So tell me about Persona 5

[AcropolisParthenon]

Hello fellow Internet Users ever since the announcement of Persona 5 came the Entire Internet exploded, imploded and stopped looking at cat videos.

What I would like to know is how much you know about the Persona series in general and why I should get excited for Persona 5, as much information as possible would be nice.

Iv already seen the trailer and it looks very interesting.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Played Persona 4 or to a lesser extent 3? Might be a good idea to remedy one of those. Then you will understand.

I've actually played more of the series it was spun off from, Shin Megami Tensei, but I know it inherits the finely balanced RPG difficulty of its parent as well as emphasis on thwarting monsters formed from the darker elements of humanity's thoughts made flesh, and usually a choice of endings depending on the player's own beliefs. The first two Personas are less well known and were closer to the original series' dark tone, but in the last few games there have been occasional hints of the return of the series' most memorable and deadly final boss, Hitler Great Father Nyarlathotep.

Between the returning emphasis on masks and the return of demons instead of shadows as enemies, most people can consider those hints delivered upon- the Creeping Chaos will be back, with a vengeance. All signs point to an attempt to return to the series' darker tone without losing what made P3 and 4 beloved by so many (yes I am aware there's more beneath the surface of those but to a newcomer they might APPEAR to be ridiculously cheery anime-style slice of life and nothing else).

Aside from that, I think people liked the more action-based masked thief protagonist, whereas 3 and 4 split themselves between social simulator and RPG adventuring thus the protags spent half the game living an ordinary suburban life (and it's a driving plot factor in 4 how boring many characters found it living in a nowhere country town like Inaba).

Finally, it's been many, many years since the original P4 came out. Remakes and tournament fighters and dance battlers can only sustain for so long. Time for a new cast, on a new stage.

 

[AcropolisParthenon]

Played Persona 4 or to a lesser extent 3? Might be a good idea to remedy one of those.
I have been told that persona 4 golden is an excellent game so I will be picking up a PS Vita to play that installment.

 

[jhoroz]

Played Persona 4 or to a lesser extent 3? Might be a good idea to remedy one of those.
I have been told that persona 4 golden is an excellent game so I will be picking up a PS Vita to play that installment.

Some tips before getting into Golden-it has a slow start. It takes 3 hours before the core game is properly opened to you. Stick with it though. You go from pressing X for 3 hours to having your entire free time absolutely sucked away for a good 80-100 hours (not to mention NG +)

 

[Tatsuki]

Hard to say specifically what does it for me but it's a game series that just sucks me in completely. You may not love all the characters, but the time, effort and detail put into them is beautiful and I actually like the voice acting which makes a change.

It says a lot for a game when portions of the game can be dull (the basic combats) but I can totally overlook that because of the story, and it is a real story if a bit eccentric at times. Atlus should be sent down to bioware to show them how alternate endings should be done, P4 was masterful.

I guess the main thing it has going for it, it manages to get me to invest in the characters, a rare thing in this day and age.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

Between the returning emphasis on masks and the return of demons instead of shadows as enemies, most people can consider those hints delivered upon- the Creeping Chaos will be back, with a vengeance. All signs point to an attempt to return to the series' darker tone without losing what made P3 and 4 beloved by so many (yes I am aware there's more beneath the surface of those but to a newcomer they might APPEAR to be ridiculously cheery anime-style slice of life and nothing else).

I've heard Persona 4 described as "the most cheery and upbeat game about serial murders ever made", and I actually think that particular part of the game held it back. Persona 3 was a lot more dark and gritty, with multiple on-screen deaths and a lot more philosophical questions posed. In contrast, in Persona 4, they toned this part of the game back, and the story suffered for it.

That being said, the story in P4 still stands head and shoulders above almost everything else in video games, and is very much worth checking out. The return to a darker setting for Persona 5 excites me beyond comprehension.

Although I don't like negotiating with demons, it's part of what drove me away from SMT IV. They'd better not include that gameplay element.

