Persona 5 Tactica continues a fascinating tradition of Persona spinoffs that want to break you into new genres.

It wasn’t until I sat down to write this that I realized how wild the Persona brand has gotten. I mean, sure, every big brand has to have a Musou eventually. And you can see the RPG throughline that connects Persona with the Etrian Odyssey-style Persona Q. But a fighting game set in the Persona universe? A collection of rhythm games based on Persona soundtracks? The crazy part is, no matter what direction Persona spinoffs take, they always seem to land strong and find fans. Heck, I know a guy who’s chomping at the bit for a Persona 5 fighting game, even though he’s since graduated to fighters like Guilty Gear and Street Fighter.

I say all this to set the stage for what kind of game Persona 5 Tactica is. During my recent trip to a Sega event, I spent a while with the series' next tactical RPG. As a Devil Survivor fan, I was eager to see what Atlus came up with here. And after playing the game, I can certainly say that Devil Survivor is not a good comparison for Persona 5 Tactica. However, while I still need to see how the full game pans out, I think Tactica could easily find similar success to the spinoff titles that came before it.

[caption id="attachment_398230" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

New story, same great taste

So, I need to take this opportunity to make a deep, dark confession. I never played Persona 5. I know that’s appalling for a self-proclaimed RPG fan like me. It was just one of those games that wasn’t available on a platform I had on hand for the longest time, and now I lack the time for a massive RPG outside of work. I know, I’m a very, very bad Persona fan.

However, I'm happy to report Persona 5 Tactica is plenty easy to follow without playing the source material. It sets the stage for a new storyline right off the bat, moving quickly from the outset. And while the game doesn’t bother reintroducing main characters, I grasped the finer details from context. Only a couple terms were unfamiliar to me, but in short, don’t feel like you need to finish Persona 5 to understand or appreciate this one.

The story bits didn’t take themselves too seriously from what I saw. The game uses Visual Novel sequences to set the stage, with a few cutscenes sprinkled in once I got into the thick of things. Tactica's tone felt silly and fun, which I was on board with. But even if you’re allergic to stories, you won’t waste too much time before getting into the meat of the experience.

[caption id="attachment_398231" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Take cover!

During my session with Persona 5 Tactica, I sampled a handful of missions from the earliest section of the game. These were very much tutorial stages, so keep that in mind.

In the first stage of the game, you'll abundantly learn one lesson: take cover. Persona 5 Tactica fills its maps with boxes both big and small, shaping the field for tactical play. Enemies hide behind boxes and take shots at you, which you can dodge completely if you’re out of their line of sight. Conversely, player characters can snipe foes from behind cover as long as they can at least clip an enemy. Deciding where to park party members immediately became a consistent choice at the start of each mission.

It helps that the game follows traditional Fire Emblem rules with its turn order. By that, I mean you’ll move all your units before declaring an end to your turn, the enemy will do the same, rinse and repeat. While you have full analogue control of a character as you move them, this one is 100% as tile-based as any other tactical RPG. This only got a little confusing when my characters’ attack range was visualized by a circle around them. The design made it slightly unclear whether I could hit certain enemies, but I imagine I’d get used to this quirk quickly in the full game.

[caption id="attachment_398232" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Here's our chance for an all-out attack!

For the most part, your raw damage dealing revolves around ranged attacks. In Tactica, that means relying on guns, though you have your classic Shin Megami Tensei Garu and Bufu spells to nuke foes fast. Initially, I figured melee attacks would just act as extra powerful hits, but that isn’t quite the case here.

Since Persona 5 Tactica revolves so heavily around cover, repositioning enemies comes in clutch. This is where melee attacks come in. By striking an enemy, you’ll move them several tiles in front of you, Play your cards right, and you’ll make your foe vulnerable so your other units can quickly nuke them from the safety of their respective cover. Tactical RPG fans know that party strategies are core to any genre title, but they’re really important to Tactica. If you don’t plan carefully, you can waste turns repositioning your party while the enemy takes easy shots at you.

To drive the party synergy concept home, Persona 5 Tactica integrates all-out attacks from the main series. Here, it calls them Triple Threats. Basically, if your units can make a triangle around an unlucky enemy, they can unleash a combo attack. During my demo playthrough, this pretty much meant an instant KO. I will say I was never sure just how strict or loose the positioning requirements were here. It’s possible that years of making Triangle Attacks work in Fire Emblem made me overthink this. Either way, it is a nifty concept, I just wanted to optimize it more than I did.

Similarly, units can sacrifice turns to charge themselves up for the next turn. This comes with its own unique mechanics, which the game's tutorial messages really wanted me to use. So in short, while I didn’t necessarily have a ton of attacks in these early stages, I did see enough choices to keep the experience interesting. Everything served a unique function, so the basics were easy to learn. But I quickly saw how striving for perfection could become its own rewarding challenge.

[caption id="attachment_398233" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Signs of things to come

As I poked around in menus, I caught a glimpse of a skill tree system for each character. This didn’t look particularly intensive, so I don’t think anyone will need to Google “Morgana build guide” or anything. But it was nice to see some customization on the table for those who like decking out their team in tactical RPGs.

Additionally, each stage came with its own set of challenges to complete. These resembled the type of challenges you’d find in typical mobile games. For example, “Clear the stage in 4 turns” or “Take damage less than 3 times.” I felt perfectly fine with this since it veered closer toward throwing genre veterans a bone without alienating casual audiences. The game comes with several difficulty options, so I imagine the game could get wild if you want it to.

