The villains are a well-realized and memorable lot, too. As Persona 5’s vague conspiracy slowly takes shape, the plot’s parade of episodic bad guys keeps the pace nicely, while allowing the Big Bad to plot in the shadows. This makes for a vast improvement over Persona 4, an 80+ hour RPG that lacked the presence of a true antagonist for much of its duration. Removing a Treasure causes a change of heart, forcing its owner to atone for their mistakes, and each month-and-a-half (or so) introduces a new villain du jour to foist penance upon. Not every party member sticks to the theme, however - Pope Joan might vaguely pass as a trickster if you squint, but the Necronomicon left me scratching my head. The protagonist calls forth Leblanc’s gentleman thief Arsène (Lupin), while his cohorts wield similar good-hearted ne’er-do-wells like Zorro, Captain Kidd, or Ishikawa Goemon. Their Personas are a reflection of their ideals, borrowing legendary historical rogues or picaresque heroes from public domain classics. Led by the protagonist, The Phantom Thieves are a group of stealthy, Persona-wielding rascals with their collective heart set on the reform of corrupt society. Obviously, Palaces are bad news, so who better to steal their Treasures than a group of Phantom Thieves? That’s where our heroes come in. At the core of each Palace sits a Treasure: a personalised manifestation of its master’s twisted heart. An egotistical gym coach sees the school as a castle to reign over, while a yakuza extortionist sees Shibuya as his own personal bank. These Palaces serve as a reflection of their masters’ hearts. A particularly deluded individual has the power to create a Palace: a pocket dimension where they rule with an iron fist. Taking cues from Maki’s World from the very first Persona, the Metaverse is a realm in which mankind’s delusions are made corporeal. The parallel world of the Metaverse favors the psychological over the supernatural. The main gameplay loop of school/socializing/dungeoneering is as pleasurable as it’s ever been, yet it’s where Persona 5 deviates from the template that it shines its brightest. Actually, there are two this time.Įven after a decade and an entire console generation, Persona 5 plays it extremely faithful to the groundwork laid by its PlayStation 2 predecessors. Over the course of the next year, they attend school by day, fight evil by night, and hang out on their days off. He makes friends with a ragtag group of students with the same ability, as well as a mysterious and adorable mascot. After meeting a mysterious long-nosed man, he gains the ability to wield mythological figures as Personas. Mild mannered transfer student comes to town and discovers a supernatural parallel world. In fact, you’ve probably played it twice before. Would this entry bring a little nuance back to this series? The answer is, no, not quite - though that doesn’t mean Persona 5 isn’t a great time.įirst, let’s get something out of the way: You’ve played Persona 5 before.
PERSONA 5 FULL
Now, a full eight years after Persona 4, Persona 5 has arrived to tell the story of a delinquent student’s year under probation. The aspects that resonated so loudly to me had been replaced with a recontextualisation of adolescence as fun and flirty escapism into an idyllic unreality. These protagonists were the most important people in their respective worlds popular and charming saviors who served as all things to all people. While I enjoyed both Persona 3 & 4, I couldn’t help but feel that something had been lost. Navigation, combat, and fusion were all at their most speedy and accessible, while individual characters had endearing personalities and lengthy story arcs over which to flourish. Both games were excellent: tightly-paced marriages of dating sims/visual novels with compelling RPG systems. I was an adult by the time Persona 3 & 4 set the world ablaze. It was as if the overarching theme of these titles was “There’s no magic fix to your problems, but it’s OK to be you.” When I immersed myself in “Lunarvale” or Sumaru, I took part in narratives that seemingly understood just how messy these years could be. No matter where I was, I chased after unattainable acceptance as I grappled with teenage awkwardness, existential angst, and my own sexuality. The first three entries released over the course of my adolescence a tumultuous period during which my time was divided between parents who lived on opposite ends of an ocean.
PERSONA 5 SERIES
The Persona series has always held a special place in my heart.
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