Persona 5
Platform: PS3,PS4
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
Release Date: Summer/Fall 2016
Author: J.W.
Imagine a simulation game where you are a restless teenager looking for a way to a) express yourself, b) break away from society’s expectations of you, and c) solve some creepy, paranormal mysteries. Then throw in a talking cat, a harsh red-and-black colour palette, and a main character who stole Harry Potter’s specs, and you’ve got Atlus’ Persona 5.
Information is being kept on lock down.
As is typical of the Persona series, details regarding Persona 5 have thus far been more tantalizing than edifying. A few trailers have dropped, showing off the game’s signature style as well as some gameplay – and, while most of the game’s details are still under wraps, it’s pretty clear that this will be an amazing experience very much in the vein of Persona 4.
The plot centers on a group of teenagers who transform (literally) into criminals who pull off elaborate heists and call themselves the “Phantom Thieves of Hearts”. The characters’ transformations are the newest iteration of the titular Personas: each represents an aspect of their personalities, and are a central plot and battle mechanic throughout the game.
Other traditional components of the Persona games, such as the Social Link system, will reappear, although some will obviously be altered to fit 5‘s unique setting and story. This version of the game seems to be the most graphically ambitious of the Persona series, with very harsh, geometric design elements and a bold color palette that focuses on red, black and white.
The game’s influences aren’t exactly ambiguous: the main character has been connected to the name “Arsene” in promotional material, which is a direct reference to infamous master thief Arsene Lupin. The character’s thief costumes are also fun interpretations of classic criminal-related language and attire, especially Ann’s pleather cat burglar-suit. The game’s mascot, the above-mentioned talking cat, is another direct link to the cat burglar idea.
Aside from the expected life simulator/dungeon crawler gameplay, Persona 5 seems to offer a number of minigames that range from escaping giant boulders to helping mice run away from suits of armour to playing baseball -EXTREME baseball.
Unfortunately, Persona 5‘s release date has been pushed back to next year, which means we’ll have even more time to ponder just how much of the game will be actual gameplay and how much will be anime cut-scenes (not that I’m against those). Until then, you can get ready for the game by watching Lupin III, reading up on art history, and practising your cat burglary.
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