The saying across the internet goes, “your favorite Persona game is the first one you play”, and rightfully so; I don’t know who came up with this statement but it’s pretty accurate. Back in 2017, I played Persona 5 for the first time. The look of the game immediately grabbed my attention. With its anime look to its interesting setting and narrative. When I first played the game I immediately fell in love, and it happens to be one of my favorite games of the year, let alone decade.
Now, comes Persona 5 Royal. A version of Persona 5 that – depending on who you ask – may, or may not be necessary. Personally, I believe it’s necessary, as Royal adds – and refines – mechanics of the game that feel more streamlined compared to the original release. Now for the remainder of the review, I won’t go beat-for-beat about everything that happens or is found within the game such as who the characters are; or talk about the gameplay that has been common knowledge since 2017. Hell, you don’t need me to talk about how cool Morgana is, do you?
With that said, the story feels very much accessible for those familiar or not with the experience. Changes such as auto-dialogue (not to be confused with fast forward) help speed up a conversation’s progress instead of just consistently tapping X to get to the next bit of dialogue. Being able to easily progress the story this way makes for either a natural or urgent take on the story’s progression as it can be useful for a person new to the story to effortlessly follow the story.
Besides the quality of life improvements found within the story, gameplay mechanics are refined as well. Since Persona’s combat is turn-based, some encounters can be quite trivial if all you’re wanting to do is progress through palaces, never mind constant encounters. Royal’s introduction of new mechanics that help speed-up battles is also a welcome addition.
Some fights will feature enemies that are stronger and can deal more damage unless taken care of. Dispatching these enemies as soon as possible allows said enemy to explode dealing enough damage to wipe out other enemies or leave them critically damaged. There’s even a new ability called Showtime which I won’t go into much detail because what follows is something you have to see to believe.
Besides the combat, slight things have either been added or reworked in such a way that changes things up while also remaining familiar. Mementos are different from the introduction of Jose – a vendor who can provide bonuses to the player given that the player has found enough stamps throughout the depths. These stamps act as a token of sorts, allowing the player to put points into whatever category they want. For example, one category may provide bonus experience for victories in mementos, while another might provide a pay increase from the amount of money attained in said battle.
While trying to find your place in society, different locations can be visited with confidants. Royal introduces new hangout spots where Joker and the crew can take a bit of r&r. Billiards, darts, and a jazz club are just some of the spots that are available to visit once unlocked during the story. There’s also another place that’s new to Royal and isn’t really part of the main story. This would be the Thieves Den.
The Thieves Den is a spot where accomplishment’s can be met and unlockables in the form of artwork, music, and character models can be acquired – given the player has enough currency. Once a challenge has been completed in-game, (acquiring x-amount of personas for example) token points can be used to purchase different items that can decorate your Thieves Den. The best example of how I can compare this is the museum showcase from Modern Warfare 2, except you customize how you want the room to be decorated.
No game is perfect, but Persona 5: Royal is a masterpiece that lives up to the title. Given the streamlined approach to making new and old mechanics accessible to players is the game’s greatest strength. There are also other things that are new in Royal such as confidants and items that haven’t been covered. It’s worth noting that some of these things are better discovered and not spoiled.
Persona 5 has already entered the echelon of greatest RPGs of all—time; with Royal, it remains the same. New locations, confidants, activities, and combat abilities make for a “final cut” of sorts that will satisfy new and returning players alike.