Usually after reading other people's comments, I conclude that they've said what I want to say and that I don't need to say anything, but if there's one thing that Akechi's Moon route has taught me, it's that speaking up is okay and maybe even encouraged.
I became a fan of Persona when I was a teenager myself, I've played every version of P5 that I could find, and weirdly, never looked for a visual novel version before. Yesterday, I decided to just put 'visual novel' into the search bar on Itch and scroll. I grabbed some things that sounded interesting here and there, and then I saw it.
Persona 5: Visual Novel.
The second I saw the screenshots, I was beyond excited. But I didn't realise how much it would feel like the game until I actually started playing. There isn't a single detail missing. From the pop up phone to the dagger in the dates, to the train animations, the weather in the corner, it really truly feels like playing the original game. But of course, in the original game, we're Akira or Ren, which is nice, but doesn't allow for a chance to get to know the Phantom Thieves beyond being their leader. I'm not kidding, I genuinely gasped when I saw Ren for the first time. Getting to actually talk to him had me giggling and beaming. The entire interaction set with the Phantom Thieves is just brilliant, they feel so authentic. I adore that you included the actual animated sprites of all of the characters, the transitions between screens, the sounds, the music-
All of it is just SO GOOD.
Naturally I picked Moon first because I'm somewhat of an introvert, but knowing that there's an alternate path with Goro on the Sun route, I'm going for that next. I got the good ending on my first try and I'm not emotionally prepared for the bad ending so I think I'll move on to Ren once I (hopefully) get the good ending in the Sun route.
When the credits music came, I teared up a bit, because honestly, that felt like playing an actual Persona game. I cannot express enough how fantastic the experience is. So much love and support to the team, and whether the game gets updated or not, I'm beyond glad I get to play what already exists. ♥
Edit: Okay, I just looked at that again and there's only the Moon Route for now. Well, that's fine, I can wait. :3