If you know me or keep up with my Twitter, you know that I don't shut up about how much I love Persona 4 Golden...it just doesn't happen (that game was one of the first JRPGs I dedicatedly played from start to finish; putting in over 85 hours of gameplay into my first playthrough). Finishing Persona 4 Golden felt like saying goodbye in real life - knowing I'd never experience the game like that ever again; my journey in Inaba had come to an end. I solved the murder case, stopped a few people who were actually psychotic, saved friends from the worst parts of themselves - the world was saved.
After that, I entered what many Persona fans like to describe as the post-game feels. Just like when someone finishes a great book - and feels some sort of sadness, that's how I felt when I officially finished Persona 4 Golden. In some ways, it's weird to feel such a strong connection with fictional characters...it's weird to feel such a strong connection with them. I mean, after all, it is fictional.
Of course, nothing is stopping me from replaying Persona 4 Golden. I bought it with my own money and the files are now in my Steam library, so I can always revisit games that I have enjoyed, and hang out with the Detective Prince again. However, it is never really felt the same because the feeling that I want to feel again is not looking to relive what I have already experienced, but instead what I hope to experience next.
Since I loved Persona 4 Golden so much, Persona 5 Royal had been recommended to me time and time again. I was told that it was vastly different than what I experienced in the previous game, but nonetheless, I would fall in love with the game. However, I found this hard to believe; how could I possibly play another game that tiered at the same level with Persona 4 Golden? There's no way I could play two 15/10 games back-to-back.
After I was able to refresh my mind for another 80+ hour JRPG, I picked up Persona 5 on the PS3. Persona 5 continues the same vibes from Persona 3 and Persona 4 as you move to a new area to spend a whole year at a new Japanese high school only to find out that you have some cool Persona summoning powers and end up making tons of new friends who all didn't have friends either! What made Persona 5 so memorable to me though?
The Original Soundtrack
I am convinced while no JRPG is fully complete without some boppin' battle music, Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal take it to a whole new level because the entire OST is a 12/10. One of my favorite things about the Persona series is how each game (at least Persona 3, 4, and 5) have a different music genre as an overarching theme of the soundtrack. I (unashamed) blast Last Surprise and Take Over through my car speakers all the time!
The soundtrack carries a ton of energy throughout some parts, while at others, the vibe is brought back down with smooth jazz-like Beneath the Mask. After playing two Persona games now, I've found something really special about the music that in fact, while it is fantastic by itself without the context of the game, certain songs take my mind back to certain scenes in the game from chatting over coffee with a friend at LeBlanc, sending a calling card out to a target, or even just getting lost around Shujin Academy.
Becoming a Phantom Thief
The whole idea of the game (according to the Persona 5 fandom page) "follows a group of troubled high school students: the protagonist and a collection of friends he meets along the way. These troubled teenagers gradually realize that they are living in a toxic and dangerous world resembling a prison full of slavery, oppression and injustice, ruled by corrupted and twisted adults. In order to seek freedom, liberation and justice, they live dual lives as rebellious Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Using a mysterious smartphone app, they undertake fantastical adventures by using otherworldly powers to enter the hearts of people (specifically, corrupt adults in positions of power) in order to transform them."
The Phantom Thieves have targets that they unanimously agree to go after, and once that has been decided, the target must be given a calling card in real life that alerts them that the Phantom Thieves are coming to steal their heart. Most of the targets have something to do specifically with at least one of the people that inevitably join your party along the way, so one of my favorite parts of Persona 5 was experiencing each character rebelling against their own toxic life situations. Each character strives to break free of the chains holding them back!
Sense of Design/Style
Even before I started playing Persona 5, I knew it was cool, so maybe I did see this one coming...BUT the game let me know that effortlessly without ever even playing a single second. The opening cinematic animation is pretty sick! The style is incredibly unique - almost crossing the lines between anime/manga and a comic book - and that style echoes in an integrated fashion throughout the entire game. Persona 5 had so much to show us in terms of style not just with environment/surroundings, but with character design as well. Atlus has proved time and time again that a successful series like Persona can still manage to continuously break the glass ceiling to create and build upon something investing and exciting.
Honestly, after playing Persona 5 for countless hours, it’s crystal clear why this game is so greatly praised. The game brought JRPGs back into the light of gaming (even though there are MANY JRPGs that I would greatly praise before Persona 5 came out)! It's investing, entertaining, heartbreaking, exciting...and a must-own for PS3 and PS4 owners. Nowadays, this game and its definitive edition go on sale fairly often, so make sure to check for sales and pick it up when you can!
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