Persona V
Although the Shin Megami Tensei series has been around for over 20 years, its offshoot series Persona has forged quite a name and following for itself. Persona features similar mechanics and themes to the main series with its own twist, and a much larger focus on developing its characters.
Persona 3 and 4 have become especially well loved because of their fascinating character development and social link system, on top of engaging main stories. The games essentially combine supernatural stories and dungeon crawling with living the life of an every day Japanese high schooler. Persona 5 runs with this, and tries to bring even more contemporary themes into the mix.
The newest entry sticks with the same story setup, as the game starts with its 16-year-old protagonist being transferred to Shujin High School in Tokyo. During his time there he meets new friends, including a talking cat named Morgana, and somehow discovers the power of Persona. Feeling suppressed by their environment the five main characters form a group known as the “Phantom Thieves of Heart,” and explore a place known as the “Palace” created by people’s hearts.
The Persona games are always heavy with themes, and Persona 5 is no different. One of the central themes of the game is freedom, and how the group strives to attain it. Authority, learning your place in the world and others can also been seen as present themes in the game. The color red also plays a role, giving the game a harsher feel compared to the yellow of Persona 4 and the blue of Persona 3. The social link system will also be making a return in an altered form.
Persona games have set a standard for character development and party interaction, with other JRPGs trying to follow suit. The new story setup and setting provide an interesting opportunity to tell a story about finding freedom, with the strong party interaction that the series has become known for. An updated combat system and incredibly sleek visual aesthetic only help to sweeten the deal even more. Fans have every reason to be eagerly awaiting this title.