Otherwise, it was hard to get a feel for how the game will pan out in the long run. I can see the potential for greater depth later on, but I had fun messing around in these early stages. A Sega representative told me Persona 5 Tactica should last for roughly 40 hours, which seemed like a sweet spot. Compared to some tactical RPGs, that might sound like chump change. But I’d say 40 hours is enough for anyone to sink their teeth into the game without getting overwhelmed, which I imagine is what Tactica is going for.

[caption id="attachment_398234" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Alright, Persona 5 Tactica, you got me

Overall, I think Persona 5 Tactica is one to watch out for. Its combat felt immediate and fun, with layouts that made me think without ever really taxing me. And in the few places I was able to pull off a unique strategy the game didn’t necessarily point me towards, I did feel generally rewarded. I do wonder if the cover system will feel as prominent in the later game as it did in these early stages, but that’s my only major concern here. Not because it wasn’t fun, I just hope the game has more tricks up its sleeves to keep things interesting.

How Persona 5 Tactica will rank in the proud tradition of Persona spinoffs, I can’t say yet. But it offers a unique flavor of tactical RPGs that felt overflowing in its accessibility, which is enough to catch my interest. Sometimes I just want a quick Tactical fix without getting as hard into the number crunching, and it looks like Tactica will fill that niche nicely. Is it Devil Survivor? No. But Persona isn’t exactly Shin Megami Tensei either, and that’s how it found such an endearing identity. So unless the full game stumbles in any major way, I think this will be a good time for RPG fans.

Persona 5 Tactica will launch on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch on November 17.

The post Hands on Persona 5 Tactica: Your gateway game into Tactical RPGs appeared first on Destructoid.

There definitely are no other Persona games

Atlus has announced that they’re offering a discount on every one of the mainline Persona games on every new platform they’re available on. Except for Switch.

In a celebration of the entire series’ success, Atlus has released an accolades trailer to highlight the newest ports of Persona 3: Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal. Hm. They seem to have overlooked including a quote from our esteemed publication. Hold on; I’ll find one. Here we go:

“We exist in the darkest timeline where good things don’t happen.” - Destructoid

https://youtu.be/ZNTl9FhykBw

As for the sale, here are the details provided:

• PlayStation Essential Picks Sale - March 15 to March 29
  • Persona 3 Portable - 20% off
  • Persona 4 Golden - 20% off
  • Persona 5 Royal - 30% off
• Xbox Publisher Spotlight Series - March 14 to March 27
  • Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden bundle - 25% off
  • Persona 5 Royal - 30% off
• Steam Spring Sale - March 16 to March 23
  • Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden bundle - 5% off
  • Persona 3 Portable - 20% off
  • Persona 4 Golden - 20% off
  • Persona 5 Royal - 35% off

Heaping heaps of sarcasm aside, the Persona series is terrific. If you haven’t tried one yet, now’s a decent time to give them a try. If you’re wondering where to start, Persona 4 Golden is my top pick. Should you decide you want all three, just a word of warning: they are massive time commitments. 80+ hours for each game at the minimum. They’re worth it, though, especially if you like your dating sims mashed together with RPG dungeon crawling.

Persona 3: Portable, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal are available on PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.

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Gorgeous hair and anime waistline not included

If there's one thing can agree on about Persona 5's cast of characters: They're a good-looking bunch. of hipsters. And now, you too can adapt the visual style of your favorite heart-stealer or confidant, thanks to this mega make-up kit, now available to order from the face-plasterers at Game Beauty.

The Persona 5 x Game Beauty collection features a wide variety of lipsticks, shadows, pencils, blushers, and eyeliners, with colours and shades stylized after those lovable roustabouts, The Phantom Thieves. There are various items and sets available to order, ranging from bundles of character blushes to a $196 dollar Limited Edition set, which includes a variety of items from the new line in a slick collector's box.

Each item is based on a different element of Persona 5. We have a palette for the thieves themselves, eyeshadow for the palaces, and lipstick and further shadows repping the individual personas.

All items ship globally (excluding Japan) and all products are cruelty-free and vegan-friendly. The set appears to have a vivid and delightful color palette, and is sure to get you looking pretty anime for the coming Holidays. Speaking of which, the makeup would also make a fine gift for the many beautiful Persona fans in your life. I'm hoping that just a few swabs of shadow and a dab of eyeliner will instantly turn me into Sae Niijima. This might be wishful thinking for The Industry's Chris Moyse, but we all gotta dream...

The Persona x Game Beauty collection is available now from the Game Beauty website.

The post This Persona 5 make-up set is going to turn me into Shadow Sae, right? appeared first on Destructoid.

That'll be a helluva lot of hearts stolen

Atlus has released a variety of sales figures concerning the many titles set within the sexy 'n' stylish Persona 5 universe — The figures are spearheaded by the recent release of Persona 5 Royal on PS5, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms, which have helped to push the brand's sales through the roof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2ttcVKwz8I

Since its October release on the aforementioned platforms, Persona 5 Royal has shifted one million units in total. When added to the previous sales of the remixed release on PS4, Persona 5 Royal hits a high of 3.3 million copies sold. I know what you're thinking, "Can't get classier than that, Moyse". Oh no? Well, when you add all Persona 5 branded titles — Persona 5, Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight, and Persona 5 Strikers — Joker and his trendy friends have sold a grand total of 8.3 million video games.

For those keeping count, that's somewhere in the region of 16.8 million Persona titles overall, showing metaverse runners everywhere that the Shin Megami Tensei spin-off series has never been hotter. The Persona 5 franchise managed to eik several solid games off of the back of its initial 2016 launch date, (not forgetting the Nintendo 3DS release Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth and Joker's appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate). And, with the lofty sales of the Persona 4 Golden PC port, it seems clear that the popular JRPG franchise is set to run and run.

