So in classic atlus fashion, their latest game is just a complete time-vanisher. I don't know where the 10 hours I put in Metaphor today went, it felt like but an instant, and it was awesome.
I'm playing on hard and combat while familiar has a new aspect to it with the job system. At first balancing MP was difficult and I was barely able to beat stuff for half of my first main dungeon run, but then I shifted a bit more towards the monk class who uses HP for physical abilities (other classes use MP for physical skills too here) and that made a huge difference, make sure you do the monk sidequest asap and level that shit with all 3 heroes.
The best thing about the new job system is how you can master skills and abilities and slot them into any class. So if you unlock Hama but don't wanna be the healer for the boss fight you can just master it and then slot it on the wizard spell list. Also there's a whole lot of combination supers which do all sorts of cool stuff and have unique super epic animations. My fav one has to be this physical light attack that consumes HP and looks like a freaking Final Flash XD.
I beat the first deadline boss in 2 runs, and with the amount of stuff they give you that you have to go back to town to identify so you can equip them and benefit the most, it felt like it was practical, though I do think you technically could clear it in a single day for maximal efficiency so you can raise your social stats, maybe if you don't play on hard it'd be easier to do it in 1 day. Also there's just so much good music and crazy creative visuals everywhere. The menus in p5 were already gorgeous but they went even more over the top here. They use a live-2D style where there's slight animation in the menu visuals. A glimmer of the eye, a hand flexing, a sleeve being caught in the breeze.
As for the plot, without spoilers, the main theme in this game is using adversity as fuel with which you can achieve greatness. It's all about channeling your fears and constructively utilizing your anxiety and discomfort. Not wallowing in it and being caught up in feelings of helplessness. It's a truly hopeful message and I wanna see where it will lead.