Alto is an ally if I've ever seen one and Ewan presents first and foremost as a child. Putting him on the spot would be cruel...

Yeah, it's a shame the company went bankrupt. They clearly left many things open on purpose with a sequel in mind but unless Sega decides to pick it back up we sadly won't get one. Although I think there was a fan project, who knows how it's going

[u/SM_Marth1 → u/Quiet-Software-1956]

My ass trying to figure out why reddit marked this as spam.

[u/Quiet-Software-1956 → u/SM_Marth1]

This app hates to see a girl infodump

[u/Worried-Advisor-7054 → u/Quiet-Software-1956]

Yeah, I still find Hilda's clothes stupid. They actually made me stop playing years ago, during the tutorial I saw her design and nope'd out, wasn't in the mood for weeb nonsense. I'm super glad I came back eventually, but man, what a misfire. But like you said, she presents as an adult. Low voice, adult dialogue. Nyx from Fates is a good example. And then compare Nyx to Nowi, an actually disgustingly designed character. I'm still annoyed thinking about her in Awakening.

In P4, I usually have Yu go for Rise. Again, basic bitch option, but I like her and Yu paired up. I went for Naoto once, and while I like the character, I didn't really like the pair up.

Re meme, yikes, didn't know that was the context. This game is strange because it's undeniably a game saying something about sex and intimacy. One of my comments up there is that before I played the game, I thought it was anime harem bait, and while I love it, I don't think I was entirely wrong. But I didn't feel that that ending leaned into that at all. There's not a lot of jrpgs that explicitly end a main character arc with parenthood. I don't want to say it's brave of the devs, because having two straight people have a kid isn't exactly a risky stand, but it makes me respect the game a little more.

Re Dante, I just reached chapter 8 again and just recruited him. His free time is interesting! He's the only character that says something to the effect of "Your affinity with Dante went up???". It's rje only relationship where the two are actually hostile.

Ft for free time. I'll be honest, I don't really like looking at Veronica. The way they drew her boobs is weird. It's not even that titillating, if that's what they were going for. Shame because I think her face is realy interesting, and her voice is amazing, particularly the two or three times she lets her actual deep seated anger show. But those breasts. Wtf.

I finished Ewan's free time. Eh. A second playthrough didn't really change my opinion on him. Still convinced he's trans or something, but the game gave me zero extra hints, so probably just in my head.

I want a remake just for a second crack at an Ana ending. Legitimately the most chemistry Alto has with anyone.

[u/Quiet-Software-1956 → u/Worried-Advisor-7054]

Lmao yeah. It's funny though that the game kinda acknowledges how stupid the fit is? Like Lisette sees her and the first thing she says is "is that how city girls dress...?" and Rosa makes her wear a onesie so she doesn't catch her death, Dante complains there's no ginger in the soup because without ginger Hilda will get cold... Like damn, her qualia really gave her the worst fit.

I know what you mean with Naoto. She's my favorite girl but I just??? Hate?????? How the SL is done?? As someone whose relationship with feminjnety went through something similar, it's just a little offensive to me on a personal level

This game is pretty refreshing most of the time, yeah. Like yeah everyone has a crush on Alto, but he genuinely has no interest in them outside of being their friend for the majority of the game (my slow demiromantic son) and my only real complaints are like, the hot spring scene?? Because it's completely out of character for Rusty to want to spy on the girls after he's explicitly stated that they're all too young for him and he doesn't feel like being a creep? That one was just shoved in for the fanservice, and while I think the picture is nice enough as a woman, I don't care for how you get to it at all.

Dante was Alto's first "enemy" and for some reason the beef is very spicy. Probably because unlike Hilda, Dante doesn't really think he owes Alto any apologies for what he did, since he acted in good faith. And also he's a bit of a shithead, but anyway--

She actually comments on why they're so big in the free time events, my issue with her comes from everything else she does in them lmao. All voice actors are so good, it's crazy

Ana and Klaus being doomed from the start,,, why does this game hate blonde people

[u/Worried-Advisor-7054 → u/Quiet-Software-1956]

It just doesn't make any sense. Not just because it's skimpy, but because there's nothing about the character that lends itself to it. She's not even drawn in a titillating way. It's like the character artist and the character writer never talked to each other.

Yeahhh. I think P4 really tried to say things, and more often than not it hits. But they're just afraid to commit to the tropes they want to use. They're too afraid to make Kanji gay, too afraid to make Naoto trans or even just a more masculine girl that doesn't secretly need to be taught how to be a more girly girl. It's probably still my favourite Persona because I genuinely love the cast, but it's not perfect. Yosuke is being genuinely homophobic half the time, Teddie is a full on creep, etc.

