REVIEW

Persona 5 Japanese Import Review

by Rob Pritchard, October 13th, 2016

This review of Persona 5 was created by playing a Japanese retail version of the game. Some details may be changed or removed when the game arrives in English next year.

Eight years have passed since we tuned into the Midnight Channel in Persona 4. After several delays to improve the quality of the game, Atlus have finally released Persona 5, the sixth main entry in the Persona series in Japan. While those of us in English speaking countries will not receive Persona 5 until Valentine’s Day next year, we decided to jump the gun a little bit early, and offer a review based on a Japanese copy of the game. Although every attempt has been made to avoid major spoilers, some details have been revealed in order to perform a critical analysis of Persona 5, which is definitely a contender for one of the best role playing games of the last few years.

After being placed on probation for a crime that he didn’t commit, the protagonist of Persona 5, known as Akira Kurusu the official manga adaption, is sent to live with Sojiro Sakura, a family friend who lives in the outskirts of Tokyo. After being enrolled at the local high school, the main character accidentally crosses over into The Palace, a world which is partially shaped by the real world, and otherwise influenced by the human heart. Whilst in the other dimension, he awakens to the power of Persona, a supernatural version of his alter ego which can protect him from almost any threat. Returning to the real world, he eventually meets up with others who also gain the ability to summon a Persona by embracing their desire to change their circumstances.

Together with his new friends, they decide to venture into The Palace as a group known as the Phantom Thieves, stealing the hearts of any evil adults they come across to make the world a better place. Many fans felt that although Persona 4 was a wonderful experience, it lacked the dark storyline which had been present in the earlier games. However, there is no danger of this happening in Persona 5, as some of the events which take place early in the narrative are far darker than any previous entry in the series managed to accomplish. As well as these darker elements, the storyline of this latest entry is full of twists and turns, and populated with some of the best written characters ever seen in the series.

The core structure of the Persona games which was established in the later instalments has remained intact, providing the calendar system from Persona 3, as well as the weather effects from Persona 4, which can affect the appearance rate of certain Shadows within the Palace. You are still required to attend school during the day, where you will face the challenges that come with the territory, such as rogue teachers and the standard multiple choice tests. Outside of this, you are free to choose your activities after you have passed through the initial tutorial sections, although certain in game events influence this to a degree such as national holidays, and reconnaissance missions related to the Phantom Thieves. When you are able to roam freely, the size of the map you are able to explore is far larger than anything we have encountered before. Each location has several sub-areas, all filled with unique shops, locations and a distinct visual style that separates it from the rest.

For the first time in the series, Persona 5 uses real world locations as some of its set pieces, a trend which has become popular in games such as Akiba Strip and Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth. One of the best locations to show off this aspect is Shibuya, as it has a large selection of various shops such as a florist and a pharmacist, some of which actually exist in the real world. In addition, areas such as the convenience store can give you a part time job to earn some extra money. It is possible to gain a job elsewhere, but it is definitely easier in one of the more populated areas. The amount of activities you can perform has increased dramatically, such as making coffee with Sojiro Sakura, watching a football match with one of your party members and playing a retro game console which you find at a local charity shop. As well as being enjoyable to take part in, these activities can increase your five basic stats, which are as Courage, Charm, Knowledge, Kindness and Dexterity.

The dungeons which are located in the Palace are distinctly different to the dungeons in previous Persona titles, placing a clear focus on stealing the “heart” of the person who subconsciously created the alternate reality. Once you have discovered the location of this Palace, you will only have a set number of days to liberate the individual. If you do not, you will receive a standard Game Over sequence, as well as a rather dramatic non-canon ending. Needless to say, as a thief you will need to use stealth to sneak up on the patrolling enemies. This is achieved by dashing to set places on the environment to avoid detection. This works well for the most part, but there are some occasions where you will need to shift the camera angle significantly to see the next stealth point you can travel to.

Unlike the Midnight Channel and Tartarus, the dungeons are not randomly generated, which is understandable given the more complex design of the environments and puzzles. Although the random nature of the dungeons was part of the previous game’s charm, a fixed structure is much better for a stealth based game that relies on performing a set objective. A particular highlight of the visual designs in the dungeons is the outside of the second Palace, which takes place inside an art gallery with Super Mario 64 style paintings, which are used as portals to an alternate 2D world.