Persona 5 Royal is available now on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

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The Phantom Thieves have returned

Atlus has opened pre-orders on the long-awaited PS5, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch ports of its mega-selling JRPG Persona 5 Royal. The Digital Edition is available for wishlisting on various platforms or for outright pre-order on the PlayStation Network and the Microsoft Store.

For physical media fans, Persona 5 Royal is also available to pre-order on console in steelbook form at various retailers, priced at a pretty lofty $60 USD. This edition includes a physical copy of the game on the console platform of your choice, along with 40 DLC items such as costumes, music tracks, and more.

For the more die-hard heart stealers, Atlus has revealed a "1 More" collector's edition, which is available exclusively at the official Atlus store. The snazzy set, which retails for around $120 USD, (not including shipping), contains a steelbook hard copy of Persona 5 Royal on the console platform of your choice, alongside a selection of character art prints, an arcana tarot deck, a replica of that prick Akechi's satchel, a "La Grimoire" art frame, and over 40 pieces of post-release DLC.

The set is housed in fun "treasure chest" style packaging. Don't kick it open, though.

Persona 5 Royal launches October 21 on PS5, PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Game Pass.

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Better take some time to download it now

PlayStation has announced the games coming to PlayStation Plus in April. Alongside cards and outlaws, there's also a heads-up that one game will be leaving another part of the service in May. Persona 5 is leaving the PlayStation Plus Collection on May 11.

In an addendum on the PlayStation Blog, Sony says that adding the game to your library before May 11 will allow users to still have access, as long as they have an active Plus subscription. The PS Plus Collection is available for PS5 owners who have an active sub.

As for April's PS Plus games, both PlayStation 4 and 5 get in on Hood: Outlaws & Legends. The PlayStation 4 entries are SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated and Slay the Spire. The former isn't quite the best foot forward for a cult classic, but the latter is a deck-building roguelike that will eat your time like nobody's business. Seriously, check out Slay the Spire if you somehow haven't tried it yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnDzJ9KzuV4

March's PlayStation Plus games also take off on April 4, so don't forget to pick those up. Those are Ark: Survival Evolved, Team Sonic Racing, the PS5 version of Ghostrunner, and Ghost of Tsushima: Legends.

The PlayStation Plus Collection is still sticking around

Sony recently revealed its revamped PlayStation Plus plans, with "Essential" players keeping access to current benefits while higher tiers can get a catalog of games ranging across generations. It all goes live in June, and PlayStation confirmed to IGN that the Plus Collection will not be going away with this change.

As for Persona 5, it's a bummer the beefy Atlus RPG is leaving the collection. Granted, it's the base version and not the significantly expanded Royal. But Persona 5 is a major RPG of the last console generation, and one that added some nice variety to the PS Plus Collection.

Considering Atlus has been rolling out a series of Persona announcements over the last few months, maybe something's in store. For now, it's a good reminder for PS5 owners to make sure they've got all the Plus Collection titles in their library.

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My mind is too fast for eyes...

While each and every title of the Persona franchise is typified by its delicious, captivating soundtracks, perhaps no entry blew up as that of 2016's Persona 5. In particular, battle theme "Last Surprise" was everywhere, with its "You'll never see it com-innnnng" refrain going viral — borderline mainstream.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUWQFnC2zqU

Today, you can check out all of the smooth jazz stylings of the JRPG all over again, as the soundtracks for Persona 5 and its 2019 revamp, Persona 5 Royal, have been uploaded to the music streaming service Spotify. In addition, the OST for 2020 muso-like Persona 5 Strikers has also joined the party. That's well over 100 tracks and hours of slick grooves, ready and waiting to fulfill your heart-stealing, metaverse-running, reaper-hunting needs.

With the addition of these Persona 5 scores, the Spotify Persona 5 playlist is almost complete. As previously noted by Siliconera, all that remains is the soundtrack to the great rhythm action title Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. This remaining release is conspicuous by its absence, given that the scores for both Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 4: Dancing All Night are already available on the service. Ehh, I'm sure we'll get there all in good time. Until then, this Spotify collection will be a little kinder to your wallet than rolling out some major dough for the (admittedly awesome) Persona 25th Anniversary Boxset.

Now, if you'll excuse me, some gangsta is dissin' muh fly-girl.

The post The smooth grooves of Persona 5 now spinnin’ on Spotify appeared first on Destructoid.

BABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABYBABY...

If there's one aspect of the Persona series that truly epitomizes the franchise's slick and stylish aesthetic, it's the smooooth sounds. Every Persona title has been blessed with a magnetic and electrifying score, usually consisting of pulse-pounding beats, smooth jazz tones, and completely and utterly baffling lyrics.

From today, Persona fans can soundtrack their own lives with the same tunes that scored the adventures of The Phantom Thieves, The Investigation Team, and the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. As noted by AniPlaylist, music streaming service Spotify has just added a slew of OSTs from the globally-popular RPG franchise.

Spotify now hosts a playlist of 14 Persona albums, compiling a whopping 746 tracks taken from 1999's Persona 2: Innocent Sin, right through to 2016's Persona 5. Also accounted for are fighting game Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Nintendo 3DS spin-offs Persona Q: Shadow of Labyrinth and Persona Q 2: New Cinema Labyrinth, as well as a live recording of the "Night of the Phantom" concert – which took place at Japan's Budokan Hall back in 2015.

