CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

So you've played 50+ hours of the game that you love. You've fought your way through all of the hardships, mourned the loss of half of your party, come to adore the characters and what they're fighting for, and now you've finally come to the final boss. You know you're ready for it: you can thrash every enemy in the final dungeon with your eyes closed, you've beaten the two bosses before it without even breaking a sweat... Everything will go perfectly, right? ...Right?

Wrong. Turns out, the final boss is ten times harder than you ever expected. Now you have several options left to you, but none of them sound appealing. What should you do? Well, dear reader, after suffering my seventh defeat at the hands of the final boss of Persona 3, I've come to realize a few important things that have kept me from shelving the game out of sheer frustration, and I'm here to share these with you.

When to Accept Defeat Against the Final Boss

So as Player One has learned, I am the type of person that doesn't take kindly to failure in video games. Can't date Mitsuru until I'm a genius? Can't date Aigis until she gets emotions? Can't beat the final boss at level 70? Well all I have to say is: challenge accepted. The problem with this attitude is, sometimes you do need to put in the extra work to make these things happen. I think one of the most important things to keep in mind while trying to deal with the sheer frustration of not being able to progress farther in the game is to try and keep an open mind to the possibility of further leveling up. Now, I don't mean to say that this is an easy task to accomplish. As Player One knows, I've only just accepted the fact that just maybe level 73 isn't going to cut it for this boss, and I need to go up to 75 or 80. Sometimes you just have to grit your teeth, remind yourself that everyone has said the ending is epic and you really want to see the bonus content that you can access afterward, and go at that last dungeon one more time. "But Rachel," you whine, "all of the enemies in the final dungeon are only giving me 1,000 EXP each, and I need 20,000 EXP to level up for just this level." Believe me, restless gamer, I understand your pain. In fact, I was so opposed to leveling up that I tried the final boss in Persona about five times before, kicking and screaming all the way, I finally resolved that it was not the best track to take. Just think, after the hours that you spend grinding, you're going to have such an easy time with the boss that you'll definitely be able to beat it on the first go the next time around (or at least, that's what I keep telling myself...)

Another thing to keep in mind is that, even if you do get defeated, don't take it out on everyone around you. Don't throw your controller at the wall (see Victoria's last post), don't yell at your friend, and don't have a temper tantrum. Things happen. Games are meant to be fun, and not being able to defeat a boss is not the end of the world. Take a deep breath, put your controller down, and walk away from the game for a while.

I would also recommend the step above for that unique moment when the final boss charms a member of your party and they fully heal him right before you get in the final blow. I can't even begin to describe how awful that moment feels, and it is so tempting to rage quit the game permanently. Don't do it; you're only going to regret it later. Shelving a game is essentially you as a gamer saying that you've given up. Don't give up. Every boss can be defeated, and you haven't come this far in the game to give up now, have you? Look up a strategy guide, talk to your friends, and try, try again. Eventually, when you beat this game, you'll look back and be proud that you didn't give up for a second, because damn, does it feel good to see those credits roll.