Rob Dolen
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Early on in Persona 5's development, P-Studio had considered an action-RPG format for the original Persona 5. While the Phantom Thieves' debut maintained Persona's traditional JRPG framework, Persona 5 Strikers showcases what could've been in an overall successful manner. There are kinks that could've been worked out, with battles lacking a significant degree of player feedback that unnecessarily inflates the game's difficulty. Strikers' story also takes a little too long to hit its stride, but it does reward players who stick around for the long haul. Acting as a sequel to the critically acclaimed JRPG, Persona 5 Strikers is a fantastic continuation for the Phantom Thieves.
From a studio that's never really ventured into the genre of traditional JRPGs, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is an impressive inaugural effort. It's not perfect by any means, as the turn-based combat still has some growing pains in its current iteration. Coupled with repetitive dungeon design and an unfair endgame grinding requirement, these downsides cast an unfortunate sting on an otherwise very solid JRPG.
That being said, Genshin Impact is a surprisingly good value for those looking for an open-world adventure that doesn't break the bank or waste players' time. There's a huge and plentiful open world ready for all players to explore, regardless of whether players invest in microtransactions or not. The combat and RPG mechanics may be surprisingly deep to some, but in practice, they are generally simple and enjoyable to execute. The game lacks in telling any kind of a compelling story, as it's largely stereotypical characters and plot are generally uninteresting. There are also a few technical kinks with UI elements, but it's certainly not a dealbreaker.