Currently, the OSTs for Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers have not been made available for purchase, and as such are not included here. Still, there's more than enough awesome music to keep you going as you steal hearts, battle demons, and solve murders in the real world. Just don't go diving into any TV sets.

The available soundtracks are as follows:

• Persona 2 Sound Collection Vol. 6

• Persona 3 FES Original Soundtrack

• Persona 3 Original Soundtrack

• Persona 4: Dancing All Night Original Soundtrack

• Persona 4: Dancing All Night Soundtrack Advanced CD

• Persona 4 Golden Original Soundtrack

• Persona 4 Original Soundtrack

• Never More - Reincarnation: Persona 4 -

• Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold Original Soundtrack

• Persona 5 Original Soundtrack

• Persona Music Fes 2013 ~in Nippon Budokan

• Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Original Soundtrack

• Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Original Soundtrack

• Persona Super Live 2015 in Nippon Budokan – Night of the Phantom -

The post A bevy of brilliant Persona soundtracks are now streaming on Spotify appeared first on Destructoid.

Steal Your Torte

You might remember we recently reported on an eclectic range of Persona 5-themed teas, which are launching in Japan this December. Well, it looks like your Phantom Thieves tea-party is almost all set to go, with the arrival of this new range of Persona 5-branded cakes, on their way from Japanese patisserie Priroll Bakery.

Returning after a successful run in the 2019 holiday season, these Persona 5 Christmas Cakes come packed with strawberries and one of two flavors of cream: chocolate or vanilla. This would immediately discount them as "Christmas Cakes", here in the UK, where said seasonal dessert is generally a sad-ass fruit cake covered in bland hard frosting.

There are 18 designs in all, featuring the faces of various Persona 5 characters. Most of the gang are accounted for - there's Joker, Makoto, Morgana, Lady-Ann, even Justine & Caroline. You also get an exclusive tin badge featuring the cake's respective characters. Unfortunately, Persona 5 Royal's new kid on the block Kasumi is not in attendance. Take a guess what I think Goro Akechi's cake probably tastes like... Yep.

The cakes will retail in Japan for ¥5,378, a surprisingly high $53, though I would assume Priroll Bakery is probably a premium brand, given that they will literally your chosen cake to your door via specially refrigerated courier vans. While importing the aforementioned teas is a possibility, I'd strongly recommend not importing one of these fresh cream cakes. It might not work out too well.

Persona 5 Christmas 2020 cakes up for pre-order in Japan [Persona Central]

The post Have a slice of Persona 5 cake along with your Persona 5 tea appeared first on Destructoid.

'I should watch something...'

If you enjoyed Atlus' blockbuster JRPG Persona 5 and thought "Y'know, I'd love to see this exact same story again, but told really breathlessly and not quite as well," then you're in luck, as Persona 5 the Animation joins the Funimation streaming service today.

All 26 episodes of the 2018 anime are available to watch via Funimation, along with the "Dark Sun" and "Stars and Ours" special episodes. Viewers in North America and Canada can check out the entire series with a choice of both its original Japanese or new English dub. The latter sees the original cast of the video game stepping back into their respective roles as Joker, Ryuji, Haru, Morgana and Lady Ann, et al.

Persona 5 tells the story of a young student who is sent to Shujin Academy in Tokyo as part of his probation following a self-defence altercation. Under the care of cafe owner Sojiro Sakura, our protagonist soon falls in with a group of equally troubled students, each denied justice in one way or another. Upon learning of a strange alternate universe, where one can "steal the hearts" of the callous and cruel, the friends form an outlaw group known as The Phantom Thieves, determined to correct the course of those who prey on the innocent and helpless.

Persona 5 the Animation condenses the video game's mammoth storyline into around 30 episodes, and is not particularly successful in doing so, biting off a little more narrative than it can chew for its running time. Still, it's worth checking out for Persona 5 fans, and at least this new Funimation stream will cost you a durn sight less than the shockingly priced Blu-ray set.

Persona 5 Royal is available now on PS4.

Persona 5 the Animation streaming on Funimation [Siliconera]

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Joker will return in 2020

Did you know there's a Persona 5 stage play that has some really spot-on actors playing the main roles? Well...I'm going to have to say it...it's Japan-only. Drat!

The play (which covers the opening hours of the game) actually ran in December in Osaka and Shinagawa (Tokyo), but the official Twitter account confirmed that there will be more dates in 2020. Specifically, Yokohama (south of Tokyo) and Osaka (again) will host the play in October of 2020. "Other details will be announced later," but for now the play is back on.

In case you're out of the loop, it's been a tradition to adapt Persona on the stage for years now, going as far back as Persona 3. Although I haven't been able to catch one yet, I hope to one day, as they typically open to a heap of praise. Persona is just one of those stylish stories that could actually work in a format like this, so Atlus may as well take advantage of it: especially if they can keep getting killer actors to play their equally stylish characters.

Persona 5 The Stage [Twitter]

The post The Persona 5 Japanese stage play is getting an encore this year appeared first on Destructoid.

I should write something...

Ever wondered how you can prove to Makoto that your schoolwork is your top priority? Want to get top grades so you don't become one of those shitty adults? Sick of leaving that GameFAQs page open so you can check the answers to the test questions? Then maybe you need one of these slick Persona 5 notebooks, available to order from Cook and Becker.

These stationery sets - officially licensed by Atlus - are sure to make you top of your class, and are perfect for note-taking, diary entries, or mapping out palaces.

