However, many elements of the original Persona 5’s turn-based style are included as well: Personas can be summoned in battle by whichever character you have selected, and they can be fused just like before by visiting the Velvet Room (which also gives you an excuse to hear that creepy/cool Velvet Room music again). New real-time hack and slash battles pit you against hordes of Shadows instead of small groups, and there’s at least the visual feel of a Dynasty Warriors game as you deal damage to crowds with wide sweeps as you attack. Yes, Persona 5 Strikers is, thankfully, very much a new Persona 5 game, but of course one obvious crucial change is the combat. The rich and massive lore, world and backstory built so painstakingly throughout 5 previous Persona titles is just too important to pass over, and I recommend you go back and invest the obligatory 70+ hours into Persona 5 before tackling this adventure even if you technically don’t have to. However, there is a strong atmosphere of assumed familiarity in Persona 5 Strikers, especially in the character relationships which are so crucial to the group dynamic that puts The Phantom Thieves among my favorite gaming ensembles ever. If you’ve never played Persona 5, you could jump in and learn the basics just by paying attention. She’s using a phone app called EMMA to suck people into her Jail (an alternative shadow world where she is the ruler). With Joker back, the Phantom Thieves decide to go camping, but their plans are derailed when they discover a new Metaverse ruled by the celebrity Idol Alice Hiiragi.
Morgana, Ann, Ryuji and the rest are all back again, along with two new playable characters, the AI Sophia and Detective Zenkichi Hasegawa. Your favorite characters are all back too - Joker, the silent leader of the Phantom Thieves has returned to Tokyo for the summer, four months after the events of Persona 5, and he meets up with the old gang for one more get-together.
There’s a deliberate effort in Persona 5 Strikers to make series veterans feel welcome, and it works well. The flashy, über-cool red, black and white graphic design is back as well, with the menus and transitions all sporting the same look that made Persona 5 so artistically groundbreaking. There’s the same infectious jazzy rock soundtrack, and even many of the same songs that wormed their way into your brain in your original playthrough.
Despite the new hack and slash combat, Persona 5 Strikers could legitimately be called a full standalone Persona title, and if you’re a fan of the Persona franchise you’re in for a treat.įiring up Persona 5 Strikers for the first time, you would think you were playing a sequel to Persona 5. Persona 5 Strikers is a deep, multifaceted game experience that respects its Persona roots. That fear, as I have learned, was completely unfounded. Koei Tecmo’s hack and slash franchise, Dynasty Warriors, was never a favorite of mine and when I heard of its influence on this latest Persona offering, I feared I was about to encounter another mindless Dynasty Warriors clone with a Persona skin.
I was fully prepared to not like Persona 5 Strikers, coming later this month from Omega Force and P-Studio.