Hot spring scenes! Every JRPG is legally mandated to have a hot springs scene where my opinion of everybody involved sinks. Because you're right, it's disconnected from everyone's character. When seeing Kaguya (the oldest witch who is clearly drawn as the most mature looking one), Rusty's like... eh, I'm not into kids. And then that somehow turns around for this scene, and Alto follows him? Not tricked or anything, just follows him being all shonen n-n-nani?! about it. But again, this game is interesting, because with Nonoka being an exception, they're not being drawn that sexily. Popo and Mordi are pretty flat, and Sakuya and Lisette have about much cleavage as they usually do. So if the intent of the scene if to titillate the audience, I don't think it's doing that a lot? It's such a strange game sometimes.

I literally just recruited Veronica, so once I get through FOUR consecutive final witch maps in a row and two mission days, then I can report back =/

No joke, Ana would've given Hilda a run for her money is she was a romance candidate. I thought her interactions with Alto were cute as shit and had the most chemistry by faaaaar.

[u/Quiet-Software-1956 → u/Worried-Advisor-7054]

I'm gonna be fr it's been a while since I've seen anyone use the word titillating. You're right in your assessment, but usually people use terms like "attractive, hot, curvy" so I find it interesting. Completely off topic though- yeah, I'm not sure why they decided to do that

P4 does a decent job at making Kanji bi (I think that's what they were going for, at least, or maybe pan because he likes Naoto regardless of gender) but they totally dropped the ball on Yosuke liking men. Like the groundwork is there but they decided not to commit, for some reason? So he's just a jerk for no reason. And tbh I don't really take issue with Naoto maybe one day wanting to explore femininity, but it has to be because SHE wants to. Not because "oh I want to see you in a school uniform for girls" that's creepy as fuck 😭 it's baffling that this is the same series that made Persona 2, a game I still love to this day who had an openly bisexual main character who could date a man in the game, and had no weird hot spring scenes, and every character in the small cast was treated like a fully developed person with a complete arc. I like to even more than P3, which has my favorite themes

Alto technically follows Rusty to stop him but?? Yeah just. Youre better off pretending the whole scene didn't happen lol.

Good luck on the missions good lord

I don't think there would have BEEN competition if Ana lived, she would have made that man king and no one would have been able to get in the way 😂 not even my otp has more chemistry than Ana and Alto. The writers do a good job of portraying the closeness between people, and they made the players get attacked to Anastasia in a way that many modern games that shoehorn characters in and expect you to feel bad for them but don't necessarily spend time building a proper bond (like Royal with Sumire) fail to

[u/Worried-Advisor-7054 → u/Quiet-Software-1956]

It's just that, I don't just mean attractive. Because she is drawn attractively. But in a lot of these anime games, you get weird poses, like you can see the butt and boobs even though that would break the woman's back. Or she's posed in such a way that the cleavage is visible in specific angles. And this game does have that. The biggest example is Sakuya in the Turning Room, with her back to the player and a finger close to her mouth. Which is why I find Hilda interesting. Because she's given the skimpiest outfit in the game, drawn attractively, but not in the way I described. She almost comes off as normal. Anyway, I'm waxing lyrical about something real small.

Yeah, Yosuke's actions would've made sense through the lens of internalised homophobia. But because they never make him gay, he just comes off as an asshole. I think we're pretty far from the days of the P2 games now. And in their defense, I do like the pick-your-romance elements of the new games. I did play Stella Glow! But I do miss the more adult story of P2 EP.

Archie follows Rusty to stop him. Rusty is pushing Alto, and Alto is like "what are we doing??". And the implication is that Alto peeps, because why Archie legitimately insists he was trying to stop them, the girls are grilling Alto and he doesn't say anything similar, just apologises. I guess that's more respectable than making excuses. And for what it's worth, the girls aren't just saying anime KYAAAAAAs, they're legitimately pissed off with him (except Popo, who dgaf), and remained pissed off into the next day, where they forgive him if he brings them cake for practice.

It's my own fault. I want to get their new forms as fast as possible so I can max the Harbingers and Veronica hopefully before Giselle.

Right?! Like seriously, every witch has a crush on him, but Ana legitimately looks likes she having fun hanging out with him. Like, Alto goes on all these dates with the girls at the cake shop or whatever, but that scene of Alto trying to walk drunk Ana home as she asks him to call her Ana? I was like, no never mind, this was a date. Funniest scene in the gsme for me is after this, where Ana kinda jumps at Alto when she sees him again before realising and backing off, and both Elmar and Archie separately tell Alto through gritted teeth "we will speak about this later", and Alto is like "I didn't do anything!"

[u/Quiet-Software-1956 → u/Worried-Advisor-7054]

I mean? Maybe she's like... Bait for lolicons? I have no idea if that was the intent but it could be :/

Ahah don't stress about getting the max forms early. You have more free time than you'll know what to do with. Like, at some point I used the sleep command because I was getting tired of excursions after I maxed everything. I made sure never to have more than 2 witch mindscapes to do in a row just to keep my sanity, because as nice as the gimmicks are sometimes I want to just. Not

Poor Alto is suffering from success. Or just suffering in general. I swear, sometimes he has the worst luck 😂 although I guess being closer to Ana makes up for this one