Available in two formats, the Limited Edition includes a 192-page hardback notebook, adorned in black and plaid cotton and emblazoned with the Shujin Academy badge. The book contains 16 pages of original concept art, and that fabled item of the Persona franchise, a tarot card. This notebook retails for around £22, (or roughly $27 USD), not including shipping costs.

The Collector's Edition includes two notebooks, a pen, a tarot card, a calling card, a giclee art print, and a cool set of stickers, featuring the Persona 5 cast, map locations, and emojis, all presented in a sleek collector's box. This set is limited to 1500 copies and retails for around £52, (or roughly $67 USD), again, not including shipping costs.

If you'd like to check out either set for yourself, then head on over to the Cook and Becker website. I can't promise that picking up these sets will make you Kawakami's star pupil, but hey, at least you'll be prepared when you want to save your progress. The sets are expected to ship in February 2020.

The post Persona 5 notebooks will make you the talk of Shujin Academy appeared first on Destructoid.

Gallery Nucleus will host the event

Atlus has announced that it will be teaming up with Gallery Nucleus to put on a Persona 5 Royal and Catherine: Full Body art gallery in LA next month. Similar to what Sega held last year for Yakuza 6, this exhibition will be a showcase of various pieces related to the games in question. There is set to be some kind of interactive installation (likely related to a famous landmark from the game) and a photo-op wall.

Running from August 17 until September 1, 2019, the showcase will feature tribute art for both titles as well as pieces created by fans sourced by Gallery Nucleus. Special pieces of licensed Atlus merchandise will be available for purchase during the gallery's duration. Not only that but on opening day, famed character designer Shigenori Soejima will be making an appearance.

Soejima will be present from 1:00 pm PST until 7:00 pm PST on Saturday, August 17. He'll be hosting a special opening day ceremony and panel where fans will be able to ask questions and get items signed. Pre-registration for the opening day event will begin on August 2 over on Eventbrite. While admission is free, spots will be limited, so make sure to bookmark this page to remind yourself.

The post Atlus to hold Persona 5 and Catherine art galleries in LA appeared first on Destructoid.

Dancing all night!

Atlus has announced that Persona 5 will be adapted into a stage play for Japanese audiences. Going under the name of Persona 5: The Stage, this live-action retelling follows in the footsteps of both Persona 3 and 4 as a new vision of the beloved story. Penned by Hideyuki Nishimori (known for his work on Danganronpa 3 The Stage), the show is set to run from December 13-15, 2019 in Osaka and Tokyo.

The plot will be a retelling of the events in the game and will follow Joker -- played by Hiroki Ino -- and his band of Phantom Thieves as they utilize the powers of their Personas to steal the hearts of corrupted adults to help them change their ways. There is also plenty of high school drama and dungeon crawling, which are series staples.

The full cast list can be seen below:

• Joker: Hiroki Ino
• Ryuji: Kouhei Shiota
• Ann: Yuki Odera
• Akechi: Yoshihide Sasaki
• Yusuke: Koji Kominami
• Sae: Kaoru Marimura
• Yuuki: Taishu Nukanobu
• Shiho: Yuu Saotome
• Principal: Takuy Yamagishi
• Kamoshida: Shun Takagi

Persona 5 Is Getting A Stage Play, Just Like Persona 3 & 4 [Siliconera]

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This time we'll ALL see it coming

The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu features a slew of interesting tidbits about Persona 5 The Royal, the updated edition of Atlus' super-successful 2017 RPG. The new info was garnered during an interview with Director Daiki Itoh and Producer Kazuhisa Wada.

Firstly, the duo revealed that "The Royal" subheader reflects the idea that the team holds this release in high regard as a particularly special product. This was then followed with a variety of comments pertaining to the release's character and gameplay alterations. The XP system has been tweaked in order to help the overall pace and tempo of the game - easily its biggest issue - although that may be contradicted with the addition of a third semester, which will apparently go beyond the scope of previous expansions such as Persona 4 Golden.

In regards to characters, new girl Kasumi will allow the story to show preexisting leads in a new light. Kasumi will also be an optional Confidant. Speaking of Confidants, all-new character Maruki will be joining the long list of shitty adults featured in the Persona 5 cast. Although unwilling to reveal further details, Itoh and Wada hinted that there are further Confidants to be revealed. I hope one of them is the person running the DVD library.

Fans of Persona 5's jazz-oriented score will be pleased to hear that 20 new tracks will be added to the soundtrack. We'll have to wait and see if these are entirely new tracks or just remixes, but more Persona music is never a bad thing. It was also noted that, unfortunately, you will not be able to carry over your save data from Persona 5, but you will receive an undisclosed bonus for having it saved on your PS4.

Finally, it was said that, at one point in the story, "a handsome male character" sleeps in Joker's bed alongside him. This is probably a reference to the rumoured "Human Morgana" that has shown up in several early screenshots.

I'm a fan of Persona 5, but I'm really not sure if I have it in me to run through the entire game again. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if I get hooked with future reveals of new characters, or perhaps other fun and unique features. Still, make Sae Nijima a party member, and you can have all of my money. All of it. Today and going forward into the future.

Persona 5 The Royal launches on PS4 in Japan October 31, before heading west in 2020.

Persona 5 The Royal information from Weekly Famitsu [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]

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In the name of the lore

Japanese gaming journal Famitsu are asking for fan feedback for English language editions of their Persona 5 "Mementos" fan-books. A new survey wants to hear about your experience with the game, as well as your thoughts on its cast of lovable characters and Goro Akechi.