 

[SweetShark]

Let me try was simple as possible why Persona games are great:

Gotta Catch 'em all the Demons like Satan and Mara while dancing and making new friends along the way

 

[Tatsuki]

Let me try was simple as possible why Persona games are great:

Gotta Catch 'em all the Demons like Satan and Mara while dancing and making new friends along the way

I think you just put me off Persona slightly, which I thought was impossible.
Gotta catch em all isn't necessary at all considering my tactic has always been to choose an Arcana and use it solely (as if I weren't the fool) and make an absolute beast of that creature.

Strength arcana so far being my favorite for this.

 

[SweetShark]

Let me try was simple as possible why Persona games are great:

Gotta Catch 'em all the Demons like Satan and Mara while dancing and making new friends along the way

I think you just put me off Persona slightly, which I thought was impossible.
Gotta catch em all isn't necessary at all considering my tactic has always been to choose an Arcana and use it solely (as if I weren't the fool) and make an absolute beast of that creature.

Strength arcana so far being my favorite for this.

Being a fan of the other Shin Megami Tensei games, I can see it only like this. Trying to max all my social Links to get the more powerful Poke...I mean Demons is fun!!!
Also I like the personality of each Demon. I hope to bring them back at Persona 5.
That remind me:

"i NEveR STOp MaKinG wALLS! ThAT's tHE LifE oF iPpON-dATara"

 

[Kotaro]

I have played every version of Persona 3 and 4, as well as the PSP remakes of 1 and Innocent Sin, and the digital re-release of Eternal Punishment. I have also played both Arena games and Persona Q, and seen Persona 4: The Animation and the first Persona 3 movie. I have also dabbled in the wider Shin Megami Tensei metaseries, and found games like Digital Devil Saga and Devil Survivor to be really enjoyable.
I think it's safe to say that I adore this series, and Persona 4 is actually my single favorite game of all time.

If you're interested in getting into the series, I personally recommend starting with Persona 3 FES, probably the best version of Persona 3, imo. 3 and 4 don't require and previous knowledge of what happened in 1 and 2 to fully understand the plot (there are one or two minor call-backs in the form of name-dropping, but they come and go quickly and are tangential at most). 1 and 2 are still an excellent trilogy of games, but they have not aged particularly well, and could potentially push people away if they start with them. Persona 3 was, for all intents and purposes, effectively a reboot.
You could potentially start with Persona 4 (I recommend Golden if you have a Vita), which made some significant improvements on 3's formula, and you'll probably like it just fine, but it does have a lengthy sequence of scenes that are just an extended call-back to 3, and if you haven't played 3, it will just go way over your head. It can also be a bit difficult, after playing 4, to go back to 3 and not have some of those gameplay improvements.

I don't know how much prior knowledge will be needed for Persona 5, so I'm just going based on the games that are already out here. Anyway, I hope you can enjoy the series as much as I do.

 

[Fox12]

Between the returning emphasis on masks and the return of demons instead of shadows as enemies, most people can consider those hints delivered upon- the Creeping Chaos will be back, with a vengeance. All signs point to an attempt to return to the series' darker tone without losing what made P3 and 4 beloved by so many (yes I am aware there's more beneath the surface of those but to a newcomer they might APPEAR to be ridiculously cheery anime-style slice of life and nothing else).

I've heard Persona 4 described as "the most cheery and upbeat game about serial murders ever made", and I actually think that particular part of the game held it back. Persona 3 was a lot more dark and gritty, with multiple on-screen deaths and a lot more philosophical questions posed. In contrast, in Persona 4, they toned this part of the game back, and the story suffered for it.

I have to completely disagree. The thing you need to understand about persona 3 and 4 is that they're companion pieces. They are two sides of the same coin. One is about death, and the other is about life. One has stuff happen at night, the other day. They even have opposing color schemes. The creators were clearly trying to approach different themes, so the cheerier nature of 4 reflects that.

