The world is not as it should be.
It’s filled with distortion,
and “ruin” can no longer be avoided.
Those who oppose fate and desire change…
From time to time, they are referred to as Tricksters.
You are the Trickster…
Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion.
A prisoner of fate to a future that has been sealed in advance.
This is truly an unjust game…
Your chances of winning are almost none.
But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…
The youth lives in a world dominated by desire, where those in power use their reach to take advantage of others around them and exploit them for their own personal gain. Because of this, a realm of cognition called “The Metaverse” is born, representing the warped cognition of the distorted members of society.
After awakening to the powers of their inner selves and gaining access to the Metaverse, a group of teens who have been segregated from society decide to take on these distorted adults and steal their distorted desires, forming a group called The Phantom Thieves of Hearts, with the goal of reforming society and giving all the weak people the courage to stand up and rebel against conformity and the exploitation that the system willfully allows.
It’s on very rare occasions that one gets the joy to experience a game like Persona 5, for it is not only the kind of game any game developer wishes they would be able to make themselves, but it is also a mesmerizing joint of distinct talents that remind you of the reasons why gaming is so potent as a medium for telling stories and delivering messages, perhaps even stronger that any of its alternatives.
The sheer artistry of Persona 5 and the scale with which it is presented is difficult to measure, for the dedication of the people working on it shines around every aspect of its creation like its story, themes, direction, sound design, artwork and the feeling all of these convey to the player, taking them on a journey that will reflect on their lives and the way we perceive society and the people around us.
The way the story is framed is nothing short of genius with a degree of self-awareness about the nature of the medium it’s a part of. The story is framed as the journey of the Tarot Arcana, taking the Fool, which is the player, on a journey through the Major Arcanas, those being the game’s narrative and characters, in order to teach them an underlying message or theme relating to life itself so that they may reach The World, which is enlightenment itself and the end of the journey.
The self-awareness comes from the journey being about the player himself, and not the character they play as, for the events that happen to their avatar are only relevant to the player for as long as the journey through the arcana hasn’t been completed, but once it’s over and the player has obtained the enlightenment of the World, they are released from their role in the game.
This approach to storytelling makes Persona 5 feel like a journey through life itself, which is what the Tarot Arcana tries to capture in its teachings. By making the experience represent a journey through life, the game as a whole feels like something personal and immersive to the player, where they become a part of the world that has been presented to them and associate themselves with it, following unconsciously along the journey until the end comes and they must bid their farewell.
This sense of immersion is brought to life by the game’s depiction of a modern day Tokyo, which accurately captures the busy yet lively city atmosphere with plenty of detail, such as thick crowds of citizens or groups of people walking around, all with unique details or quirks to their design which makes them look unique and authentic to the setting of the game.
Little details such as those don’t stop there though, for the game uses various elements to further the feel of living in the city, like the prevalent use of public transportation to traverse the semi open-world city, accompanied by stylish transition screens of the people surrounding you, which helps set the mood of any given area thanks to the distinct look of the people and the transitions themselves.
This sense of immersion is key to making Persona 5′s gameplay structure work, for the game turns normal everyday life into a mechanic that must be learned and taken advantage of. The game takes place across an entire year and the player must live through each individual day of the main character’s life, guiding him through his studies and extracurricular activities where most of the game’s content lies.
As a student, the main character can opt to spend time with any of their friends or cooperators, which will progressively increase his bond with them, teaching him a wider variety of abilities to use in combat. The player can also choose to spend his time improving one of his social stats, which will allow him to develop certain relationships and even become more proficient at developing tools for his thief activities.
Aside from being a student, the main character can perform heists as a Phantom Thief, exploring one of the many Palaces created by the distorted perceptions of reality formed by their target’s desires. In the palaces, the player fights Shadows with his party members by wielding multiple personas which grant him specific skills, weaknesses and resistances. The player can get the advantage by performing Hold Ups on Shadows, by knocking them down after hitting their weaknesses or performing a critical hit, actions which will grant them an extra turn to attack. These Hold Ups will allow the player to negotiate with Shadows to obtain items, money or gain their power as personas; they also allow the player to perform an All-Out-Attack which will deliver massive damage to all enemies.
The player cannot complete most palaces in a day though, and must retreat whenever their resources run low or enemies become too tough. When this happens, they must use their time in the real world to prepare for their next battle with the money and levels obtained in the Metaverse.
Either of the actions the player can make on their day to day lives will take up time, which is represented by the amount of actions the player can do each time of day, those being daytime and nighttime. Different kinds of actions are available to the player on both of these hours, while some others are exclusive to each. The game also gives the player a deadline for exploring each one of the palaces, to add a layer of challenge to the way the player thinks of what they are going to do next.
