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The Persona series has gained a cult following recently thanks to its PlayStation Vita version of Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden, which introduced the franchize to a new audience. After that success, fans waited patiently for a current gen installment (with Persona 4 originally launching for the PS2). Even after a 6 month difference between the Japanese and American release dates and the streaming debacle after launch (restrictions on content) Persona 5 delivers on everything a fan would want.
The visuals of the game give you a highly stylized anime like aesthetic, making it feel like you’re watching a visual novel. The cutscenes play on this even more, looking exactly like a modern anime. The character models can leave something to the imagination though, with a low level of emotion and minimal animations, also most dialog is text with a portrait on the side of the screen. Keep in mind Persona 5 wasn’t developed for the PS4 specifically, its multi-platform on the PS3 as well, which could be why it doesn’t look “Next-Gen” like other games that released around the same time.
From a gameplay standpoint however, it outperforms any other jrpg so far this generation (there haven’t been many). The combat is a turn-based system set around a Pokemon “Gotta Catch’em All” collection system, where you gain new Persona with different abilities and weaknesses. These different Persona add a level of strategy to the game, by making the player pay attention to the weakness and strengths of both themselves/allies and the enemy. You also have the ability to fuse your Persona to create new more powerful ones with abilities they don’t have naturally. On top of that, they added new mechanics that allow you to pass on an extra attack when you hit the opponent’s weakness, allowing you to hit other weaknesses or powered up attacks. The game takes you from dungeons called Palaces, where you steal the hearts of your enemies so they confess to their crimes. Aside from the Palaces, there is a procedurally generated dungeon called Mementos, that you explore and unlock new side story moments to deepen your connection to the characters.
For me though, the aspect of the game that draws me in most is the daily life of the main character. In which you have to go to school and make Social Links with people around Tokyo to increase your Persona fusion power and unlock new abilities to help you in a multitude of ways. During this you have stats that you can increase to improve your Knowledge, Kindness, Charm, Guts, and Proficiency which help you with your Social Links and gain access you more missions in Mementos. The daily life part makes the game feel Japanese, it does a great job of showing the culture and heritage and give you a generalized idea of life in tokyo.
The story like the past installments, is much darker than you would think. Persona 5 is about a group of high schoolers fighting against injustice from corrupt adults. It takes real world problems like sexual assault and workers rights and showcases the inherent evil they create in the world. It also shows how fame can become a hindrance when trying to do the right thing. It does a wonderful job of making the fantastic relatable and entertaining. The characters all have interesting stories and compelling reasons for joining the team and it keeps you entertained throughout the duration of the game.
In the end, Persona 5 is a wonderfully quirky and meaningful game that is both challenging and fun. It takes the best aspects of the franchize and jrpgs in general and mixes them into smooth and interesting gameplay. So if you’re a fan of the Persona games, jrpgs, or even just rpgs, you’re doing yourself an injustice not playing this game.
