A play review of the remastered version of "Persona 5 The Royal." The latest installment in the "Persona" series returns for a variety of consoles, including the latest hardware.

On Friday, October 21, 2022, Atlus will release a remastered version of Persona 5 The Royal. This title is based on "Persona 5 The Royal" for PS4, which came out in 2019 and has been ported to various platforms - PS5/Switch/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Windows/Steam - along with past DLC.

This time, we were able to play the first part of the remastered version of "Persona 5 The Royal" (Xbox Series X version). In this article, we will introduce the charms of "Persona 5 The Royal" and pick up on some of the strengths of the remastered version.

Persona 5" is both juvenile and socially conscious

The protagonist, who has a criminal record due to an incident, is placed on probation and expelled from his local high school. As a result of his search for a school that would accept him, he is transferred to a private school, Shuju Gakuen High School, and he ends up staying at Leblanc, a coffee shop run by a man named Sojiro Sakura.

As his new school life begins, the protagonist acquires the power to control his "persona," his other self, and forms the "Phantom Thieves of the Heart" with his friends who also possess the same power. While living as a student, he reforms the wicked adults who dominate the world. At first, they start with relatively small-scale cases, but as the Phantom Thieves' fame grows, the cases they handle become more serious and larger, and eventually develop into a riot that engulfs Japan. This is the synopsis of the film.

The "Juvenile" genre, which is typical of the "Persona" series, and the "Picaresque Chroman" genre, which is at the core of "Persona 5," are combined to form the "Picaresque Juvenile" genre of this work. Juvenile refers to teenagers and young adults, and picaresque romance refers to novels featuring thugs and outlaws, making it the perfect genre name for a story in which the protagonist, a high school student with a criminal record, and his friends defeat bad adults.

The friends who gather with the protagonist are also outcasts who have been rejected by many things and people

Beginning with Taku Kamoshita, a teacher at Shusei Academy, various bad adults stand in the way of the protagonists in this story. The incidents of violence and plagiarism, which seem to be more prevalent behind the scenes than in the public eye, are more realistic than the flashy but unrealistic incidents such as armed gang wars or serial bombings.

I was a minor when I played "Persona 4," but by the time I played "Persona 5," I was a fully grown adult, so I can't help but feel for the characters who are reformed by the phantom thieves and express their feelings. As for Kamoshita, he was once a volleyball medalist and a decent human being, although the way he is portrayed in the story makes him the worst kind of antagonist. He may have shined when he was active, but something must have gone wrong somewhere.

However, it is important to note that their personal stories are limited to a few words from the victims, and are not lifted up in a strange way. If they talk too long, it sounds like they are making excuses, and no matter what their past is, they are guilty now, so they must be bad people.

On the other hand, the protagonists, who are the allies of justice, are not always innocent. The "mind thieves" reform the evil people by infiltrating their "palace," the place where their minds are embodied, and stealing the "otakara," the core of the palace. In other words, they sneak into the mind of the other person and take away the distortion of his/her mind. The reformation that the phantom thieves advocate is, on the one hand, an act of forcing a person to change his or her mind, and, depending on one's point of view, may even be a crime.

The meaning of the protagonists' actions is frequently mentioned in the film. Goro Akechi, a detective, is critical of the phantom thieves who judge their opponents beyond the law, and people on the prosecution and police side, such as Sae Niijima, see them as enemies.

As Akechi and his colleagues say, order can be maintained if the law is obeyed, but there will be people who cannot be saved because those who abuse the law will be able to get away with it. If we take direct action, as in the case of the Kaito, we can punish the wrongdoers and save some people. However, it is no different from private punishment, which eventually leads to revenge and retaliation, and the order collapses.

It is significant that this film depicts the ambiguity of the standards of right and wrong, such that even what is right for one person may become a crime if viewed from a different perspective. The story is compelling because it is not limited to simple good versus evil. Persona" is basically a juvenile story, but "Persona 5" and "Persona 5 the Royal" seem to have a strong social aspect.

The story is the same, but what surprised me personally was Atlus' attitude of not being defensive, but rather creating a sharp piece of work. The previous "Persona 4" game was released in 2008, and four years later, "Persona 4 the Golden" appeared, including additional elements such as the new character Marie. Not only that, a fighting game and a rhythm game were also released as an offshoot of the game. There were even separate anime series for "Persona 4" and "Persona 4 the Golden.

Just by looking at these series of developments, it is easy to imagine how big a presence "Persona 4" has been for Atlus. Still, I think it was Atlus' commitment to making a genuinely interesting game that led to the major changes in style and theme in "Persona 5" and "Persona 5 the Royal".

Spend a year at leisure until your probation is lifted.

Just as important as infiltrating the palace and robbing Otakara is the everyday part. In other words, school life. In this film, the protagonist spends about a year from April, when he arrives in Leblanc, to March of the following year.

In "Persona 5 The Royal," on which this work is based, new characters, Kasumi Yoshizawa and Takuto Maruki, have been added. While based on the story of "Persona 5," the story has been reconstructed with the addition of their portrayals. In addition, the third semester has been implemented, extending the period during which students can move freely, allowing them to enjoy a more intense school life.

What you do in the daily life part is up to you. After school, they can stop by bookstores and movie theaters in Shibuya, where they transfer trains, or work on muscle training at home. The player can also deepen their bond with their friends in the phantom thief group and with those who cooperate with them through "co-op" events.

