Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 – Royal is an expanded and upgraded version of the masterful JRPG created by Atlus, featuring new characters, story content, and an overhauled combat system. Like the original game, this enhanced version follows a group of student vigilantes called the Phantom Thieves, who use their powers to infiltrate the minds of corrupt adults around town. Delving deep into the dungeons of their subconscious, you'll battle gruesome enemies as you level up and try to prevent the apocalypse from happening.

Main Game Features

• Over 130 hours of JRPG content
• Enhanced and refined combat systems
• Extra story content and new dungeons

Story

In Persona 5 – Royal, you play as a custom character known as “the protagonist”, who is framed for a crime and put on probation. Forced to move to Tokyo and attend a new school, the protagonist soon gathers a group of tight-knit friends, hanging out and enjoying daily life. Soon after, he is pulled into a supernatural realm called the Velvet Room, where he learns that it is his responsibility to change the wicked hearts of adults around Tokyo. Taking up the code name of Joker, the protagonist and his group of trusty friends embark on nightly excursions into town, battling an assortment of spectral monsters that threaten the safety of the city.

Persona 5 – Royal also expands the existing story in significant ways, adding an additional semester of school time for players to enjoy. You'll also meet a brand new antagonist with unique motivations that Joker and his crew must defeat. Two new party members are also available to recruit, including a gymnast named Kasumi and a geeky counselor named Takuto. These additions make Personal 5 – Royal the best way to experience the story, with new twists and turns littered around every turn.

Gameplay

Your time in Persona 5 – Royal is split up between two major sections, school time and the nightly adventures of the Phantom Thieves. During the day, you'll attend classes and talk to your peers, strengthening relationships with party members and leveling up your abilities. You can also take on a part-time job, enjoy extracurricular school activities, and even enjoy dates with potential partners. However, your time each day is limited, so you'll have to choose wisely when picking what activities to try out.

The rest of the game is more traditional dungeon-crawling, similar to previous games like Persona 4 or other series like Final Fantasy. With your chosen party of heroes, you'll descend into multi-level story dungeons called Palaces, where you face off against intimidating foes in turn-based combat. Different characters have unique abilities, so you'll want to balance your party according to your playstyle. Persona 5 – Royal makes some massive changes to the combat system by balancing out attacks and changing how some weapons are used. Overall, the changes make Persona 5 – Royal a much more enjoyable experience that feels fair and far more fleshed out than ever before.

Conclusion

In the pantheon of excellent JRPGs, Persona 5 – Royal stands out as a must-play title for any fan of the genre. It's rich with interesting characters, excellent tunes, and a unique and impressive art style. It's just as much fun to explore Tokyo and go to class as it is to dive into challenging dungeons, providing endless hours of enjoyment.

Pros

• The story is expanded in meaningful ways
• New cast members and combat is amazing
• Awesome music and world design

Cons

• Some combat encounters are very difficult
• Story takes a few hours to pick up steam

Persona 5 - Royal is my favorite JRPG of all time! I already loved the base game and put a ton and I mean a ton of hours into it. Yet, as soon as this was announced I pre-ordered it and I was so excited for it to be released. I have decided to tackle this review a bit differently. You see the story for me is the best of any JRPG that I have played so no spoilers here at all, instead, I am going to try and focus on the new aspects that this Royal edition added to the game and why it is the version you have to play.

The Phantom Thieves

Ok, so I am not going into a great deal of detail regards to the story of Persona 5 – Royal as it is one you have to experience for yourself, but I will give you the basics. We play as a silent protagonist called Joker who was accused of a crime and has been forced to move to a new town and new school. It is here he falls in with a group of teenagers that share an ability that he has which lets them enter the “Metaverse” where they can try and change criminals’ hearts as well as get caught up in a huge and dangerous conspiracy. The game is very character driven and the relationships that build and grow between the characters are what got me so invested in the game.

New Story Content

I already thought that the story was great, but Persona 5 – Royal actually adds a lot more to the story. As well as fleshing out characters that were already here, we get two brand new important and interesting characters. There is a whole new palace and the new story arc that is added at the end of the game is the best part of the entire game and was so exciting that when I got to this section, I was so into it, I legit completed it in one sitting and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!

Turn Based Perfection

Persona 5 – Royal is a turn-based style RPG and it is the perfect example of how to do this genre. Each character has their own “persona” that they can use, but you also have other standard moves, items and so on that, you can use in battle. The UI has been worked on here and it makes for a much smoother and more intuitive experience. The gameplay just feels much smoother this time around and cool gameplay additions like the grappling hook are game changing and make exploration so much more fun. It is very impressive how they took what was already a great game and somehow made it even greater!

The Style Matches the Substance

I feel like I have used the term style over substance many times in the years that I have been reviewing games, but that is not the case for Persona 5 – Royal. This game has one of the coolest and most awesome visual styles of any game that I have played. It is based in a realistic modern looking Tokyo that is great. However, the Metaverse is so funky, unique, and imaginative that you never know what it is going to throw your way next. The character models are all funky and cool looking and the special effects during battles add a whole lot of flash. The game is supported with some of the best voice acting I have heard in a JRPG and a truly funky soundtrack that is regularly played while I am driving in my car.

Pros:

• It has one of the best casts of characters I have ever seen
• I love the visuals and the sound design
• The new palaces and extra content make this game even better
• This is the greatest JRPG ever made in my opinion

Cons:

• I have zero complaints about this game!