Talk:Paradox/Companions/@comment-38248367-20200912224512/@comment-38248367-20200914171918

For some reason I forgot about DQ V. It definitely is an older title that fits that description of party members following the player and where a considerable number of them can be recruited (though substantially more in the DS version than in the original SNES version).

"Though I'd have to say it's only half-based on Dragon Quest; there is also a Shin Megami Tensei aspect to this as well". Yep. On that subject, I wonder if you prefer Paradox's or SMT's monster recruiting system. Personally, I find Paradox's system to be less frustrating than the one present in SMT games. This is because enemies in SMT often end up rejecting the player's attempts of recruiting them regardless if the player chooses all dialogue options correctly and gives them the Macca and items they request (enemies might suddenly run away with everything the player gave them or just plainly attack the player's party). On the other hand, Persona 5's recruiting system is not reliant on luck, but some might still find it troublesome due to the answers enemies want not always being clear-cut.

Although in Paradox there is a luck factor in regard to recruiting enemies in battle, there is much less risk involved when compared to SMT. For starters, enemies don't run away or unexpectedly attack the player after receiving an answer, and since enemies have an affinity level that persists after battles, this means that giving what enemies request or answering their questions correctly is more tangibly beneficial to the player, since it all contributes to the player having higher chances of recruiting them either in the short or long term. Furthermore, after raising an enemy's affinity to a high enough level, there is no need to waste turns talking to them anymore - it is enough to just defeat them normally since they now have a good chance of automatically joining you after the battle ends. Sometimes the player can recruit enemies without talking to them even once (!), especially if they have an ability that raises the odds of recruiting them. Another detail I like in Paradox is that every single enemy has unique lines of dialogue, which is different from SMT and Persona 5 where enemies with the same personality type all say the same things.