Let me start this long overdue review by saying that this game is one of the best games ever released, period. Persona 5 Royal takes what was great about Persona 5 and runs with it, transforming it into a near perfect piece of gaming art. The chemistry between the cast, the vibrant and unique locations and a story unafraid to pull its punches make Persona 5 Royal an unmissable playthrough for anybody.
Following the exploits of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts in their quest to change the hearts of any evil doer in all of Tokyo, Persona 5 Royal improves massively on the original, making this the definitive way to play.
Persona 5 Royal adds a whole bunch of features and improvements that warrant all those who bought the original to re-purchase this release.
First and foremost there’s an additional semester added at the end of game for those who meet certain requirements, this adds to an already enormous game, easily clocking in at around 100 hours of gameplay, Persona 5 Royal is a serious time sink for you to get lost in.
The game is gorgeous, with bright vibrant colours, flashy moves and character interactions constantly filling your screen but luckily the game showcases both style and substance with a multitude of things to do. A large bulk of the game you’ll spend dungeon diving with your party, working your way to change an antagonists heart and setting them on their way to right their wrongs. The dungeons themselves are very well designed with each one tailored to each villain and some even have new areas for you to explore and a new grappling hook lets you traverse the dungeon or “Palace” as they’re known in the Persona universe, in an entirely new way.
The story itself is very engaging, full of twists, turns and shocking moments, this one definitely isn’t pulling it’s punches in featuring some very dark moments.
One of the main reasons that Persona 5 Royal stands out above the rest is in it’s character design. There are very few bland enemies and the bosses themselves are some of the most creative and unique in gaming, with some bosses having new mechanics or additional phases for the Royal release.
One of the better changes to Royal is that ammo now restocks after each battle making guns a much more viable option and means you don’t have to cling on to that precious ammo whilst in a palace. Characters now have a new to Royal ‘Showtime’ attack in which two party members tag team to unleash a powerful and epic move, each one accompanied by a special animation, the great thing about these attacks is that the party members don’t even need to be active in the party for them to trigger meaning you’ll never miss out when an opportunity arises.
A major gripe that the original received was the randomly generated Mementos dungeon, luckily this has been overhauled and now features new music for the deeper levels and more chances for exploration. Also featuring is a new collectable stamps mechanic which lets you trade in your stamps at a new NPC to change the ‘cognition’ of the dungeon affecting certain parameters. The changes make what used to be a grind to a much more enjoyable area of the game.
In between changing hearts and going deeper in Mementos is the social aspect of the game. Using a calendar system you have to manage each day as it comes, whether it’s spending time with your friends, watching a movie or playing video games to increase your social skills or playing one of the many mini games, there is plenty to do in your spare time.
Spending time with the colourful cast increases their confidant rank which in turn gives you special perks to help you along the way so after school you could be helping Yusuke with his art projects and at night calling your teacher/maid for some one on one time, the choice is up to you and to help you to utilise this free time, Morgana lets you go out even more, particularly at night, no more will a cat be telling you what time to go to bed. This is one of the many impactful changes Royal introduces.
For those who don’t know, the game features a huge amount of dialogue but none of it really feels unnecessary or like it’s there to pad out the game. The dialogue and voice acting is so good, it’s a joy to listen to the banter and back and forth of the cast with most characters fully fleshed out, especially now with the additional semester. Along with a new semester and dungeon are two new characters and conifdants; Kasumi Yoshizawa and Takuto Muruki. Kasumi being a gymnast who looks to the protagonist for advice and Maruki being the softly spoken school councillor who lends a shoulder for the protagonist to lean on. These new characters are worked naturally into the story and neither feels like a forced inclusion.
There are also two new endings to the game depending on your choices throughout your time in Tokyo, giving you a multitude of endings and more reasons to start new playthrough, or just watch them on YouTube after you’be completed the game, the choice is yours and given the game is 100 hours and counting, I’m sure you’ll be forgiven.
Just like the first time round the music in this game is incredible and definitely up there with the best soundtracks of all time with around 30 new tracks and a new battle theme, the composers have seriously outdone themselves. This is one of the funkiest and jazziest gaming soundtracks to date, you’ll easily find yourself revisiting the game just to hear the incredible music.
Conclusion
Persona 5 Royal did what was already a mean feat and improved the hugely popular and successful fifth entry. With additional meaningful content, a slicker battle system and quality of life improvements, Persona 5 Royal is the definitive way to play and an absolute masterpiece that all should play on the PlayStation.
Rating – 10/10
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