The first volume of the series is already available in Japan, containing the answers to community questions such as "How did Ann and Shiho first meet?" accompanied by delightful new artwork. Each volume will cover a chronological time-frame of the Persona 5 calendar, with Volume 2 looking at the second and third palaces, along with the official formation of The Phantom Thieves.

If you'd like to throw your own thoughts and questions into the hat, then check out the survey right here. This is the perfect opportunity for me to learn all about nobody's Best Girl but mine, Ichiko Ohya, while also finding out why the owner of the DVD library never charges you late fees. Persona 5 is available now on PS4. An updated edition, Persona 5 The Royal, will launch in Japan later this year.

Famitsu wants to hear from English-speaking Persona 5 fans [Siliconera / Famitsu]

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Babybabybabybabybabybabybaby...

[Update: Day 1 was great! Day 2 begins about 03:30 PT / 06:30 ET / 11:30 BST. You can watch over at Niconico, or in the Twitter embed at the bottom of this page. Enjoy!]

Atlus has announced that they will be streaming this week's Persona music concert online, allowing fans who aren't stationed in Japan the opportunity to check out the two-day live event, featuring a cavalcade of music from the JRPG series.

The splutteringly-titled Persona Super Live P-Sound Street 2019: Welcome to No. Q Theater! concerts take place tomorrow, April 24 and Thursday, April 25 at the Ryougoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. If the last show is anything to go by, it will feature artists performing music from the Persona titles to a jam-packed audience, accompanied by lots of glo-sticks and cosplaying dancers.

But if you can't be there in the flesh, then take heart that both gigs will be made available to watch on Niconico and the official Persona Twitter. The streams begin around 19:30 JST on both days. That's about 11:30 BST and a bleary-eyed 03:30 PT, so those of you in the states might want to hope for VOD.

It is also expected that, during these events, we will receive more news concerning the upcoming Persona 5: The Royal and Persona 5 S titles which have been teased within recent months.

Persona Super Live 2019 live stream announced [Gematsu]

「PERSONA SUPER LIVE 2019ã€é–“ã‚‚ãªãé–‹æ¼”ï¼
ニコニコプレミアム会員ãªã‚‰ãƒ©ã‚¤ãƒ–ã‚’ã¯ã˜ã‚ã‹ã‚‰è¦³ã‚‰ã‚Œã‚‹ãœï¼https://t.co/U1myK9FF3r

19:30é ƒã‹ã‚‰ã¯Twitterã§ã‚‚é…ä¿¡ï¼æ¥½ã—ã¿ã«ã—ã¦ã¦ãれよãªï¼https://t.co/Fl2CzZPU7e #ペルライ #PSS2019

— モルガナ_ペルソナ広報 (@p_kouhou) April 24, 2019

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You're surrounded by weaklings... They sneak up on you?

It's been a pretty neat day for Persona fans. First we had day one of the great Persona Super Live P-Sound Street 2019: Welcome to No. Q Theater! concert, which was then followed by further info on the upcoming Persona 5 The Royal release, heading to PS4 in Japan later this year and worldwide in 2020.

But if that wasn't enough, now we have a string of ultra-cute photos of the next Phantom Thief to be immortalised in Figma form. Futaba Sakura - also known by her Phantom Thief pseudonym Oracle - is now available to pre-order over at the Good Smile website. The cheeky brainiac stands a dinky 5.3 inches high and features Figma's trademark articulation, so you can stand her in all sorts of dynamic poses.

Rocking her casual out-and-about gear, Futaba also comes with her trusty smartphone, as well as a series of alternate hands, her creepy giant doll head mask, and a selection of alternate faceplates. If you pre-order Futaba direct from Good Smile you get an exclusive "sad" faceplate. What kind of monster would use that?!

If you want to pre-order your own Oracle to guide you through some troubling times, then head on over to the Good Smile website, Futaba is priced at ¥7,260 (roughly $65) not including shipping or any relevant customs charges. Futaba Sakura is expected to ship in November 2019.

Futaba Sakura Figma now available for pre-order [Good Smile Co.]

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October 31 in the east

During Atlus' Persona 5 concert stream, the publisher gave us more juicy info on the upcoming Persona 5 re-release, and it's surprisingly not just Japan-related. Okay so most of it is.

Atlus explained that Persona 5 The Royal will launch on October 31 in the region, and will sport an extra Phantom Thieves member: Kasumi Yoshizawa. Atlus promises more info in May, and Atlus USA confirmed that the western edition would arrive sometime in 2020. The Japanese landing page clarifies (thanks Nibel!) that this version has 4K/Pro support, new songs, and new characters (in addition to the aforementioned Kasumi).

While Persona 5 is a roughly 100 hour endeavor, nearly everyone I've interacted with would do it all over again (myself included!) with the original release, much less an enhanced Royal one. The implications for Royal are massive, as folks still play the re-releases of past Persona games years after the fact. I can see myself digging out my PS4 (or PS5, if the backward compatibility claims are accurate) 20 years from now to boot up Persona 5 again. More SKUs means more copies in the wild and less chance of this fantastic game being lost to time.

Persona is also arguably in the best shape its ever been. While the Persona 4 Golden era was resplendent indeed, Joker's appearance in Super Smash Bros. is a huge win for Atlus, not to mention The Royal or any number of rumors swirling regarding Switch releases. I'll never forget how scrappy this series was when my cousin showed me his copy of the original. Now it's practically an institution.

Atlus USA [Twitter]

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It's the latest PlayStation Hit

If you or someone you know slept on Persona 5 these past couple years, now's the time to think about waking up (or at least rolling onto your side). The high-school RPG is sporting a red PlayStation Hits banner, and that box art adjustment comes with a new price tag. The game now costs $20.