If you long for the random nature of the dungeons, you will be pleased to know that a side area known as Mementos has been included, which functions as both an area to grind experience and a place to complete side quests. These new missions are unlocked during the storyline, and by extended interaction with one of your allies outside of the Phantom Thieves. What makes the Mementos dungeon truly unique is the vehicle that you use to travel around in, as it gives one of your party members a whole new purpose you would never expect.

The battle system of the Persona series has always been fairly easy to use, but now it has been streamlined even further. Instead of a list of options to choose your party member’s actions, each major action has been assigned to a button on the controller. As a result, the flow of battle is much smoother, so you do not need to navigate through so many lists, which is a blessing when grinding for experience against enemies that can be defeated using a single button press. As well as using your Personas, which have a vast range of elemental attacks and spells to target each enemy’s specific weaknesses, each party member is equipped with a sword styled weapon. For the first time since Persona 2, every main character is given a projectile weapon such as a gun or a catapult, and like the swords, new weapons can be bought in shops or found in the Palace. The changes that have been made make each battle feel like a unique experience every time, rather than going through the motions of choosing options from a linear list.

Many people who have played the Persona games tend to divide the franchise into two separate parts, given the vast differences in gameplay which take place between the third and fourth entry in the series, if you count both versions of Persona 2 as separate entries. The negotiation system, which was removed back in Persona 3, has made a triumphant return in Persona 5. If you are able to knock every enemy down using their weakness or a critical hit, you can either choose to persuade them to join your side by answering a set of questions, asking them to give you money or rare items, or do an ‘All Out Attack’ to try and eliminate them. Although it has been simplified significantly since the earlier games, it is a major relief considering the complexity of its original inclusion, and works well when combined with the streamlined battle interface.

It wouldn’t be a Persona game without the Velvet Room, and this time around it is in the shape of a prison. The main character is forced into playing the role of a prisoner whenever he visits, which feels strange at first when you consider how Makoto Yuuki from Persona 3 and Yu Narukami from Persona 4 were not given the same lack of respect. The warden Igor, and his new assistants Caroline and Justine, provide the Persona fusion services required. A helpful feature from Persona Q, named the Sacrifice option has returned, allowing you to banish a Persona, then use some of its gained experience to power up another Persona. This is particularly helpful in the later stages of the game, where you will need a lot of experience to get some of the vital skills on offer. The Social Link system has also made a comeback, although it is now known as Co-Operation. This makes sense, as each of the characters you form a bond with will now give you a new ability, or unlock a vital discount on their merchandise, and providing you with the obligatory experience boost when fusing Personas.

The Persona series has always had a sense of style, ranging from the vibrant interface to the sometimes bizarre appearance of the Personas themselves. Thanks to the additional power of the PlayStation 3 and 4, the overall appearance of the graphics, user interface and backgrounds have improved dramatically. Both the Personas and the characters in game have been created using the same cel shaded visual style that was previous used in Catherine, and the menu graphics have been drawn using a graffiti styled motif to empathise the theme of rebellion. With these enhancements, Persona 5 is not only the best looking game in the franchise, but one of the most stylish games to be released in this console generation. If you are worried about losing content if you buy the PlayStation 3 version, there is no cause for concern, as Atlus have confirmed that the only major changes are the different anti-aliasing options, and the lack of support for 1080p in game resolution.

Shoji Meguro, the mastermind behind the Persona series signature sound has returned for Persona 5, and has created a wide selection of jazz inspired music which are arguably some of his best work so far. From the music that plays when you are in the main character’s bedroom, to the opening theme which was showcased in the first teaser trailer and the vibrant battle theme, nearly every track feels like it belongs where it has placed, with only a few minor exceptions.

The Japanese voice work feels very professional, with the actors providing a consistent voice for the characters they portray. A particular highlight is Ikue Otani, the voice actress of Morgana, who is also known for voicing Pikachu, one of the best known creatures in the Pokémon franchise, in nearly every major appearance worldwide. Neither an English dub or subtitles of the game’s dialogue has not been included in this release, and it has been confirmed that it will be the only dialogue track available once Persona 5 is released in the UK, although Atlus is looking into the possibility of providing it as DLC.

Overall, Persona 5 is the best entry in the series to date, taking the best elements for each previous release, and offering new enhancements which further improve the experience. The soundtrack and voice work are of exceptional quality, and the graphical overhaul has given the look of the series a well deserved enhancement. All I can say, is when Valentine’s Day comes around next year, you will have a definite contender for the affections of your significant other.