Persona 5

INTRODUCTION

Persona 5 (Japanese: ペルソナ5 Hepburn: Perusona Faibu) is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 video game consoles. Persona 5 is chronologically the sixth installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Published by Atlus in Japan and North America and by Deep Silver in Europe and Australia, the game was released first in Japan in September 2016, and worldwide in April 2017.

Persona 5 takes place in Tokyo, and follows the player-named protagonist after his transfer to the fictional Shujin Academy after being put on probation for an assault of which he was falsely accused. During the course of a school year, he and other students awaken to their Persona powers, become masked vigilantes dubbed the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts", and explore the supernatural Metaverse realm to steal ill intent from the hearts of adults. As with previous titles in the series, the party does battle with supernatural enemies using manifestations of their psyche called Personas. The game incorporates role-playing elements and dungeon exploration alongside social simulation scenarios.

Preparatory work began around the same time as the development of Persona 4, with full development beginning after the release of Catherine in 2011. Returning prominent staff from previous games included director and producer Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro. The game's themes revolved around attaining freedom from the limitations of modern society; the story was strongly inspired by picaresque fiction, and the party's initial Personas were based around the theme of outlaws. First announced in 2013, the game was delayed from its original late 2014 release date so its quality could be further improved. Persona 5 was met with critical acclaim, with many calling it one of the greatest role-playing games of all time.

GAMEPLAY

Persona 5 is a role-playing video game where the player takes on the role of a high school student who lives out a single year while attending high school in Tokyo: the game is governed by a day-night cycle and weather systems that determine general behavior similar to a social simulation. The year is punctuated by both scripted and random events — the protagonist attends school, can go to part-time jobs within Tokyo, and pursue leisure activities or create items for use in other areas of the game. These various activities raise character attributes, which in turn grant passive buffing effects during battle. When in the real world, the main protagonist can develop character relationships dubbed Confidant; an evolution of the Social Link system from Persona 3 and 4. With this system, the main protagonist can converse with and improve his relationship with other characters he meets, with some leading to possible romances. Each relationship is symbolized by one of the major arcana, and each Confidant link grants different boosts to the character: all party members character eventually learn Baton Pass, which allows the player to change to another character after a critical hit while granting a temporary stat boost, while others improve Negotiation abilities, XP gain, or give access to new items and equipment.

Alongside the normal school life is dungeon exploration of two different dungeon types within a realm called the Metaverse: story-specific dungeons called Palaces and randomly-generated Memento dungeons both populated by Shadows, manifestations of suppressed psyches. Within Memento dungeons, the party can fulfill requests from non-playable characters (NPCs) received from a Confidant links. While navigating, the party uses stealth to avoid the sight of enemy Shadows, and some areas hold puzzles that can be solved using an insight ability dubbed "Third Eye", which highlights interactable objects and enemy strength, When exploring story-centered Palaces, an "Alertness Meter" is present, where the party being spotted or fleeing combat results in security being raised. If security becomes too high, the party is forced to leave the Palace. The Alertness level can be lowered by launching surprise attacks on and eliminating enemies.

As with previous entries in the series, the game uses a turn-based combat system: battles can be initiated when the party runs into an enemy, or they can launch a surprise attack and gain an advantage in battle. In battle, the party has access to long-range and short-range weapons, in addition to being able to summon Personas. Personas, the manifestations of the main characters' inner psyche, are summoned through the mask each character wears. Beginning with an initial Persona, the party uses elemental, physical and magical attacks: most enemies have a particular weakness. If a character strikes an enemy's weak point, they are awarded an additional turn and knock down the enemy. When all enemies are knocked down, a "Hold Up" session is triggered. During Hold Up, the party can launch a devastating All-Out Attack, demand money or items, or enter Negotiation. Negotiation allows the protagonist to win the selected Shadow over to their side to become a new Persona: they can only be persuaded if the protagonist is of the right level and has sufficient room in their roster. If a party member is knocked out, they can be captured by the enemy Shadows, and will be unable to return to the party if the resultant Negotiation fails.Similar to previous entries, party members can be knocked out, and if the main character is knocked out, the player immediately loses.

New Personas are gained from battle through successful Negotiation, and different Persona types are represented through different arcana linked to Confidant links. Personas can in be combined, or "fused," and further manipulated within the Velvet Room, a realm the protagonist visits as part of his journey through the story where he can also accept side quests. Within the Velvet Room, Personas can be fused with "Guillotine" fusion processes, with the resultant Persona inheriting skills and stats from its parents. The more skills a Persona has, the more are passed on to the fused Persona. How powerful Personas are through fusion depends on how advanced its associated Confidant link is. In addition, Personas can be sacrificed in various ways, also styled after styles of capital punishment: "Hanging" grants a sacrificed Persona's experience points to another chosen Persona, and "Electric Chair" sacrifices one to create a high-end item. A Persona can also be sent into "Solitary Confinement", where they undergo intensive training and gain additional skills quicker than normal. The number of days a Persona must remain to gain strength lessens based on its arcana strength.

Minor multiplayer elements are incorporated into the game through the "Thieves Guild" network. Similar to the "Vox Populi" system from Persona 4 Golden, players can use the in-game SNS app to communicate both with in-game characters and other players via PlayStation Network. Players can send messages to each other about what activities they have performed, in addition to affecting the Alertness meter in the player's favor and aiding in battle when a party member is taken hostage.

Role-Playing Video Game

INTRODUCTION

GAMEPLAY

TRAILER