Persona 5: Tactica" Review! The game is a fun trial-and-error game where you have to use your head as well as your guns in pursuit of the divine move!

We had the opportunity to play "Persona 5 Tactica" before its release date of November 17, 2023, and here are our preliminary impressions.

In this game, players take full advantage of the three members of the team, using shooting, melee attacks, and personas, and through trial and error in the placement of everyone, attack aggressively to destroy the enemy. This is a simulation RPG that is both aggressive and intelligent, and offers a unique and enjoyable playing experience.

Persona 5 Tactica" is the story that takes place just before the ending of "Persona 5," the latest installment in Atlus' eponymous "Persona" series of juvenile RPGs. Using the power of "Persona," the other self hidden in their hearts, the members of the "Thieves of the Heart" including the main character, Morgana, Ryuji, Anzu, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, and Haru confront the case of a mental outburst. One day before graduation from high school, the main characters were transported to another world, "Kingdom.

The "Kingdom" is ruled by the mysterious armed group "Legion," and all the members except the main character and Morgana have been captured by "Legion. The two were saved by Elle, a girl who is trying to bring about a revolution in the "Kingdom. The hero and Morgana, together with Elle, decide to fight against "Legion" in order to save the members of the "Phantom Thieves of the Heart". However, the members have been brainwashed, and the situation is not simple.

While the original "Persona 5" was a turn-based RPG, this title is a simulation RPG, a board game-like war simulation in which enemies and allies move their characters against each other on the battlefield, with RPG growth elements added.

The battles in this game emphasize the importance of the thief-like character, and it is important to hide yourself behind a cloaking device, just like in action movies. There are many cloaks, such as pillars and boulders, scattered throughout the map, and if you get close to one, it will put you in a "guard" state, where you can hide yourself. Tall shields nullify the enemy's fire, while low shields halve its firepower, so it is important to move from shield to shield as you move from one to the other in a firefight.

If an attack is made when the enemy is not hiding behind a shield, it will result in a "DOWN" state, triggering the well-known "1MORE" additional action. In this state, you can move and attack again, as well as launch the "TRIBANGLE" attack described below, so it is important to leave the enemy defenseless.

Of course, the enemy also protects itself by hiding behind shields. If enemies and friends are hiding behind shields, it would seem that standoffs would go on and on, but this is not the case, and this is one of the major attractions of this game design.

If the enemy is behind a cloaking device, you can rush in and deliver a melee attack. The enemy will be blown away and become defenseless, so you can follow up with a melee attack to knock it down.

If three people surround a downed enemy, a "TRIBANGLE" can be triggered. This will inflict massive damage not only on the DOWNed enemy, but also on all enemies within the enclosed area. The "TRIBANGLE" is a great way to blow up hidden enemies with melee attacks, and then attack them with the "TRIBANGLE" afterwards, allowing you to fight at full speed.

However, if you rush in too far for a melee attack, your turn will end while you are unprotected, and a blow from an enemy will result in a "DOWN" and "1 MORE".

To avoid such risks, it is important to hide yourself behind a shield. The thrill of taking advantage of the opportunity while considering the positional relationship between friend and foe is unforgettable.

Of course, just like in the main game, "personas" also make an appearance. They can be relied on to blow you away from a distance, ignoring obstructions, or to attack a wide area at once. As the game progresses, "unique skills," so-called "special moves," also appear. The gauge that builds up as the player takes and deals damage provides a variety of benefits, such as ranged attacks and preventing enemies from being guarded, making battles more flashy and strategic.

Although these systems may take some time to explain in words, the tutorial is actually easy to understand, and it is designed to make the game easy to play. This consideration is put together in the direction of making the trial-and-error process of achieving maximum battle results fun, making it more interesting to use one's head in a simulation RPG-like manner.

The most important of these is the system that allows players to move freely until the end of an attack. In the majority of simulation RPGs, the attack is made after the move is finalized. Once a character's move is confirmed, it cannot be moved again.

However, in this work, as long as the character is within the movement range, he/she can move freely until he/she attacks. In other words, the character is in a temporary state until the attack is completed. For example, if you move a character and find that you have placed it in the wrong place, or if you don't like it, you can immediately redo it.

In particular, it is easy to use "TRIBANGLE" and "PERSONA" attacks, where positioning is important. The TRIBANGLE attack can be used to engulf a large number of enemies by surrounding them in a large area. In a general system, if you move your allies out from behind a shield to surround a large area, you will be at a disadvantage in the next turn. However, in the case of this work, as long as they are not attacking, they are allowed to exit the obstacle for "TRIBANGLE," surround a large area, and then return behind the obstacle.

Also, when using "personas," the direction in which they blow up changes depending on their position relative to each other, but it is possible to experiment by moving them this way and that. Enemies blown away by melee attacks or "persona" attacks can collide with other enemies and inflict damage. It is refreshing to group enemies in this way and then use the ranged attack "Persona" or "TRIBANGLE" to round them up. The combination of such a system in which the positioning of allies and foes is important, the temporary placement that facilitates trial and error, and the "undo" feature that allows the player to rewind one turn, makes the player think, "If I am a little more creative, I might be able to involve more enemies," and gets stuck in the search for the "God's move. One of the attractions of simulation games is the sense of urgency that a single wrong move can put one's allies in danger, but this title's provisional placement system alleviates this pressure, allowing the player to enjoy the trial-and-error process in a more relaxed manner.

Persona 5" fans will also be interested in this title. Seeing the members of the "Phantom Thieves of the Heart" who have not met in a long time fight while working together with "TRIBANGLE" and "Persona" will probably make fans feel as if their thirst has been quenched.

This time, the members of "Thieves of Heart" are brainwashed by the tyrant Marie, one of the enemies who rules the "Kingdom". The brainwashed members, clad in an aura of evil, attack the group, and this is another situation that fans cannot miss. There is a hard scene in which the Joker and Morgana are chained by the tyrant Marié and pulled around by a car, but it is safe (?) to say that the film has been made in a pop style. The game is also a simulation RPG, where the player must attack the enemy to win the game.

In simulation RPGs, there tends to be a problem that the character you want to use for the strategy does not match your own guess. A vicious cycle can easily occur, such as using other characters instead of one's own guess in order to capture the game, and then not being able to send one's guess into battle so it does not grow (......). In this work, however, experience values and levels are not specific to each character, but are common to all characters, including "Thieves of the Heart" and "Elle". However, in this work, experience values and levels are not unique to each character, but are shared between the "Thieves of the Heart" and Elle. Experience is also gained by watching the conversation scenes between friends, so it is nice that deep enjoyment of the story also leads to growth.

While turn-based simulations that focus on gun battles and cloaked objects have predecessors such as "XCOM" and the "Mario + Rabbids" series, this title is differentiated by its "TRIBANGLE" and temporary placement system, which allows players to fully enjoy working together with the members of the "Phantom Thieves of the Heart" team. I have the impression that "Persona 5" fans, of course, will enjoy this title. In addition to "Persona 5" fans, simulation RPG lovers should also give this game a try.

(Text by Shinichi Yanamoto)

Game Information

■"Persona 5 Tactica

Release date: November 17, 2023

Compatibility: Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows,

PlayStation5, PlayStation4, Nintendo Switch, Steam

Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, and Steam are DL versions only.

Player: 1 player

Genre: Simulation RPG

Price: Package/download standard edition: 7,920 yen (tax included)

Download luxury edition digital deluxe: 11,770 yen (tax included)

CERO: C (for ages 15 and up)

(C) ATLUS (C) SEGA All rights reserved.