Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Hot take: it's not "all that", I prefer the Persona games, there's also a LOT of sand... So much sand...

I bought this game for the mechanics and demon fusion. I knew the story would be meh, so I treated it as a vehicle that drives you toward cool characters, bosses, and locations. So if you're expecting social links and a more engaging plot like a Persona game, skip this one. The game isn't a walk in the park. If you feel like you need to buy the DLC to increase your enjoyment or save time, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ do it. But based on my experience, I’d say you probably won’t need it until late game. Spend the early game learning the mechanics and systems. As long as you aren’t purposely ignoring the things the game outright hands to you, you’ll be fine. The various sandy, dilapidated city landscapes are fine at first, but they get more annoying the more side quests you do, especially if you're collecting the hidden collectible creatures called Miman. Dear god, the way they hide these little ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ will make you HATE the layouts. A lot of times, you'll be right on top of the Miman icon on the mini-map and still won’t be able to see them because you're on the wrong layer of the environment. Yeah buddy, sorry, for this Miman you have to take the long way around, get onto a specific bridge, and jump onto a rock just to reach it. Minor spoiler, but this game does the Final Fantasy final boss thing where, after you defeat the familiar and expected final boss, a couple more random dudes show up wanting to fight you for clout and exposure. Lots more I could say but I'm going to end it here and say I heavily recommend it. It's one of those games I get weirdly nostalgic for when it's only been a few months since I completed it lol.