Persona 5

Sometimes there are certain series' of games that you carry with you through your lifetime. When I was very young, that series was Mario. When I was a teen, they were the id Tech 3 games (Quake 3, Jedi Outcast, STV: Elite Force, etc). When I was a young adult, it was Persona. Persona 3 hit when I was in high school, and I can look back and say it caught me at just the right time. I was enraptured by its dark story, cool characters, and Pokemon-meets-life-simulator style gameplay. Fast forward a few years to the end of high school, and Persona 4 just came out. My mind was blown, I couldn't believe this game was a part of the same series. Its style was beyond cool, its characters were amazing, its story was enthralling, and the gameplay was perfect (though not without its quirks). It was when P4 came out that I became a lifelong fan of the series, and at the same time, the P4 Endurance Run is what sealed my fate as a lifelong fan of Giant Bomb. After Persona 5 was announced, and I finished my fourth playthrough of Persona 4, all I could think was "What could they possibly do with Persona 5?!?" My expectations were lofty, and my anticipation had me counting down the days to its release (made all the tougher by long delays). So, did it reach those expectations? Well... nearly a decade after P4's release, we have your answer.

Persona 5 ascribes to a lot of conventions of the series. It follows a group of high school kids whose group grows bigger and bigger through the saving of themselves/their peers by ridding trapped souls of their inner demons. P-studio has not changed this format, and to be honest, I can't complain! One thing which I feel should be mentioned - if you were to compare the outlines of Persona 3, 4, and 5, they would appear to be similar; but it is impossible to truly compare Persona 5 to other entries in the series. I have looked online and have seen many people question "Persona 5 vs Persona 4, which one is better?!?!?" but I want to say at the top of this review, I have no interest in qualitatively comparing these games to one another. Each game has its own art style, story, cast of characters, and vibes. If we were to contrast their styles by using one word descriptors, Persona 4's vibe would be "swag," whereas I would describe Persona 5's as "brutal." Everything about this game is brutal, from the way your character is treated from the very beginning, to the issues you and your team are tackling when facing your enemies. Persona 5 is not a gentle game, and that is a welcome addition to the series.

There are very, very few games which have the same level of style as Persona 5. Every inch of P5 is emphatically stylistic. Its battle screens, its character designs, its dungeons, its city, its UI, etc. There's a level of polish which you don't find a lot in modern games, and frankly, it is cool as hell. The transitions from battle back into dungeon is a fantastic flourish which never breaks the flow; getting text messages feels like a natural experience, and never pulls you out of the game world; going into shops has unique animations for each tab you can explore; meeting bosses for the first time has its own set of animations, same with meeting your teammates new personas - not to mention the awesome animated scenes! Persona 5 has its style-dial cranked to ten; but then they turned it another full loop, and pushed it past ten several times more. I have never played a more stylish game. (If Persona 5 does not win Giant Bomb's "Best Styylllleeee" award this year, I will eat at Taco Bell for the first time in my life. I can think of no greater threat to my health)

There's one aspect of P5's style that needs to be discussed separately: this game would not be even close to as amazing as it is were it not for their audio & music team. Shoji Meguro, the game's composer, is the third credited name in the opening credits movie for the game - that is how important the soundtrack is to Persona 5. The quality of music in P5 is exceptional. It covers a very broad range of styles, from hymns and funk, to (almost) prog metal and EDM. The soundtrack itself is about 4 hours long, which fills the time very well across a game this long. Truthfully, there are some tracks you will hear more than others; but, personally, I like all of them enough to where it never got repetitive or annoying. There are a significant number of songs which actively make the scenes they are associated with better with their presence. I spun both Persona 3 and Persona 4's soundtracks in my library for years, and this one has been added to the queue (and has already been listened through several times over on its own). Many, many props go to Shoji Meguro for this fantastic soundtrack!

So what's the gameplay like? Well, if you've played Persona 4 (and especially Persona 4: Golden) you will have a basic handle on what's going on here. Half of the game is a life simulator - you are going to school, reading books, hanging out with friends, going on dates, going fishing, playing video games, eating takoyaki, getting special massages from cat maids - you know, the usual. This half of the game allows you to level up a number of personal stats for your character, the protagonist. Knowledge, Charm, Guts, Kindness, and Proficiency, to be more specific. You will also be able to hang out with all of the main characters of the game (and several side characters) to build up your relationships. And, as per the previous games, you can date the ladies if you want (though I've heard there are dire consequences to dating multiple girls at the same time). Each character's stories is really well done, and I'd say these story vignettes are maybe one of the best parts of the game. The social link aspect of previous Persona games have always been good; but the way they tie each of these into the main story is wonderful. Unlike the previous games, it also feels like a significant benefit to reach level 10 among all social links (or 'confidants' as the game calls them now) - including (and maybe especially) the side characters. You will receive significant perks from some of these level 10 social links, including further negotiation tactics, better exp spread, the ability to restore SP to all of your party, and more.

