Persona 5 (PS3)

Persona 5 - copyright: Atlus Co., Ltd.

JRPG.  For those who don’t know, it is an abbreviation for “Japanese role-playing game”. And if you think that RPGs already are a traditional Japanese game type, you better think again. This game genre main difference from the “classic” RPG is the presence of social interactions. The characters have much more interaction with each other, being able to build relationships and interact in an emotional level. And in my opinion, a perfect game for both JRPGs beginners and experts is the one called Persona 5 (member of the Megami Tensei franchise).

Persona 5 box cover

Launched worldwide in April 2017 by the developer Atlus, Persona 5 tells the story of the Phantom Thieves, a group of teenagers aiming to change the society ruled by dishonest adults. In order to accomplish this objective, they can “steal” the heart of evil people. By doing so, they make the person regrets and confess its crimes and bad acts. However, before stealing the heart, the Phantom Thieves must overcome all the nightmares and delusions of the villains consciousness. These challenges are found in the enemies cognitive worlds, called Palaces, where everything is modeled as he sees the reality.

Caroline (left) and Justine (rigth), alongside with Igor (center, out of focus) will help in your own prison Palace

For example, a bully professor Palace is a castle, where he rules as the students king. For a gangster, its cognitive world is a bank, where everybody is an ATM ready to provide money. During their fights inside the Palaces, each member of the Phantom Thieves can summon a being called Persona. A Persona appearance and powers are related with its owner, and they help the group to defeat its enemies. While the rest of the Thieves can only have one Persona, the protagonist (whose name it is your choice) may have many at the same time. As he is under probation, due to a crime he did not commit, every mission must be carefully planned or it is “game-over” for his life.

The awakening of the protagonist first Persona

The game starts in a luxurious casino, where you are on a mission as a Phantom Thief. In this “tutorial”, can enjoy Persona 5 great graphics and sounds, besides getting familiar with its mechanics. Everything is going great, but then, after some action moments, you are arrested. And it is just when, after being tortured by some shady cops and start telling your story to the prosecutor, which the game really begins: the story returns many months in time, showing how the Phantom Thieves group was created and advanced until the casino mission.

It is interesting to play the game while you know that everything happening is “past”. There some moments when the game returns to the “present”, where you and the prosecutor are talking, which helps you do not forget about how everything really is. These few paragraphs that you read only scratch the game plot surface, as there are many more important facts and mysteries, such as your best friend Morgana unknown origin, in the main and in the side stories of Persona 5.

From left to right: Makoto, Ann, Yusuke, (insert your name), Haru, Ryuji, Morgana and Sakura

Talking about the game mechanics, basically there are two main ones: the battles and the social developments. The first one is pretty self-explained. Using your group abilities, you must enter Palaces and defeat enemies in order to steal a bad guy heart. The battles are turn based, and the attacks are divided in categories, such as physical, fire, nuclear, wind, among others. As any good RPG, there are ailments (such as curse and confusion), healing and assist skills, besides many different items and equipment’s. The battle mechanics in Persona 5 are very extensive, but also intuitive and enjoyable after some fights.

When battling, you have many options to choose from, so a good strategy is always necessary

The second main mechanic is characteristic of JRPGs, and just like the battle ones, the social mechanics are as interesting as wide. There are many people to interact and create relationships, as your first friends Ryuji and Ann, or side-jobs to candidate, as a flower shop assistant or a yakuza follower. You can also take your time to read a book, go to the movies, and play videogames… Persona 5 gives a lot of importance (and options) in how you spend your time. In most of the days, you will have to choose between your friends invitations to study/have fun/work, battling in a Palace, go to the movies, among many other activities. Besides the experience points earned through battles, that increases your level and abilities, there are the social points: knowledge, guts, kindness, proficiency and charm. Each one points can be earned from specific activities found in the game universe.

You are both a student and a justice thief. Remember to balance both lives

Each decision makes you advance in some part of the game. For example, stronger relationships provide stronger Personas, new items, money or even a girlfriend (or many girlfriends, if you take the risk), while reading a book can increase you knowledge (which is important for your academic life) or teach you how to fish as a pro. Choosing carefully how to progress in the game is the key to have fun and still be able to defeat the enemies and progress in the story. However, there will be moments that you will think “what if a have done something different?”

What to do next?

Besides the solids gameplay and mechanics, another Persona 5 quality is its finishing. You can see how much the game was polished in many details: the loading screens, the in-game menu, the (almost) infinity number of things to do or to collect, the transitions between different scenes. Persona 5 is a huge game in many aspects, with lots of missions and new things to discover, which is essential for any good JRPG. Combine it with the high detailed polishing, the beautiful graphics and songs, and you have an immersive gaming experience.

Main menu (red/black/white), medical items (blue) and weapons/equipment shop (green) designs

For many people, the English translation of Persona 5 is one of the few cons. As far as I could analyze and compare both Japanese and English dubs, in my opinion there is nothing “terrible”. Obviously, we can expect better voice acting from the original language, as this game is set in Japan, with all its deep and unique culture. For me, the English localization is OK, sometimes a bit clumsy and lacking some feeling, but it does not compromise the game. Besides that, the game is really solid and well finished.

Persona 5 has lot of interesting characters inside an immersive great story, with very competent gameplay and mechanics. Its graphics are amazing, full of details and beautifully designed locations, besides many lovely anime cut scenes. The soundtrack is exciting, with adequate English voice acting. There are many things to do in the game, and remember: all the choices play an essential part in the story. With more than one hundred hours of addictive gameplay, Persona 5 is probably one of the best games in PS3 library, and for me, the best JRPG so far.