The Journey's End

What can I say that hasn't already been said about this game?  Persona 3: The Journey concludes in a way that I expected and yet, I'm completely stunned by this game. The narrative develops in a way that I haven't truly experienced on this level in a long time, if ever. The S-Link system seemed like charming little game mechanic that was meant purely for the fusion side of the game, but as the game really started to move along and the ending drew nearer, they felt more important than any other aspect in the game. Persona 3 on a grand scheme deals with your own mortality and what it actually means to be alive.  It seemed like a huge gimmick to have your persona's evoked by a gun, but now that I've reached the conclusion of the Journey, that little aspect is as important as any other part in the game. The evoker's are indicative of of the fact that every time you attack, heal or use a buff you are doing it to protect the one's you love.   
 
The game is about death in so much as it is about love for the one's around you.  We build all of these relationships in our lives from a very real and honest place so that we can truly live and make something of our lives.  I found some of the situations or progressions in the game to be awfully ridiculous, but others felt really genuine.  I'm almost compelled to go back and play through the Journey for the soul purpose of discovering Fuuka, Mitsuru and Aigis' S-links.  Aigis' connection to the protagonist is potentially on of my favourite relations in any game I've ever played.  After playing through the entirety of the Journey and the first 3 hours of the Answer, it is extremely clear to me that is a something that has never been done on this level of any game I've ever played.  The longing and suffering is such a beautiful and compelling thing that I don't think I'll ever get to experience such a thing from a video game again.  Persona 3 has quite possibly the most intriguing and nuanced stories that it is perfect for someone like me that spends a lot of time, wondering and waiting to discover what all of this is really about. Some days I think I have it figured out, but others are not clear.  I just can't even believe how beautiful of a story this game turned out to have and I'm sort of sad that that experience is more or less over. 
 
The end of the Journey reaches a satisfying conclusion that will stay with me for an extremely long time and as much as I want to jump into the Answer immediately, I think I need to hold back and really let this sink.  I find it somewhat hard to believe that I never really intended on playing P3, as the endurance only really made me interested in getting P4.  Maybe it's for the best that I knew absolutely nothing about this game, because it's probably the most worthwhile time I've ever spent with a video game. Having clocked in over 85 hours in a single game is ridiculous for.  Not so much that I wouldn't spend that much time on one game, but that fact that I loved almost every minute of those 85 and counting hours is something to be said. 
 
So, what am I going to do now? Well, I played the first 40 minutes of P4 and although I do remember some plot points, the game feels very different from P3 that it won't get in the way of what I experienced previously from this series already.  I might also go back and try to finish beyond good and evil or spend some time on ME2 again.  Or maybe it's time to finally get into Lost Odyssey? I don't know, but for now I just want to thank everyone listening on the ethereal plane at Atlus that made Persona 3.  That game connected with me on a completely unique and different way that I was just not ready for.  I need a Persona 3 tattoo somehow?   
 
Persona 3: FES: The Journey 10/10 
This Blog:  0/10