update two years later: i ripped into this game for no reason it was a lot of fun and the vibes were immaculate and i still find myself humming the soundtrack to this day
Persona 5 Strikers feels like a dumbed-down retrace of Persona 5 Royal in the body of a musou game. The story here is very formulaic, which may already ring bells for P5 players. The Phantom Thieves go on a road trip changing hearts of shitty adults that control the desires of the masses using an artificial intelligence called EMMA. It sounds different enough, but the premise is essentially the same as the original game. The slight bit of nuance added is that the villains are eventually portrayed as good people who went through traumatic events that made them the evil mind-controlling monarchs we see. Each of the first three villains sees one of the Phantom Thieves resonate with them and lift them back on their feet after they have been defeated, and the desires of the public have been freed. Except for the first one, the villains do not get enough screen time as they should (ringing any bells?). My 22-hour playthrough would have greatly benefited from an extra five hours to flesh out the earlier story arcs. The final third of the game retreads the same themes as the new P5R story, almost to a comical extent. Atlus were heavily involved in the development of this game, so it was impossible for them to be unaware of the similarities. There must have been no communication between the Royal and Strikers teams. The theme of utopianism is what is shared here, and the villains end up feeling too similar. The Phantom Thieves even repeat their same “we should be able to pave our own path” and “suffering can be good too” shtick. I came out of this game feeling like I had just played P5R but it’s a road trip this time.
Despite my gripes about the story, there is still stuff to like here. The previously mentioned road trip across seven Japanese cities is blissful. Each location is small and restricted, but they have their own aesthetics, music and, atmosphere that captures the feeling of a road trip excellently. The new characters are decent, Sophie is an artificial intelligence amnesiac who lives in the protagonist’s phone and becomes a vital member of the Phantom Thieves. Much of her story about learning about humanity is shallow, but enjoyable nonetheless, and her conclusion in the closing acts of the game is rewardingly satisfying. Zenkichi is the other new character, a Public Security officer who strikes a deal with the Phantom Thieves. His chemistry with the group is charming, but his own story arc suffers from show, don’t tell. His story does have a conclusion, but since most of it was behind the scenes, there is no real feeling of gratification to come from it. The music here is outstanding, showcasing what Atlus’ composers can do without Shoji Meguro. The presentation is stellar too, emulating the original P5 experience with flair and style, but maintaining its own personality.
P5S swaps out the traditional turn-based combat from the main series for a musou-style combat system. Although the combat itself will be familiar for Warriors players, the tower defence and management systems are absent. This is a plus for me, as that part of the few Warriors games I’ve played never grabbed me. Instead of that, the combat takes place in “Jails” which are metaverse versions of the various cities you visit, each themed after the villain ruling it. There are eight of these in total, but half of them are much shorter than the other half. The smaller ones lack the scale and formula of the larger ones, making them feel half-baked. The combat itself is enjoyable and surprisingly challenging at times. You'll find it hard to mash your way through, as the strengths and weaknesses from the main series are applied here too meaning you'll be forced to think about how to tackle every encounter. You make use of your Persona's abilities intuitively during battle, so the flow of combat is never broken. All-out attacks and 1 more are present too, as well as a new showtime move that charges up as you use a character. Phantom Dashes are new contextual moves that make use of the environment, like dropping a chandelier or swinging around a lamppost, and they make for a cute addition to your options. Each character feels varied with their own gimmick and playstyle, making all of them viable options and you're able to switch between four of them on the fly with the protagonist being a mainstay in the party. All of this is used in conjunction to make the combat exciting as you string combos together using all the mechanics.
Overall, Persona 5 Strikers is a decent spin-off that takes too much from its original game. There is still a lot to enjoy here, and big P5 fans will undoubtedly love it, so give it a shot if you were on the fence. The music and presentation are fantastic, and the new characters are likeable, but the repeat of the same story I've grown to dislike is frustrating and lazy.
Persona 5 Strikers feels like a dumbed-down retrace of Persona 5 Royal in the body of a musou game. The story here is very formulaic, which may already ring bells for P5 players. The Phantom Thieves go on a road trip changing hearts of shitty adults that control the desires of the masses using an artificial intelligence called EMMA. It sounds different enough, but the premise is essentially the same as the original game. The slight bit of nuance added is that the villains are eventually portrayed as good people who went through traumatic events that made them the evil mind-controlling monarchs we see. Each of the first three villains sees one of the Phantom Thieves resonate with them and lift them back on their feet after they have been defeated, and the desires of the public have been freed. Except for the first one, the villains do not get enough screen time as they should (ringing any bells?). My 22-hour playthrough would have greatly benefited from an extra five hours to flesh out the earlier story arcs. The final third of the game retreads the same themes as the new P5R story, almost to a comical extent. Atlus were heavily involved in the development of this game, so it was impossible for them to be unaware of the similarities. There must have been no communication between the Royal and Strikers teams. The theme of utopianism is what is shared here, and the villains end up feeling too similar. The Phantom Thieves even repeat their same “we should be able to pave our own path” and “suffering can be good too” shtick. I came out of this game feeling like I had just played P5R but it’s a road trip this time.
Despite my gripes about the story, there is still stuff to like here. The previously mentioned road trip across seven Japanese cities is blissful. Each location is small and restricted, but they have their own aesthetics, music and, atmosphere that captures the feeling of a road trip excellently. The new characters are decent, Sophie is an artificial intelligence amnesiac who lives in the protagonist’s phone and becomes a vital member of the Phantom Thieves. Much of her story about learning about humanity is shallow, but enjoyable nonetheless, and her conclusion in the closing acts of the game is rewardingly satisfying. Zenkichi is the other new character, a Public Security officer who strikes a deal with the Phantom Thieves. His chemistry with the group is charming, but his own story arc suffers from show, don’t tell. His story does have a conclusion, but since most of it was behind the scenes, there is no real feeling of gratification to come from it. The music here is outstanding, showcasing what Atlus’ composers can do without Shoji Meguro. The presentation is stellar too, emulating the original P5 experience with flair and style, but maintaining its own personality.
P5S swaps out the traditional turn-based combat from the main series for a musou-style combat system. Although the combat itself will be familiar for Warriors players, the tower defence and management systems are absent. This is a plus for me, as that part of the few Warriors games I’ve played never grabbed me. Instead of that, the combat takes place in “Jails” which are metaverse versions of the various cities you visit, each themed after the villain ruling it. There are eight of these in total, but half of them are much shorter than the other half. The smaller ones lack the scale and formula of the larger ones, making them feel half-baked. The combat itself is enjoyable and surprisingly challenging at times. You'll find it hard to mash your way through, as the strengths and weaknesses from the main series are applied here too meaning you'll be forced to think about how to tackle every encounter. You make use of your Persona's abilities intuitively during battle, so the flow of combat is never broken. All-out attacks and 1 more are present too, as well as a new showtime move that charges up as you use a character. Phantom Dashes are new contextual moves that make use of the environment, like dropping a chandelier or swinging around a lamppost, and they make for a cute addition to your options. Each character feels varied with their own gimmick and playstyle, making all of them viable options and you're able to switch between four of them on the fly with the protagonist being a mainstay in the party. All of this is used in conjunction to make the combat exciting as you string combos together using all the mechanics.
Overall, Persona 5 Strikers is a decent spin-off that takes too much from its original game. There is still a lot to enjoy here, and big P5 fans will undoubtedly love it, so give it a shot if you were on the fence. The music and presentation are fantastic, and the new characters are likeable, but the repeat of the same story I've grown to dislike is frustrating and lazy.