The time management aspect of the game turns day to day life into a game of clever strategy to make the most out of each day while also having enough time to meet the heist deadline, which gives the player a concrete reason as to why they must progress through the dungeon. On the other hand, maxing out Confidants is even more useful than it has ever been, by being important to ease the increasing difficulty of each new palace such as awarding the player with abilities that will give combat even more fluidity, such as Baton Passes and Follow Ups, or tools that will make exploration more intuitive.
The variety of activities and strategies that the player can perform on their day to day activities make it so that Persona 5 never truly becomes repetitive or tedious to play, as the player is always busy wondering what their next move will be, while also managing what is more important to them at the time. Aside from being useful towards gameplay, Confidants are also very enjoyable to experience on their own merits, by presenting endearing characters who develop the more you spend time with them, and experience their own self-contained character arcs that further the depth of the story they are a part of, giving the player a deeper appreciation and sense of belonging towards the characters and the world they have become a part of.
The framework of the game also helps give this day to day aspect of the game a great payoff by the time it’s over, reflecting on the bonds the player has formed with all of these characters and their belonging to the setting that they have been a part of for the duration of entire game. It extends the basis of a role playing game by taking control of most of every aspect of the main character’s life, making the player truly become a part of him and the world around them until their journey’s conclusion.
The turn based RPG aspect of Persona 5 is also superb, with varied and versatile gameplay that puts the player’s strategies into motion with fluidity and coordination. Bearing the power of the Wild Card, which allows a Persona user to freely use any Persona of any Arcana, the main protagonist can amass a wide variety of Personas in his party and switch between them at any point during battle. They can also fuse their Personas together with Executions, creating a Persona stronger than the previous Personas which were used to create it.
These mechanics give Persona 5 a touch of uniqueness to stand out from its competitors, and its execution makes combat work in a way where strategies are limitless and their execution is effortless. By being able to change your personas at any point during battle, the game shifts focus into having a wide variety of abilities and classes on your arsenal to shift them according to what suits your strategy best, making the process of building a strategy satisfying to pull off and prepare for. The wide amount of Personas you can fuse and the deep fusion mechanics also makes it so that the player is constantly on the lookout to become stronger and utilize the game’s mechanics more efficiently. Aside from this, all the cooperation tactics that are unlocked through Confidants allow the player to utilize their party to its fullest potential on any given encounter.
The enemies in the game are unique thanks to the incredible designs by demon designer Kazuma Kaneko, which make a comeback in Persona 5 after several games of less unique Shadow designs. These designs and the personalities that go along with enemies make them instantly recognizable and fun to fight or negotiate with. On another hand, the unique boss and persona designs from Character Designer Shigenori Soejima are also unique and stylish, while also being an accurate manifestation of the villain they represent.
Dungeons in the game are also well designed, with layouts that are simple to explore and give a clear sense of place and direction at all times. They never become too repetitive like in previous entries, thanks to the new locked layouts that each dungeon presents, in contrast to randomly generated dungeons. This new approach makes it so that each dungeon can feel unique while also being specifically designed and paced for the player’s experience, such as the inclusion of puzzles to break up the pace of the gameplay, light platforming segments and stealth.
Persona 5′s stealth components have been improved from the approach oriented encounters of the previous games, making the enemy encounters feel more natural than ever before. In the game, players can hide behind and jump from cover to cover to avoid enemy detection, as well as avoiding their line of sight in order to ambush them for behind, which will grant them the ability to move first in battle. If the player is spotted by an enemy, a detection meter will fill up, which will make it so that stronger enemies appear in the field and if the meter fills up completely, they are kicked out of the dungeon. Once spotted, they are given a chance to flee and avoid combat, or approach the enemy directly in combat. The game also allows the player to use their “Third Eye” to highlight hiding spots, treasure and enemies in the field, allowing them to think carefully of how they approach each new area.
The stealth mechanics of Persona 5 are a very refreshing addition to the JRPG formula that hasn’t been tried to this extent before, and they work incredibly well at expanding the approaches the player has to each situation and managing their resources efficiently by avoiding tough enemy encounters when they are running low on resources. The stealth mechanics are also incredibly rewarding to pull off thanks to being integrated very well into the environments, which are mostly designed to take full advantage of them.
