Persona 5 Captured My Heart but Ultimately Left Me Feeling a little Disheartened

Persona 5 is an interesting piece of art. It blends genres you would find in other titles and creates a game that can leave a different impression for every player, and I think that’s something you don’t see very often in video games.

Gameplay
The Persona series (generally speaking of 3 and forward) combines role-playing, social simulation, puzzle, and turn-based monster battling/collecting. The gameplay is primarily governed by a day/night cycle where you can choose what you do with your free time. You attend school, pursue leisure activities, and craft battle items. There are various ways to level up your character and the personas (monsters) you choose to keep with you. The most interesting aspect is the ability to level up your confidants, the people you choose to grow closer with. These relationships help with your battle strategies and add another layer of emotional investment within the story, including choosing a romantic partner.

I appreciate the game's variety of difficulty options. You can start on normal, and if you find it too easy, you can increase the difficulty. Or, if you prefer to sit back and enjoy the story, there is a more easy mode you can choose. This is especially helpful when you find yourself going through the Palaces, as after a few rounds, they can start to feel a little grindy and tiresome. So, if you find yourself getting a headache, lower the difficulty. The game is still very rewarding and fun.

Story and Characters
What is there to say other than the characters make this game shine? You play the role of a male high school student, Joker, who lives out a single year while attending school in modern-day Tokyo. Once you start to attend school, things begin to get a little weird, and slowly, you're introduced to every character. However, some of the characters take quite a long time to meet. One such character isn’t even introduced until 30 hours into the game. This is wild because many games only have 30 hours of gameplay. However, Persona is known for its lengthy runtime, and it’s common for a player to sink in over 100 hours to get the full story of these titles.
Without spoiling who they are and their significance (main/side characters), some of my favorite characters would be Ryugi, Makoto, Futaba, Mishima, Akechi, and Maruki.

Also, I really love Morgana, but that’s just because I love cats more than anything.

One of the things I love most about this story is the character development. It's remarkable to see every character grow and learn throughout the game. Beyond the characters, the main plotline has both good and bad endings available, and the good ending is so emotionally impactful I found myself in tears a few times. This is especially true for the “true ending” with the royal version. I know this game is a long commitment, but I beg players to please finish the game and play the true ending. It is such a treat. I would even go so far as to say it was even better than the original Persona 5, which was released independently. Be aware that to get this true ending (an extra 20+ hours of content, by the way), you will need to raise certain confidents levels before the end of the original game. So, please look into that.

Graphics and Art Style
Visually, the game is gorgeous. It has a distinctive blend of several elements, primarily characterized by its vibrant use of color, particularly red, and its minimalist approach. The style incorporates aspects of graffiti, bold colors, and anime aesthetics, creating a unique visual identity that sets it apart from other games. It would be easy to identify if you were presented with a random screenshot of Persona 5.

Sound and Music
Sound director Shoji Meguro, also known for composing for the Shin Megami Tensei series, composed, performed, and produced the score. The music leans heavily into the jazz and soul genres, and while I am not generally a fan of those, the way it was presented was fitting for this series. However, after hearing it for more than twenty hours, the singing portions of the soundtrack grew very tiresome to listen to. Additionally, if I have to hear “That’s so cool, Joker” one more time, I will lose my mind. I love the dialogue and witty banter, but the characters sometimes talk too much. (“Oh, look, a treasure chest!” Me: Please stop saying that every time there’s one in my direct line of sight). I started telling my characters to shut up whenever they tried to “verbally help me” in the Palaces. They couldn’t hear me, but it made me feel better.
When you reach the conclusion of the original Persona 5 and are presented with the additional content, you also get more music. I adored this music and think it’s some of the best soundtrack music I’ve enjoyed listening to.

Replayability and Content
Whew, this one took over a hundred hours to complete, and from what I understand, that’s common for a Persona game. Most of that time, it didn’t feel very long, and as long as I wasn’t in the middle of a grind fest, I had a fun time running around and exploring the game to the fullest.
There is a game+ mode where you can attempt the game again. However, I did not choose to do this. There is room for replayability if the player chooses or is interested in other routes with characters they may have missed previously. Of course, as mentioned previously, there is a separate added “true ending” of the game, which tacks on plenty more time for the game than that of the originally released version. I highly recommend it.

Technical Aspects
As far as technical aspects go, I did not encounter any bugs or glitches. It played smoothly, and I had no issues (outside a mod issue, but that is a separate problem outside the main game).

PROS and CONS

Pros:
Engaging, emotionally impactful Story
Memorable Characters
Exceptional Soundtrack
Stylish Art Style
Fluid Gameplay & Fast-paced Combat
You get what you pay for and more.

Cons:
A lot of reading is involved (but most of it is voice-acted, so you can generally relax and watch it rather than read). This can be a pro or a con, depending on the individual.
Some characters may annoy you for a short time. (and their random voice lines)
The gameplay can get slow in the middle/later part of the game.
There are no options for choosing a male romantic partner and/or having the option to be a female main protagonist. You can choose the protagonist's name. Why not the gender?


Considering that, I must give this game a 9.8 out of 10. This is one of the closest games I can think of sidling up to the word “perfection.” The story alone is so memorable. I will remember it for many years. However, because I was so sad that I was unable to choose my ideal romantic partner within the game, I couldn’t justify giving it a full 10/10. While everything else is fantastic, I couldn’t help but be sad that I couldn’t just be myself.
Because of that, I sought out a couple of mods to satisfy me, and they helped ease a bit of that unhappiness, giving me the options I wanted. I still find it hilarious (spoiler ahead) that you can romance your teacher and other random female adults, but romancing your best guy friend is ‘going too far,’ I suppose, in Atlus’s/Japan’s view. Come on, I’m a straight girl gamer here; let me romance my boys.

Honestly, I hesitate to play the third game because of that. I still want to just…be myself. It’s one thing to have a game with you portraying a main character who already has a set name and background laid out for them. It’s another to have one heavily influenced by your decisions, and you even generally choose their name. While I hope Persona 6 will provide the diversity I yearn for, I won’t hold my breath.
Outside my obvious personal feelings, I still think Persona 5 is an amazing game, and everyone should play it. I may give the spin-offs, Tactica and Strikers, a try one day.