Anyway, the persona games essentially deal with self reflection. In psychology, the side of you self that you don't show people, and that you're ashamed of, is called the shadow. The side of yourself that you show the world is called you persona. It's basically the masks you wear in society. In the persona games they take this literally, where the enemies you face are shadows, and beings you use to fight are called personas. A common thread is that, as the game progress, the characters are forced to face, and accept, the aspects of themselves that they don't like. The personas themselves are mythological creatures taken from the collective unconscious of humanity. Thats why you find yourself working with satan and jesus. You fuse personas in order to get stronger ones with better stats.

Persona 3 and 4 have a unique structure. During the day you go to school, and develop social links. A social link is where you choose to spend time with a character, and learn more about them, and provides great character development. They also boost the strength of your personas in battle, which is important. There's also a dating sim aspect, in so far as your able to Persue characters of the opposite gender. The game progresses based on a calendar year, not based on progress. This allows you to plan your fictional agenda in the game, which is why you'll be making your MC work hard on his homework while you ignore the pile of study notes on your real life counter. The other half of the game is dungeon crawling. You can do this every in game day, but you typically have to fit it into your schedule. Here, you explore the dungeon and use your personas in a pretty normal turn based battle system. You typically have one in game month to beat a dungeon (though you could theoretically beat it in a day, if you wanted). These games are heavily story driven, and I highly reccomendations them.

Persona 1 and 2 are traditional JRPGs, and lack the social links or calendars. Most people reccomend the 2nd game for its story, but ignore 1. Play 3 and 4, and if you like them, try 2.

I reccomend getting 3 and 4 on PSN if you can, since I find them better then their hand held counterparts. They are $10 each.

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

I have to completely disagree. The thing you need to understand about persona 3 and 4 is that they're companion pieces. They are two sides of the same coin. One is about death, and the other is about life. One has stuff happen at night, the other day. They even have opposing color schemes. The creators were clearly trying to approach different themes, so the cheerier nature of 4 reflects that.

And with the cheerier nature comes weaker, more annoying characters and more obvious anime stereotypes.

I can't really name a playable character in Persona 3 that I didn't like. In Persona 4, I can name at least three that I wish would find the tallest nearby building and then hurl themselves from the top. A story is only as good as its characters, and while Persona 4's story is not bad (not by any stretch of the imagination, it stands head and shoulders above almost all of its peers)...it's definitely weaker than P3's.

Regardless, I'm mostly splitting hairs with my personal dislike for most anime tropes. Both games are worth every cent that I paid for them, and I would heartily recommend them to almost anyone.

 

[Arina Love]

I have been told that persona 4 golden is an excellent game so I will be picking up a PS Vita to play that installment.

Then you don't need anything else to understand Persona, P4G is by far best Persona game and it will tell you all the essentials of the series. Just play it, after you done with it you can play P3 but it's not nearly as good, although it's still a decent game.

 

[jhoroz]

I have to completely disagree. The thing you need to understand about persona 3 and 4 is that they're companion pieces. They are two sides of the same coin. One is about death, and the other is about life. One has stuff happen at night, the other day. They even have opposing color schemes. The creators were clearly trying to approach different themes, so the cheerier nature of 4 reflects that.

And with the cheerier nature comes weaker, more annoying characters and more obvious anime stereotypes.

I can't really name a playable character in Persona 3 that I didn't like. In Persona 4, I can name at least three that I wish would find the tallest nearby building and then hurl themselves from the top. A story is only as good as its characters, and while Persona 4's story is not bad (not by any stretch of the imagination, it stands head and shoulders above almost all of its peers)...it's definitely weaker than P3's.

Junpei is an envious asshole and Yukari a self centered whiny *****. There is absolutely very little likeable about the P3 cast.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

I would start with p3FES and then play p4 since this is the road most Persona fans took. Going back into p3 from p4 will feel like a chore while if you do the reverse you'll more than be happy for the new changes and improvements to the system and as you play P3 you won't know any better so you won't mind it at all.




As for "why to like persona" which is the question in the topic. If you like Japanese-themed stories, sim elements that get crossed with Jrpg stat progression and a very long and very deep story-driven turn-based RPG, you can't do any better. Also, these games are long. They have over 80 hours of playtime (and I'm being conservative here) on a single playthrough so you'll get your money's worth.