The Palaces in Persona 5 also have a highly symbolic approach to their art direction, which rewards those who pay attention to the aesthetics of the environments by offering insight into the ways their targets perceive the world around them or specific aspects of their life through symbolism, music or even mechanics. The only downside is that the game often doesn’t let the player figure these things out by themselves and feels the need to outright state the meaning behind these symbols, leaving little up to the player’s own interpretation.
Aside from this, even with a very wide variety of activities to take part in and over a hundred hours of gameplay, the player will still find themselves at a shortage of time to do many of these activities. Social Stats level up at a sluggishly slow pace and have no indication of when they are going to level up, and the player’s control is constantly taken away by the game in order to move the plot along, making the player watch story cutscenes more often than playing the game. Although, when the player is given time to do these activities, it’s often under a deadline to complete a palace, which will make it more efficient to rush though every dungeon instead taking time to complete them. This lack of control is exemplified by the game’s opening hours, which take up a lot of time to explain the game’s mechanics and premise without giving the player any freedom to do what they want.
Though, these moments of strict linearity don’t take away from the satisfaction of being efficient at the game’s mechanics or getting immersed in the world the game’s characters inhabit. This satisfaction is also due to the game’s absolutely mesmerizing presentation, which blows any other JRPG out of the water with the amount of detail and effort put into it.
The game’s visual interface is stunning, filled to the brim with clever uses of contrast and color theming to give the game an iconic look that cannot be compared to any other games of its type. The menus are well laid out and easy to understand, with fonts taking up just the amount of space they should and being very easy to read. In the case of the battle menu, the use of the face buttons and D-Pad to instantly perform an action makes combat snappy and instant, giving each action the impact and satisfaction it deserves. Aside from this, the game has having plenty of animations to use as transitions from menu to menu, which make navigating through menus not only a convenience, but a pleasure to witness by itself, that never gets boring or tedious to see. The game also has plenty of details to further satisfy good play, such as the flashy All-Out-Attacks and their subsequent finishing touches, which feature stylish artwork to accompany the player’s victory.
Aside from visual interface, the game’s art direction is perfect at providing a mesh between realistic and cartoonish, creating a style with a wide range of color and ambience while never looking too implausible or imaginary, even at its most fantastical. The color palettes in the game also help establish specific moods in both the city and the Metaverse, making each season and establishment stand out from amongst each other. Aside from this, small visual details like the faceless crowds of people or post processing effects of the game makes each moment in the game look like its own piece of artwork, this is due in part because of the how well the game has managed to translate the game’s art into 3D thanks to well-crafted shaders combined with high quality models.
The character designs by Shigenori Soejima are also superb. Characters in the game are pleasing to look at and fit their respective character’s personalities as well as the overall style of the game, but they keep a sense of being grounded in reality, with features that can be realistically attributed to these characters. They also have an excellent blend of looking sleek, stylish and fashionable with a sense of normalcy and realism to themselves.
Continuing with the excellence of the game’s visual themes, the sound design is superb as well. Sound effects are cartoony and stylish, keeping up with the game’s relatively light tone during the Metaverse segments, while the real world segments of the game are a contrast to these by featuring the more atmospheric sounds of crowds and trains to further the liveliness of the city. On another hand, the soundtrack of the game composed by Shoji Meguro is an absolute wonder to listen to by combining Acid Jazz and Rock to the plenty of the game’s songs, giving the game a unique and distinctive urban and modern feel. The game also offers a variety of vocal tracks which are catchy, upbeat and completely memorable with great singing to accompany them, such as the amazing opening theme “Wake up, Get up, Get out there” or more calm songs such as “Beneath the Mask” which gives the game a very unique lounge-esque feel. All of these combined make for an incredible listening experience both in-game and on its own, making Persona 5 as much of a musical experience as it is interactive.
All of the aspects of Persona 5 combined work towards telling a story and delivering a theme, that is the objective of the player’s journey after all, and all of these elements strengthen what is already an effective story about breaking the conditioning and expectations that society has set upon you to live as the kind of person you want to be.
Persona 5′s themes are one of its strongest suits. They feel inherently modern and very relevant to modern society, and the issues many of those who feel uncomfortable living in it face on a day to day basis. It talks to the outcasts of our society that have been pushed aside for having a different way of thinking and stand up to their ideas that they hold dear to their heart. To all of those people, it tells them to stand up and change society by not conforming to its injustices and facing its problems head on without hesitation. It’s a very cathartic experience up until the very end and gives those who wouldn’t stand up for themselves the courage to be whoever they wish to be.