Two years later, the Phantom Thieves are still at it. This time, they've snuck their way onto the PlayStation Hits lineup!

Get Persona 5 on PlayStation 4 now for only $19.99!https://t.co/zA3ApHQ161 pic.twitter.com/QCrahdqt81

— Atlus U.S.A., Inc. (@AtlusUSA) April 5, 2019

The lowered price point is already reflected on the PlayStation Store if you don't mind buying digital.

With lots of Persona buzz in the air as of late, the timing here is curious. We don't know much about Persona 5: The Royal and we know even less about Persona 5 S, but one thing's for sure: twenty bucks isn't bad at all. What a pleasant way to celebrate the game's two-year anniversary in the West.

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Is this the Switch version?

Atlus has launched a teaser website for a project called Persona 5 S. Much like how Persona 5 R ended up becoming Persona 5: The Royal, this new project is likely to be another version of the popular JRPG. Whether this will become the rumored Switch version is yet to be seen, but I think it is incredibly likely at this point.

What makes me believe that is a date of "April 25, 2019" on the website. Since Joker will be coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sometime this month, we may have just gotten confirmation of a port to Nintendo's console and a release date for the new fighter all at once. Or maybe this is a Steam version since the S could mean a lot of things.

Gematsu dug into the source code of the website and found this message:

Calling Card

April 25, 2019.

We will show you a new Phantom Thieves that will turn the world's cognition on its head.

We are energized by voices that seek satisfaction.

Once again, we will take your heart at the Ryougoku Kokugikan.

—From the Phantom Thieves.

That doesn't clear up much, but something is coming at the end of the month. We'll just have to be patient.

Persona 5 S teaser website launched [Gematsu]

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Go Directly To Bed, Do Not Collect $200

_{Header Image: Box art commissioned from MangAsep}

Talented tabletop game designer Brother Ming has created a great looking new game based on Atlus smash-hit RPG Persona 5. The Unofficial Persona 5 Phan-Game includes characters and events from the Phantom Thieves escapades, whilst capturing the slick style of Persona 5's unique look.

The game can be played alone (yes!) or in co-op with a friend if you have one. Taking only around 30-40 minutes to for one session, players select a Phantom Thief and have one in-game month take down one of three bosses; creepy gym asshole Kamoshida, art wanker Madarame, or shady businessman Okumura.

Players use cards to build stats, battle foes and infiltrate the palace. You can even call on Persona 5's famous confidants for help (including best goof Ichiko Ohya). As in the original PS4 title, time management is of the utmost importance, balancing out your school life with your antics in Mementos. It's an awesome endeavour, and a helluva lot more creative than yet more Funko Pops.

Best of all, the game is free! You can download and print out the game direct from Brother Ming's site, or you can play it in Steam release Tabletop Game Simulator.  For more info on Brother Ming's games, you can visit his website and Patreon account.

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By Sea Handler Art

I am a simple man: when I see Game Boy Advance era art, I'm immediately drawn to it.

Created by Sea Handler Art, this fantastic rendition brings the Phantom Thieves to the forefront of a bygone handheld, and I have to say, it fits. Although the Game Boy Advance was around after the Persona series was invented we never really got to see the two meet: though there were a few Shin Megami Tensei mainline and spinoff titles produced for it.

I hope the Game Boy Advance makes a comeback again, whether it's by way of the new incarnation of the Virtual Console on Switch or a "GBA Classic" device. Given that it can play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color joints it would be perfect for the treatment.

Persona 5 for the Game Boy Advance. Coming April 4th 2003 #pixelart pic.twitter.com/5m0bnbu2jr

— Sea Handler Art (@seahandlerart) January 14, 2019

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Possibly a Switch port?

Atlus is teasing something big for Persona fans. Just today, the company uploaded a teaser for the announcement of Persona 5 R. What that possibly could be is anyone's guess, because the teaser trailer simply has protagonist Joker asking everyone to come back in March of 2019. I suppose this could be a Switch port, but it seems more likely that this will be a re-release with added content (especially with that PlayStation logo).

Lending credence to that guess is the announcement of a final chapter for Persona 5: The Animation. This one-off special - "Stars and Ours" - will also be broadcast in March 2019 and is set to conclude the events of the anime adaptation.

If Persona 5 does remain a Sony exclusive, there is always the possibility that this will be DLC for the base game instead of a new SKU. With Joker heading to Smash Ultimate, though, I don't think this will remain on one platform. Maybe I'm being too hopeful, but I would dig a PC port alongside a Switch version.

P5R予告 [atlustube via YouTube]

@P5_anime [Twitter]

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Is 'Persona 5 R' on the horizon?

Yesterday, publisher Atlus updated one of its domains pertaining to billion-hour RPG Persona 5, leading some fans to believe a revamped edition of the Palace-hopping game is to be announced soon. The discovery was made by dedicated website Persona Central.

"P5R.JP" was first discovered in April of this year, but yesterday the domain was moved from its status as a landing page to Atlus' named servers, this is a similar modus operandi to the previous reveals of titles such as Persona Q2, Catherine: Full Body and the Persona Dancing titles, all of which were updated a fortnight before their official announcements.

Of course, none of this is confirmed proof of anything, but given previous entries Persona 3 and Persona 4 received alternate editions in FES, Portable and Golden, it stands to reason that a Persona 5 update is something that we should all see coming.

