The Best Game of April 2017: Persona 5
Read the Review!
Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan: Without a doubt, Persona 5 is one of the best social life/dating sims you’ll play this year. It also happens to be a JRPG with a fresh twist on the classic turn-based battle system. Set in modern-day Tokyo, players must take control of a high school student as he and his like-minded group of misfit friends dive into the subconscious of rotten adults and change their hearts from within. Persona 5 has never shied away from topics that might be deemed controversial or taboo, and in this latest entry, the game touches on heavier issues like what is considered societal norm, and whether those norms have any moral value or not. While I didn’t think the new cast of youngsters was as strong as the ones from previous titles, they’re all unique enough personalities that add to the Phantom Thieves’ group dynamic.
Persona 5’s menus and battle UI (pretty much all of the game’s user interfaces, actually) drip with undeniable style, and the game just pops. The demon fusion system is back as well, and the amount of freedom players get with building their protagonist in their own way (within level limits, of course) with specific Personas makes for an awfully compelling experience. Of course, the social sim elements are the main highlight of the game. Outside of combat, the protagonist can spend time with party members and other characters to gain new abilities, and uncover even more of their backstories. These stories are well-written for the most part, and they’re often accompanied by some pretty rockin’ music composed by the talented Shoji Meguro.
The bottomline is this: if you consider yourself a fan of JRPGs, don’t sleep on Persona 5. And if you do decide to pick it up, remember to take your time.
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That does it for our April 2017 Game of the Month. Congratulations to Persona 5! What were your favorite games from last month? Let us know in the comments.