Kasumi Yoshizawa, a character added to "Persona 5 The Royal.

As you progress through the coop, your level will increase, and not only will your bond with your partner deepen, but you will also receive a variety of benefits, such as more actions you can take in battle and more things you can do in your daily life. However, this does not mean that you should only focus on co-op. You must also improve yourself in order to develop the main character's Knowledge, Guts, Dexterity, Kindness, and Charm. These abilities have a great deal to do with the progression of the coop. To develop these abilities, independent study, reading, watching movies, and muscle training are all options.

If mechanically playing for the sake of strategy is a little too depressing for you, we also recommend taking a break at a batting center near Leblanc or a darts and billiards bar in Kichijoji.

Takuto Maruki, a new character in "Persona 5 The Royal," as well as Kasumi Yoshizawa. Both Kasumi Yoshizawa and Takuto Maruki have their own dedicated coops.

However, while it is nice to be able to do so many things, it is easy to get lost in which one to choose. Time moves forward when you take any of the actions, so you can't do everything in one day. This is the interesting part of the daily life part, where all the choices are left up to the players. In addition to the daily activities, the activities of the phantom thieves are also taking place in parallel, so it is necessary to keep the target's palace strategy in mind.

The daily routine is fun, as if you are reliving your high school life. On the other hand, trying to schedule a whole year of activities is not going to go well, and you may forget to play co-op and go to a spot, or play too much and end up struggling in a palace because you are not at a high enough level. However, these kinds of misadventures are the best part of school life. It is as if you are enjoying your school days once again and at the same time spending a slightly long summer vacation with the homework of the daily life part and the palace attack.

The game is over if you fail to capture the palace by the deadline. Enjoying the daily life part of the game is fine, but be sure to do it in moderation!

The battle system, where you fight by exploiting weaknesses, has a good tempo.

In the palace, there are "Shadows," watchmen who protect the Lord's otakara, and they guard every square, passageway, and other places. This title uses a symbol-encountered system, so when players come into contact with the Shadow, they move into battle. Players use melee attacks, gunfire, and the power of their persona to fight.

The time required to capture a palace varies depending on the type of palace, but basically it is difficult to reach the deepest part where Otakara is located in a single infiltration. There are times when you have to run around the palace solving riddles using gimmicks, and there are also unavoidable battles with the mid-bosses. If you aim for the deepest part, you will be worn out to a greater or lesser extent.

Nevertheless, regardless of whether you are playing "Persona 5" or "Persona 5 The Royal," the battles in both titles are based on the following sequence: first, create an advantageous situation by getting ahead of the roaming enemies; then, take advantage of "1MORE," which allows you to act again when you hit their weak points; then, take down all the enemies; then, top them off with the "Total Attack," which can be activated when all enemies are taken down. In other words, it is almost impossible to attack enemies unilaterally. In other words, it is almost always a one-sided attack on the enemy, and the tempo is very fast. The only time the battle gets long is during the boss battle, but once you get the flow of the game, the rest of the game proceeds at a brisk pace. This is not a technique known only to those in the know, but is officially recommended in the game.

At first glance, it may seem like a monotonous battle, but in fact it is not. 1MORE is also used by the enemy, and if you hit a weak point, you may be cornered. Some enemies have "reflection" or "absorption" statuses, and when different types of shadows appear at once, you may have to carefully choose the targets and order in which to attack them. Although the mechanism of attacking weaknesses and performing a series of actions is simple, it is also exciting in that it is not just a matter of repeatedly pressing buttons, since enemies can also use their allies.

One new element related to battles is the DLC that comes standard with this title. In addition to costumes and items, additional personas are included, including powerful ones such as Thanatos and Izanagi no Okami that can become balance breakers if used early in the game. This will help those who are not good at games, and those who have played "Persona 5 the Royal" in the past will find it useful for a quick and easy play. In a way, this one may also improve the tempo of battles.

Personally, I am glad that the additional persona Raoul can be used from the beginning. According to the description, Raoul is the real name of Arsene Lupin, and he wears a simple suit composed of red and black. In both setting and appearance, he is an evolved version of the main character's initial persona, Arsene, and I remember purchasing him immediately when he appeared as DLC in Persona 5 The Royal.

Raoul.

There are other additional elements, and you can also enjoy "Challenge Battles" where you can fight against the main characters from "Persona 3" and "Persona 4".

Compared to the original "Persona 5 The Royal," there are no major changes such as additional storylines or characters, but as a result of minor adjustments that were not in the original version, such as more choices of models and standard implementation of DLC, this title is a further brushed-up version of "Royal The game is now compatible with the latest consoles such as PS5 and Xbox Series X, as well as Switch, Steam, and many other platforms, making it much easier for players to experience the game.

（We hope you will take this opportunity to experience this work, which was selected for the Japan Game Awards 2020 Grand Prize for Excellence.)

• Product Information
• Persona 5 The Royal (Remastered Edition)
• Genre: RPG
• Compatibility: PS5/Switch/Xbox Series X|S/Xbox One/Windows/Steam
• Player: 1 player
• Price: 7,678 yen (tax included)
• Release date: October 21, 2022 (Friday)
• CERO: C (for ages 15 and up)
• Click here for various downloadable versions

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