Finally, the persona system is like a darker pokemon-style thing where you catch some of them, then fuse them to make stronger ones, sometimes inheriting an attack or two. Like say you had charmander and bulbasaur and you fused them into this new thing which had both flamethrower AND sleep powder. That kinda flexibility. This game has it.

 

[RaikuFA]

I have to completely disagree. The thing you need to understand about persona 3 and 4 is that they're companion pieces. They are two sides of the same coin. One is about death, and the other is about life. One has stuff happen at night, the other day. They even have opposing color schemes. The creators were clearly trying to approach different themes, so the cheerier nature of 4 reflects that.

And with the cheerier nature comes weaker, more annoying characters and more obvious anime stereotypes.

I can't really name a playable character in Persona 3 that I didn't like. In Persona 4, I can name at least three that I wish would find the tallest nearby building and then hurl themselves from the top. A story is only as good as its characters, and while Persona 4's story is not bad (not by any stretch of the imagination, it stands head and shoulders above almost all of its peers)...it's definitely weaker than P3's.

Junpei is an envious asshole and Yukari a self centered whiny *****. There is absolutely very little likeable about the P3 cast.

Koromaru. Best cast member in the game.

 

[Fox12]

I have to completely disagree. The thing you need to understand about persona 3 and 4 is that they're companion pieces. They are two sides of the same coin. One is about death, and the other is about life. One has stuff happen at night, the other day. They even have opposing color schemes. The creators were clearly trying to approach different themes, so the cheerier nature of 4 reflects that.

And with the cheerier nature comes weaker, more annoying characters and more obvious anime stereotypes.

I can't really name a playable character in Persona 3 that I didn't like. In Persona 4, I can name at least three that I wish would find the tallest nearby building and then hurl themselves from the top. A story is only as good as its characters, and while Persona 4's story is not bad (not by any stretch of the imagination, it stands head and shoulders above almost all of its peers)...it's definitely weaker than P3's.

Regardless, I'm mostly splitting hairs with my personal dislike for most anime tropes. Both games are worth every cent that I paid for them, and I would heartily recommend them to almost anyone.

I don't like the mind set that a darker and grittier tone is somehow superior to a more light hearted one. The tone has no inate baring whatsoever on whether a story is good or bad. All that matters is how well implemented the story is.

I like them about the same. The characters in P4 were just as complex as the characters in P3. Naoto and Kanji were every bit as complex as any of the characters in 3. The only overly cliched anime trope characters in 4 were teddie and, to a lesser degree, risette. And even they had more to them then most characters. I think it simply comes down to personal taste. Besides, it's not like P3 was above cliched anime hijinks. A bath house and a love hotel? Really, Atlus? Persona 3 did have a much better finale, though, I'll grant you that.

I think the two games compliment one another, and both would be the lesser without their counterpart.

 

[jhoroz]

I have to completely disagree. The thing you need to understand about persona 3 and 4 is that they're companion pieces. They are two sides of the same coin. One is about death, and the other is about life. One has stuff happen at night, the other day. They even have opposing color schemes. The creators were clearly trying to approach different themes, so the cheerier nature of 4 reflects that.

And with the cheerier nature comes weaker, more annoying characters and more obvious anime stereotypes.

I can't really name a playable character in Persona 3 that I didn't like. In Persona 4, I can name at least three that I wish would find the tallest nearby building and then hurl themselves from the top. A story is only as good as its characters, and while Persona 4's story is not bad (not by any stretch of the imagination, it stands head and shoulders above almost all of its peers)...it's definitely weaker than P3's.

Junpei is an envious asshole and Yukari a self centered whiny *****. There is absolutely very little likeable about the P3 cast.

Koromaru. Best cast member in the game.

On that I can agree with.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Regarding P3, I like Aigis the best. She's my fav Persona char overall in fact.


Junpei at first was indeed an ass but his whole story with Chidori made me like him a hell of a lot and when you see what you see about his past in the FES segments it makes the picture fuller. As for Yukari, she was a typical char of her archetype but with a darker past. Not unlikable but not extraordinary either.