Is Persona 5 Royal Worth Finishing? An Enthusiast‘s Deep Dive

In one word: absolutely. Persona 5 Royal is a must-play from beginning to end, even if you‘ve already sunk dozens of hours into the original Persona 5. This expanded definitive edition adds so much great content and improves gameplay in both major and subtle ways. It‘s easily one of the best contemporary JRPGs out there. Both fans of the genre and newcomers owe it to themselves to experience this stylish, engaging journey all the way through.

Let‘s take a deep dive into everything that makes Persona 5 Royal such an incredible game worth investing your precious time in. Fair warning – this is coming from a huge P5R fanboy whose put in over 300 hours across multiple playthroughs!

What Persona 5 Royal Adds to Justify Another Playthrough

I totally understand some gamers being hesitant to dive back into Persona 5 after already spending 100+ hours with it. But let me tell you: Royal‘s new content is so substantial and excellent, it fully justifies double dipping! Here are some of the most notable additions:

• An entirely new school semester in the story that massively expands the original ending. You get new plot twists, incredible new characters like the gymnast Kasumi Yoshizawa, and another Palace to infiltrate with creative new gameplay gimmicks. I don‘t want to spoil anything, but this new arc provided an immensely satisfying conclusion that had me in tears.

• Tons of new scenes and character moments sprinkled throughout the existing story to flesh things out. For example, Goro Akechi‘s arc is expanded in some fascinating ways. Even minor confidants like Ohya the journalist get brand new events.

• Several new personas to collect like Raoul, Ella, and Lucy. Plus you can now evolve previous personas like Ryuji‘s Captain Kidd into their ultimate forms. The fusion system has a lot more depth.

• Harder new bosses and activities geared towards the endgame like the Fafnir and Sword Holder fights. Makes maxing out your squad more worthwhile.

• And much more I won‘t spoil, like new hangout spots, mini-games, equipment, room decorations, music tracks, etc.

According to PushSquare‘s review, "Royal‘s additional content creates fully formed, satisfying narrative arcs rather than just tacking on forced filler." I wholeheartedly agree.

Refinements Both Big and Small Add Up

Beyond the obvious new content, Persona 5 Royal also makes what feels like a thousand subtle refinements to gameplay. These may seem minor individually, but really improve overall quality of life and modernize the P5 experience:

• Faster load times to reduce time spent staring at screens

• Reduced daily chat dialogue from Morgana to avoid repetitive reminders

• New accessories like ammo pouches to automatically resupply SP and HP after battles

• Instant kill abilities to speed up grinding and make weak enemies a non-issue

• A new grappling hook tool allowing access to previously unreachable spots and platforming challenges

• Option to dash manually with a button press instead of holding the run button

• Numerous boss fights rebalanced to pose more of a challenge

• Streamlined UI menus and tutorials that are easier to navigate early on

• New mini-games like playing darts or going to the jazz club provide fun new activities

• Small flourishes like Will Seeds to find, new books to read, craftable coffee and curry recipes, etc

These types of enhancements seem minor in isolation, but together they really refine and modernize the Persona 5 experience to make gameplay even smoother and more enjoyable. It‘s clear the developers went the extra mile to create the ultimate version of an already stellar game.

Rave Reviews From Fans and Critics Alike

Persona 5 Royal has been met with widespread critical acclaim, earning even higher review scores than the original release. It currently has a 95% average critic score on Metacritic compared to Persona 5‘s 93% score. This just shows the measurable improvements Royal makes.

Professional reviewers have praised the wealth of content, story additions, and gameplay refinements. Game Informer called it "the best version of an already great RPG," while IGN said it "improves upon the original in almost every way."

But perhaps more importantly, everyday Persona fans seem united in considering Royal the clearly superior version. On Reddit and forums, you‘ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn‘t think Royal is worth playing over the original Persona 5. The high level of fan sentiment shows just how successfully this release fulfills people‘s desires.

This table comparing the main story playtime shows just how much extra content Royal packs in. An additional 30+ hours is no small addition! No wonder fans are so happy to replay this epic journey.

Royal has also been a major commercial success, selling over 1.4 million copies worldwide as of 2021. That makes it one of the best selling PlayStation 4 exclusives. The voting is in – people simply love the additional content and refinements Royal brings to the table.

Relationships Are Taken to the Next Level

A staple of the Persona franchise is the social link system, where bonding with friends known as "confidants" unlocks special skills and story sequences. Persona 5 Royal expands the relationship options most notably with the new gymnast character Kasumi Yoshizawa.

Getting to know Kasumi through her confidant rank ups reveals hidden depth beneath her cheerful exterior. Without spoiling anything, her connection to key events will really surprise you! She was easily one of my favorite new characters.

Of course you can also date multiple other female confidants like the student council president Makoto Niijima or the hacker Futaba Sakura. But beware – dating multiple girls can backfire if you‘re caught cheating! I had some awkward scenes on Valentine‘s Day…

According to GameSpot, "Persona 5 Royal‘s revamped relationships breathe new life into the game‘s best feature." I couldn‘t agree more. The dating dynamics are truly taken to the next level here.

Multiple Endings Allow Varied Outcomes

A major draw of Persona games is that your choices actually influence the ending you get. Persona 5 Royal expands on this, with over half a dozen possible conclusions based on how you play. I won‘t spoil all the intricacies, but here‘s an overview:

• How you respond to a certain antagonist‘s offers near the end determines which climactic story arcs you‘ll experience.

• Maximizing your bonds with key confidant characters like Maruki, Akechi, and Kasumi by specific dates opens additional narrative branches.

• Certain dialog choices also impact outcomes during intimate moments with your friends and chosen romantic partner.

• Getting the fully satisfying new "true ending" requires rejecting a deal, unlocking the third semester content, and making optimal relationship choices.

• Bad endings provide an emotional gut punch but are worth seeing too – they really make you reflect on choices.

New Game+ lets you carry over progress to easily see all the different endings. Seeing them all really provides fascinating perspective – I felt much more connected to the characters after going through those alternatives.

Verdict: An Absolute Masterpiece

As you can see, I‘m clearly biased, but I fully believe calling Persona 5 Royal a must-play masterpiece of contemporary JRPGs is right on the money. It executes every element so beautifully:

• The style oozes cool with the slick menus, comic book flourishes, and smooth acid jazz soundtrack.

• Jumping between the metaverse and Tokyio creates near perfect pacing and variety.

• Combat encounters are snappy and engaging, especially on higher difficulties.

• The characters feel like close friends by the journey‘s end thanks to excellently written confidant stories.

• The amount of activities like part-time jobs, hanging with friends, battles, exams, etc is staggering without feeling bloated.

For any RPG fan, Persona 5 Royal is easily one of the best in recent memory and deserves to be experienced thoroughly. For JRPG newcomers, it‘s an equally perfect entry point into the genre‘s unique appeal.

So whether you‘re a series veteran or only have a passing knowledge of Persona, take it from this enthusiastic fan: you owe it to yourself to play Persona 5 Royal to the very end credits!