Wait, did you say negotiation? What's that?

New to Persona, but kind of old to SMT, is the Negotiation system. Before talking about that, let's talk about what the other half of the game is, first. In contrast to the life simulator part, the other way you interact with Persona 5 is a turn-based, Pokemon-style "collect all of these creatures/demons and fight them against other creatures/demons" dungeon crawling Like Pokemon, each Persona has a different type, each with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Some are weak to ice attacks, whereas others will reflect psychic ones. At the end of a battle, if you find yourself having knocked down all of the enemy Personas (knocking them down by either hitting their weaknesses or getting crits) you will be given an option for either negotiation, or an "all out attack." All out attack just does a bunch of damage to them and will likely kill them; whereas negotiation is how you can talk the Persona into joining your team - or just take their lunch money/their lunch (a random item). I think the negotiation system is okay, but nothing special. I found myself using the all out attack more often to get more experience rather than the other perks. The combat system is still quite fun, and acquiring new Persona with the fusion system feels great.

All of the systems surrounding the game are the best they've been in the series (seeing progress in books, social links, fast travel, etc), but it's fusions which have benefited the most. Fusions were also fun in Persona 4; but required a lot of trial and error, and felt fairly arbitrary (until you knew what you were doing. Now that you can sort by what Personas your currently held demons will turn into, as well as the ability to choose what your newly fused Persona will inherit from its sacrificed Personas (this system was also used in P4:G), fusion is faster and you get exactly what you want. You also have a couple new options where you can sacrifice one of your Persona for either a high-level item, or a "network fusion." The "network fusion" allows you to sacrifice one Persona per day, and in return you'll get a random new Persona. These tend to be high level compared to you, and it usually seems like a good way to dump your lower level Personas. They do manage to make you feel bad for fusing/sacrificing, though. The animation involves your Personas having bags tied over their heads as they are slid into a guillotine - with the Personas looking anxious. It's brutal, and dark - which, again, is a good way to describe this game as a whole.

In my opinion, the mainline story of Persona 5 is, by far, the strongest of the series. The conceit for why you are going into each dungeons is miles better than the previous games. The writing itself is excellent too, which weaves a story that twists and turns like you wouldn't expect. Though there are some beats that you'll be able to predict early on, there are also a significant number that will blindside you. I will refrain from talking story too much more, as I think it is better experienced without any foreknowledge. Suffice it to say, I was very satisfied with the story as a whole, including the ending (there's a post-credits scene! Don't forget that as the credits roll). You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll roll your eyes (I certainly had all three reactions over the course of my 98-hour playthrough). I love the story of Persona 5, despite its minor flaws.

Yes, Persona 5 has a few flaws. Some people on the internet have expressed their dissatisfaction with the localization job - awkward translations, some parts being translated too literally, bits of voice acting having strange enunciation, et cetera. Though there were moments where I noticed each of these, they were always the exceptions. Overall I felt the localization was extremely well done, and I found myself smiling at the occasional silly line rather than feeling affronted that they weren't perfect. Throughout this 100-hour game, I only felt like the flaws took up about 20 - 30 minutes worth of content - hardly worth being upset over. That being said, another small flaw is that there are a few characters with whom I was simply "meh." On the flip side, there were a way more significant bunch of characters I was absolutely in love with, so I feel like that particular flaw got balanced out. Even the characters who I felt "meh" about, after seeing each of their stories through, I felt at least a bit of compassion/affection for them by the end. One of the other flaws is that, somehow, despite having a 100-hour story, parts can sometimes feel a little rushed. There are sections where Morgana, your cat friend, asks you to go to bed early when you'd rather be taking care of social link/stat-building stuff; or vacations that feel like you don't get enough custom interactions; or characters who go through their arcs a little too quickly. That being said, I never felt any of these minor flaws detracted from the overall experience.

Did Persona 5 reach my lofty expectations? Let me answer with this simple statement: Persona 5 is a masterpiece of a game. I would go so far as to say that it is the best JRPG I have played to date, and will make the bolder claim that it is tied as my #1 game of all time. In fact, Persona 5 is the first and only game that I've owned two copies of at the same time (I went back and picked up a special edition after having finishing the game). Its impressive balance of a well-crafted narrative, dark themes, excellent characters, fun combat, amazing music, and having hella style makes Persona 5 stand well above the crowd. Persona 5 will steal your heart, but don't worry, these Phantom Thieves will take good care of it.

I cannot wait to finish New Game +, and get my first Platinum Trophy with Persona 5! (By the way, NG+ has some cute additional story bits for your second time through, and carries a ton of useful stuff over from your cleared save).