Possible Persona 5 R announcement imminent [Persona Central]

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There's Dr. Gothboots, Cavalier McBighat, and the others

This weekend saw a plethora of images and announcements regarding expensive plastic headed toward the home of Persona 5 fans. Through Wonder Festival 2018, held in Chiba, Japan, we got to see various characters from Atlus' popular RPG immortalised in figure form.

There were declarations of intent to produce Figmas for Ryuji and Haru, as well as prototype models for Yusuke, Makoto and her trusty steed, Johanna. Kotobukiya announced figurines of Joker and Morgana in their Dancing Night forms, While Nendoroid lovers got to check out the prototypes for Makoto and Joker, as well as a concept image for Yusuke.

One of the coolest announcements came from Amakuni, who revealed the prototype of their figurine based on everyone's favourite, incredibly dangerous, no-shits-given-about-the-hippopotamus-oath doctor, Tae Takemi, posed in her classic "Gimme money for meds, punk" style. Amakuni will also be releasing figures in the future of Haru in Noir form, and Makoto in her punky Dancing Night gear. Phew.

And that's not all ACKS got in on the ACKStion by revealing prototypes of Joker's original persona, Arsene, as well as a neat figure based on Persona 3's Aigis. You can check out a gallery of images below, then sit back and think about how much all this tat is gonna cost. There's little I wouldn't do for the Queen. That's love, pal.

(Images courtesy of AmiAmi Hobby News. Header Image from Hobby Japan.)

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There isn't enough cash to world to purchase all this plastic

Yesterday, we reported on a new Nendoroid of Persona 5's hacker Futaba Sakura. Because, apparently, we have an inexhaustible supply of cash, Good Smile Co. and Max Factory have also revealed new Figma and Nendoroids for The Phantom Thieves actual Best Girl, Makoto Niijima.

Announced this weekend at China's CCG Expo 2018, Both Makoto and Futaba will be getting finely crafted Figma releases, typified by their intricate detail and articulation. The two gals will join protagonist Joker and the fun-loving Ann Takamaki, who have already had Figma releases in the past.

If that isn't enough, Makoto will also be receiving a Nendoroid, featuring the high school prez in her uber-cool "Queen" getup. Finally, a "Transformation" figure is planned for Makoto's trusty ride, Johanna, which can be morphed into her guardian Persona, Anat. That's a lot of rad merch en route for Her Highness.

There are currently no prototype images, dates or prices for any of the above releases, so the wait for them to arrive on a mantelpiece near you could be quite a long one. But you're probably quite tired after reading all of this exciting news, and should probably go to bed.

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Remember when Makoto thought she was a ghost? How we laughed

It seems that Good Smile Co. are on a mission to announce more Nendoroid pre-orders than anyone can hope to keep up with. Today sees the reveal of brainiac cutie-pie Futaba Sakura, computer genius and alleged "Best Girl" from Atlus RPG soap-opera, Persona 5.

Standing at a dinky 100mm, Futaba is rocking her classic "Summer clothes/Winter coat" aesthetic and comes with a selection of fun accessories. Packaged with a computer keyboard, mobile phone and cup of noodles, the shy-but-driven keyboard warrior is ready to take down any conglomerate who threatens her posse, The Phantom Thieves.

Futaba features three face plates, so you can adorn her with a cute smile, a sneaky grin or a sad face. Who the hell would give her the sad face? Alternate arms are also included for a selection of poses. If that isn't enough, a tiny Morgana is also included, ready to send you to bed, or overly-analyse a television show, at a moment's notice.

Nendoroid Futaba Sakura is available for pre-order until August 5 at Good Smile Co. at a cost of ¥4,630, or around $43 USD. Futaba should be shipping out in December.

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Much on the horizon for hip series

A few small, but significant, tidbits of information concerning the Persona franchise came out during Dengeki PlayStation's interview with Producer Kazuhia Wada, currently working on upcoming rhythm-action games Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night.

In the interview, Wada spoke of how the Persona team was working on a "mid-to-long term plan, including numbered title(s), so that users will constantly be able enjoy the Persona series starting next year". Wada also spoke of the ongoing development of Persona Q2, stating that work was continuing "in earnest".

Even more intriguingly, Wada mentioned that there were currently "collaboration projects" at work, though didn't speak further or lay hint as to what these collaborations were, or with whom. Finally, on the subject of the Persona Dancing titles, Wada said that some free DLC would be coming to the games on a weekly basis until August.

It looks like the smash success of Persona 5 has really invigorated the series producers. Chances are we'll be seeing much more in the way of spin-offs and new titles, alongside these mysterious collaborations. I think we need an Arc System Works Persona 3 x Persona 4 x Persona 5 fighting game. Make it happen!

Persona's Kazuhisa Wada teases projects in Dengeki PlayStation [Ryokutya2089]

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How goes the rehabilitation, inmate?

Good Smile Co. are on a roll with the cool-looking gaming memorabilia at the moment. Joining their catalogue of Persona merchandise this week are P5's Velvet Room assistants, the incomparable twin jailers; Justine and Caroline.

Caroline, is the cooler, grumpier of the pairing, appearing here with her hair in buns and a sadistic grin on her delicate chops. Justine, as the good cop, looks a little more demure. Both gals are painted in colours designed to accurately reflect the tones of their in-game counterparts. The model stands a little over six inches.

Those gathering Persona merch are probably no stranger to its relatively high cost, and that's good, because these gals are no exception. Available to pre-order right now, Justine and Caroline are priced at ¥12,800, or around $119, not including shipping or any customs charges.

Justine and Caroline are available to pre-order now at the Good Smile Co. website. Pre-orders close on May 17, with the figure scheduled for delivery in August.

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