Persona 5 is the newest entry in the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series, and it just so happens to also be one of the best. In fact, Persona 5 is one of the best JRPGs we’ve gotten in years, combining the best elements of previous games in the series into something fresh and new.
Persona 5 tells the story of a group of teenagers living in Tokyo, who discover they can harness the power of Persona. They form a group known as the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts,” and begin to explore supernatural realms known as Palaces. Their mission is to steal the ill intent from the hearts of adults, thereby making the world a better place. Persona 5’s mix of dungeon crawling, battling, and social simulation is hard to not love, especially as it balances everything so well.
For any fan of the genre it’s truly an experience that shouldn’t be missed out on. We’ll walk you through just a few of the reasons why Persona 5 is a must-have.Â
It Oozes Style
The very first thing you’ll notice about Persona 5, is just how incredibly stylish it is. Everything about the game contributes to its unique identity, and it’s clear the development team put a lot of time and care into style and flash. It’s small touches like the way menu screens flow together with animation, or how a battle seamlessly transitions back into the world. The cel-shaded design does wonders for Persona 5, as oftentimes when the game is in motion it practically looks like an anime. The game never ceases to impress with its visuals, even when you’ve been playing for upward of 50 hours.
Of course, style also permeates into the game’s soundtrack. Famed composer Shoji Meguro returns once again for Persona 5, and the soundtrack is definitely something unique. The acid-jazz inspired music match the themes freedom and rebelliousness perfectly. It’s certainly a bonus that Persona 5 is so aesthetically pleasing on top of having strong gameplay and story.
Fast, Strategic Combat
The Persona series has always had an interesting combat system, but Persona 5 kicks things up a notch. It utilizes a turn-based battle system, focused on exploiting enemies’ weaknesses. By hitting an opponent’s weak spot, you’ll knock them down and cause extra damage. Knocking all enemies down will let your party “hold up” the enemy, which gives you a few different options. You can unleash an All-Out Attack that hits with devastating power, or talk to the enemy and negotiate them into giving you money, an item, or even have demons join your team as a new Persona. Additionally, once you’ve found an enemy’s weakness, you can simply hit R1 to automatically use an attack of that type against them.
The game’s style also translates over to combat as menus break off of characters models, allowing for quick and easy navigation. Guns also make a return to the series, as an alternative form of attack. As you begin to face stronger enemies in the game, you’ll really need to think about your moves, find weaknesses to exploit, and keep your party healthy. It’s a fast-paced system that requires you to think on your feet.
Plenty of Choices and Content
Persona games certainly aren’t short, but Persona 5 is really jam-packed with content for you to partake in. First off there’s the main story, which clock in at a whopping 100 hours. That’s right, just beating the main story alone will take you that long. Of course, there are a number of side activities you can choose from along the way.
Persona 5 gives players freedom in how they approach things. The game works on a calendar system, letting you live out every day life in Tokyo by attending school, hanging out with friends, working part-time jobs, and more. Of course, you will need to hit certain story beats and make your way through dungeons by specified days, but other than that you can spend each day how you want. Keep in mind that spending time out in the world won’t be wasted, as almost everything you do is rewarding in some way. Working a part time job gives you cash, and can increase one of your skills, while exploring dungeons nets you experience and gets you closer to your goal. This also brings up one of the best points of the game; what comes from hanging out with the protagonist’s friends and other characters.
Confidant System
Persona 3 and 4 put a huge emphasis on building relationships with other characters through a system known as Social Links. This system returns in Persona 5, although it’s changed a bit. Now, Social Links are known as Confidants, characters that have similar interests to the protagonist. These include both party members and NPCs around Tokyo, each of which can give you unique perks by leveling up the Confidant.
You’ll need to spend time with each Confidant to level them up, but it serves a dual purpose. These characters oftentimes have fascinating stories to tell, and one of the best parts of Persona 5 lies in getting to know its characters, their relatable issues, and insecurities. On top of that, you don’t want to miss out on the abilities higher levels will grant you. These can be bonuses that will give you powerful attacks in battle, let you negotiate better with demons, or help with minigames and side activities. For example, the sixth level of Futaba’s Confidant allows her to randomly restore your party’s health in battle.
Most Confidants are optional in Persona 5, however, just like Social Links they prove to be some of the most engaging content in Persona 5. They really are a piece of the game you don’t want to miss out on.Â
A Simulated Tokyo to Live In
The JRPG genre has always done a great job of giving you fascinating worlds to live in, and Persona 5 really excels at that. It’s the first game in the series to not be set in a fictional city, instead opting to set things in Tokyo. It certainly doesn’t suffer for this, however, as the city is more detailed than ever before.
The team has painstakingly recreated the Tokyo Metropolis down to exact details. You can visit the bustling Shibuya Station on your way to school, or cruise through the Akihabara District. For many of the locations in the world of Persona 5, Atlus actually used their real-life counterparts as reference. This creates a unique experience where you vicariously get to experience the streets of Tokyo, through an anime filter of course.
Like the rest of the games in the series, Persona 5 is bursting with life and style, and what better way to experience all of that than running around a marvelously realized virtual city.
Published: Apr 4, 2017 03:09 pm