Persona 5 was and always will be a favorite game of mine. That is why Persona 5 Royal is my favorite game of all time. A truer version of the original super hit, with new characters and even a new palace to explore. This is truly the definitive edition of Persona 5 and I am so glad that it exists. With a new party member the story just feels a little more fleshed out and her appearance helps tie the story up nicely. I am a big fan of the pre-opening of the story. A voice speaks out and tells the player they are about to be bound to play this game. The player must acquiesce by signing the contract, and thus are allowed to play. This intro is important as it bounds the player to Joker. After this moment the game starts and the player feels a heavy sense that they must make good choices. It might seem less freeing, but in all honesty, it makes the player feel accountable for all the actions Joker takes.
Our story revolves around a young man who is wrongfully accused of beating up a lecherous man. This man is attempting to force a woman into his limo when our hero steps in. This has drastic consequences as a court rules him away from his home. He ends up at a cafe called Leblanc and meets his new caretaker, a gruff barista named Sojiro who everyone just calls Boss. This man might not originally be so kind to our hero but he softens as the player enjoys the game. Players will take their hero through a year in the life of a student in Japan. They can travel to a bunch of locations after school. There are a few tests and players might learn a thing or two so pay attention. After school, things begin to take off. On the first day of school, our hero and his new acquaintance Ryuji Sakamoto find themselves at a castle. This castle turns out to be how a certain gym teacher sees the school. They travel inside and learn he is as big of a jerk as he seems. They soon meet another ally, a talking cat named Morgana and Ryuji’s childhood friend Ann ends up joining too.
These three kids and their Phantom Thief mentor will soon be drawn into a crazy world. They will become Phantom Thieves and take down the corrupt adults of the world. They will gain friends and battle foes alike securing the world and making it a better place. Exploring people’s minds is rough work but the player will have time to use to buff up stats and buy healing items. The world is distorted by the seven deadly sins, so be prepared to see the worst in people. The opening dungeon is a fine tutorial for all that the player will do in the game. The game plays itself out nicely in front of the player so they won’t be stuck later on. It’s important to pay attention to the tutorials as they are quite helpful. Learning how to play the game might be easy, but by the end, the player should have mastered it. Joker and his crew will need to use their skills wisely as they cost MP. Some of the skills cost HP which can be healed with items or healing spells. Players will want to down all of the enemies on screen though because then they can go in for an all-out attack. This move usually defeats all the enemies and shows off a solo art of the character initiating the attack.
This game works by going through a year. Players will need to balance their time wisely and take things slow. As the game says often on loading screens Take Your Time. Players will need to use their time wisely or suffer in the end. It’s a good idea to take that to heart and to plan out every action. It might not be possible in a first playthrough to get to everything but that is okay. Though this game does have more time for the player to do things so it should be a little easier. The game is updated so later party members are seen during the earlier parts of the story. If a character has a different hairstyle or stands out they are likely an important character and will be part of the greater story. Plus these characters also voice a lot of their lines which brings out their charm.
The characters are always super important in Persona games as the game wants the player to get attached to them. As they interact they will gain points, to upgrade Social Links. These links can make or break players run through the game. Visit places with them and see Japan, and get rewarded. They will get stronger for the dungeons ahead, and power will save the day. The bonds between the player and his friends will ultimately make him the greatest or the weakest Phantom Thief out there. Royal adds a few new touches to this system, making Social Links even more important. I won’t spoil the new stuff but, it’s good to max out the Social Links as soon as possible. This game is truly a definitive Persona 5 experience so try to befriend as many of the characters as fully as possible.
The main focus of the game also revolves around Personas. Personas are the enemies the player battles throughout the game. When in battle players can down the enemy and talk to them to win them over. Sometimes wiping all of the enemies besides one will make the enemy freak out and it will be easy to bring them to the player’s side. It might take a bit of effort but it’s worth gathering as many Personas as possible. Personas can also be fused in the Velvet Room. A rather eerie Blue Room lorded over by the long-nosed Igor and his assistants Caroline and Justine. This time around it is a jail showing us how Joker feels. Personas can be fused through the guillotine and the gallows among others. Players can also itemize their Personas and even fuse with other players over the internet. There are also special challenges the player can undertake if they and their team are up to it. This room is a place players will head to constantly so use it often.
As the story progresses Joker will meet Yusuke who can give him the ability to create skill cards. These cards are great because players will be able to customize their Persona. Sometimes an amazing Persona can become an awesome Persona, so its good to use skill cards whenever necessary. Joker will also work to upgrade his social stats. These stats might seem trivial but they are key to unlocking social links, completing tasks, and ending the game strong. This time around, I was able to fully max out my stats in one playthrough, due to there being more time in the days. Players will need to go to different locations and complete different tasks to upgrade these stats. Sometimes social linking with certain characters will give the player more of a stat. For instance, Sojiro will give the player Kindness points if he helps him out. Though doing jobs without interaction gives up time to up social links, so always weigh the options.
The game itself has a good amount of extra content. There are two new Social Links to max and even a dungeon. The story is tied far more nicely together with the inclusion of Maruki and Kasumi. There is also another semester where players will have more time to max Social Links and get stronger for the final encounter. All in all, it should add twenty to thirty hours to a player’s playtime. Another cool update revolves around the introduction of Showtime attacks. These attacks are paired attacks that can occur during certain circumstances. They are unlocked through playing through the story and can be quite exciting. Even though I’ve seen them several times they are always thrilling because the party changes up a lot throughout the game.
There is also a grappling hook that is included in the game. This adds another layer to initiating combat and even dodging enemies. Players can grapple to their foes to instantly start fights and give them the edge in battle. The way they tie it into the stories made me believe it was in there the whole time even though I played the original. This grappling hook adds another layer of cool to Joker and I love seeing it action, it’s always cool when it shows up in the anime cutscenes too.
The Thieves Den is a cool place to customize. The player will gain coins for completing actions in the story. They can then use these coins to outfit their Den. The characters will even make appearances interact with things they didn’t see in the story. Plus players can listen to the songs from the game and watch cutscenes. The last cool thing is players can change into the other party members. They can change outfits too and run around the Den as whoever they’d like. The Thieves Den even has its minigame. This minigame is a card game called Tycoon. It might seem simple but play a few rounds and learn that its not so black and white. It’s great to see a solid minigame like this that gives the player more time with the amazing cast and teach them a cool card game in the process.
There are other small updates like being able to take more actions during the night too. Plus there are other things tied into the story like the small child in Mementos who asks for flowers, Red Alarm summoning, and a few new Persona sprinkled in. This is just a little taste of what is to come as there is a lot hidden within the story and the game itself. This game also has a good amount of DLC. While a majority of it is cosmetic, its still great. Players can currently download the DLC from Persona 5 which has a lot of cool costumes to get the player started. The coolest thing about the DLC is the fact that players can face off against both the Protagonists of Persona 3 and 4, which is pretty cool. Though I enjoy the Persona Q styled outfits where the heroes run around in their chibi forms.
Persona 5 Royal is an amazing game and has now become my favorite game. I am so thrilled that they took the time to make an amazing game even more thrilling. Persona 5 Royal tells a mighty story of teens saving the world, it’s gripping and one not to miss. Will the player sign the contract, put on their mask, and save the distorted world?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided