Persona 5 Royal Review

The Phantom Thieves are here to take your heart again

The Phantom Thieves are here to take your heart again

 

This definitive version of Persona 5 is bigger, better, and more timely and relevant than ever.

Comfort food is what we turn to in times of uncertainty, when nostalgia is a welcome distraction and we yearn for the familiar. And so it was under such circumstances that I found myself returning to the colorful world of Persona 5, uncertain in the face of a global pandemic and hungry for an escape to a more comforting past.

It’s been three years since Persona 5 was originally released, and in that time much has changed within its lovingly-rendered simulation of modern Tokyo – new characters make their appearance, an entirely new epilogue and dungeon have been added, a brand new shopping district can be fully explored, numerous gameplay adjustments have been made, and so much more. Our own world has changed massively over these years too, and days after completing Persona 5 Royal, I still can’t stop thinking about how its core themes and messages, which I had originally dismissed as being overly simplistic, resonated so much more with me today.

Persona 5 Royal is about how a group of idealistic teenagers, smothered by a society that they feel has imprisoned them through expectations and obligations, fight for their freedom by punishing the “shitty adults” responsible for distorting their reality. Thanks to the Metaverse, an alternate world formed from humanity’s collective unconscious, they are able to confront and defeat these villains, who range from an abusive high school volleyball coach to the head of a shadowy government conspiracy and beyond. Subtlety is not generally a strong point of the story of Persona 5 – the narrative is almost entirely black and white, with no room for interpretation of how the comically evil misdeeds and actions witnessed are meant to be viewed. When I first faced off against the baddies of the original Persona 5, I found their unrealistic portrayal almost childlike in its naivety, but having seen how the villains of our own world have been unmasked as so cartoonishly sinister in their own ways over the intervening years, I can’t help but reflect on how I was the naive one all along.

In spite of how life seems to have imitated art, the new content seen in Persona 5 Royal brings with it additional complexity in terms of story and characterization. Those of you who, like myself, wanted something just a bit more nuanced from the plot will be quite pleased with the moral quandaries presented in the new school semester and its accompanying dungeon. In this way, though Royal is quite accessible to newcomers, it seems especially meant to be seen as a love letter to those who have already played through the original version. Nearly everything has been tweaked or adjusted for the better: the combat system has been significantly improved with helpful new mechanics like Showtime attacks and upgraded baton passes, Morgana isn’t such a jerk so you now have more free time to do tasks in the evening, and the randomly generated dungeon Mementos is bigger and more packed with secrets than ever. Even the soundtrack feels reenergized with the addition of entirely new tracks that hold up to the bar set by songs like “Life Will Change” or “Rivers in the Desert.”

At a time when many of us are trapped indoors within our very own metaphorical prisons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the comfortable and the familiar can be like chicken soup – or a Japanese curry – for the soul. For those readers who have not yet joined the Phantom Thieves, now’s the perfect time to experience your favorite new comfort food in Persona 5 Royal. For everyone else, it’s showtime once again.

 
 

Persona 5 Royal

Completed August 3, 2020

Overall
★★★★★


 
 

FAQ

What is Persona 5 Royal?

Persona 5 Royal is a Japanese role playing game with social simulator and dungeon crawling components. It is the latest entry in the Persona series by Atlus, and is an enhanced version of the previously released Persona 5 that includes additional content and a number of gameplay changes. It is exclusively available for the PlayStation 4.

How much does Persona 5 Royal cost?

As of July 7, 2021:

How long is Persona 5 Royal?

It took roughly 125 hours to reach the new true ending and complete the additional content.

I’ve already played Persona 5 – What’s new in Royal?

The most noticeable changes include:

  • The addition of two new Confidents, one of which becomes a playable character

  • A new school semester, complete with additional Palace, to close out the game

  • A huge new area of Tokyo called Kichijoji to explore

  • Updates to the combat system, including new combination attacks, improvements to the Baton Pass mechanic, assistance with the Negotiation system, and a new type of Shadow

  • Palace maps have been streamlined and Joker now has a grappling hook that he can use to get around

  • Morgana doesn’t force you to go to sleep as often, giving you additional time in the evening

  • Mementos now contains additional collectables that can be exchanged for items or to apply modifiers (e.g. to increase experience earned there)

For a complete list of changes in Persona 5 Royal, take a look at this list by Video Games Uncovered.

 
 

Have you ever played Persona 5 Royal? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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