I recently completed my first playthrough of P5R.
I think it's the peak of the series. Gameplay-wise, the dungeons are really expressive compared to Persona 3's Tartarus. The puzzles are not dated like the ones in Persona 4.
What really sets it apart from the other two games though is the theme and the setting. I think where a lot of games tend to suffer is how disconnected they are to reality and their fictitious worlds are self-contained.
The game is 10 years old already. It's sad to see the state of the world today. In democratic countries, why do we still fall for the false promises of Shidos and Yaldabaoths?
I know Persona 5 is not the first to deliver its message but that only makes it even more concerning. I can really feel the pessimism of some older artists and media professionals when they say their work has no influence in this world.
It can be quite depressing sometimes. But I guess that can also be the sin of sloth...
That said, I'm interested in what Metaphor is about and what sentiments about the world it expresses.
P5R is fun but definitely harmed a lot by the combination of silent protagonist and the characters being children. The game being stupidly easy doesn't help, either.
There was also a big issue with Anne's backstory involving sexual harassment and assault by the teacher we're investigating and our forced fourth party member being a bog standard "anime sex pest character" who immediately begins harassing her the moment he meets her. Kind of tone deaf writing there.
There's some genuinely good character moments that are unfortunately hamstrung by the silent protagonist, especially when other characters get voiced lines in the same scene. I don't expect P6 to change this but it's a serious design flaw, IMO.
Great music and visuals and possibly the best UX I've seen since Dead Space. The definitely final boss added in Royal is on my top 10 favorite villains because... shit, dude maybe kinda has a point, don't he?