Many other aspects of its story are built around this idea, like the characters. The main cast of Persona 5 follows a certain theme: they have all been wronged by society in some way for following their own ideals. While they may seem unsympathetic at first sight, once you grow to understand their plights and reasons to be you bond together over their desire to change things and use the Phantom Thieves as a way to uphold their own ideals. This bonding extends for the entire game, and the characters develop their ideals throughout.
Once you get to know them, characters in Persona 5 are easy to relate to and they all have well defined characteristics, conflicts and motivations to make them feel truly real, extending their bond with the main character over to the player. Their inspirations in real life people are also apparent, for the characters in Persona 5 feel like they represent people who inhabit today’s society, which makes them feel even more like real people while still standing out as their own thing. But what makes the main cast of Persona 5 truly stand out is the sense of companionship they develop throughout the story, which makes the Phantom Thieves feel like a group the player belongs to and truly cares about.
As a perfect contrast to the main cast, the villains in Persona 5 also having convincing motivations and backstories which explain why they commit crimes atrocious enough to deserve a change of heart and well defined personalities, differentiate from the main cast by using their power in society to trample others and don’t have any ideals aside from personal gain, making them easy people to hate, which makes the eventual confession to their crimes after their heart has been stolen extremely cathartic for the player. Just like the main cast, the hate for these villains is easy to relate to because of how they represent the ways real people abuse the system to further their own gains and trample others.
The supporting cast in Persona 5 also shares the endearing qualities that the main cast does, surrounding the player in characters that they are certain to remember and immerse them in the world of the game.
The final aspect that makes up the core of Persona 5 is the main narrative, which is disappointingly its weakest point. On the positive side, the narrative starts out strong with an arc that captivates the player and lets them understand the core ideas and motifs that the game deals with. Even though the game doesn’t have a dark tone, Persona 5 still deals with a mature subject matter such as abuse, crime and corruption, all with very accurate detail, treating its subject matter with the maturity it deserves. Along the course of the story, the game does expand on the kinds of villains it introduces and the arcs they make the team fulfill which follow a central theme that comments on the nature of today’s society. The game also finds a very interesting way to make society one of the center characters of the narrative, with the inclusion of the Phan-Site, which displays the opinions of the public in relation to the Phantom Thieves at any given time.
With all of this aside, the plot does suffer some pretty apparent shortcomings, especially in relation to the way each arc is structured, Persona 5 has a difficult time balancing each of the individual arcs that make up the story because of how rigid their individual structure can become, which leads to the game feeling predictable as a result. Not only that, but there are so many individual arcs in the whole narrative that some of them hardly receive any of the development, build up or setup they deserve, leading to moments that feel underwhelming as a result, especially on the later parts of the game, where potential for a great ending is wasted as a result.
The plot of Persona also doesn’t feel like it covers a whole arc, especially because of its lack of a concrete middle point where the tension heightens and the plot snowballs into the end as a result. Instead it feels like the game focuses on each individual arc but doesn’t build up a whole, and when a certain point is reached, it wraps everything up and ends in a way that’s not as satisfying as it should be. This feeling of disarray extends to certain characters as whole, whose character arcs feel rushed to the point of not having the effect that they should, leaving a lot of wasted potential for character interactions and relations.
Even with the narrative’s problems, the characters and themes of Persona 5 still carry it through to its cathartic end, which highlights its themes and delivers its message to the player to great effect. Aside from this, the individual narrative arcs in the game are still effective and captivate the player thanks to great writing and characters, as well as the message they try to inspire in the player, and thanks to the way the plot is framed the experience really comes around to feeling like a whole satisfying experience
Persona 5 may contain a few flaws when it comes to narrative, but even then its still a genuinely investing game that will become a part of your life for as long as you have the pleasure of playing it. It’s the game that will teach you valuable lessons and may also perhaps change the way you choose to live your life. It’s the kind of game that will let you experience unique bonds with people and feel for their existence, even if its all fiction. Its a mirror to our own reality, and the people who live in it. Persona 5 truly is a special game, just like the games that preceded it, and it may as well be the best entry in the franchise because of the amount of effort and dedication that went into making what is the most technically proficient and enjoyable game of the whole franchise. It’s not the kind of game you see every day, its a unique experience that only the development team at P-Studio and Director Katsura Hashino can deliver.
I’m thankful for games like these, and I will forever treasure the memories I made playing Persona 5. That’s why I ask anyone who hasn’t yet tried the game to give it a chance, for it may just be one of the most special games you will have played in the past years.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Apparently this is one of my most well liked reviews. My points flowed okay, I made many accurate statements and I managed to balance my points pretty well. Though I think outside the box for a lot of these statements, I still think my writing style has seen better days.