Persona 5’s excellent combat gameplay remains largely the same in Royal, with a few small additions and tweaks here and there. It’s not surprising, given the more free-form nature of the game’s progression, but it does very much stand out when it happens, and it feels very awkward. Sometimes, new events would overlap with original events, causing you to sit through a few back-to-back conversations that really feel like they should’ve been spaced out. Royal’s additions to the story are good, a little bit of icing on top of an already fantastic cake, but there are times where they feel a little bit out of place. That’s good, because you’re going to be spending a lot of time with them. The characters are incredibly well-written and consistent, they feel like teenagers, but teenagers who’ve had to deal with a hell of a lot more than they should ever have to in a lifetime. ![]() Our heroes have their triumphs at the top of the world, and their downfalls at the very bottom of it. The story, of course, has its twists and turns, as any good RPG story does. It’s very much inspired by the world we live in, and if you’re part of that group – the powerless, the outcasts, the misfits – it’s easy to get amped up by the Phantom Thieves’ mission statement. It’s grounded in reality but takes a deep dive into a fantasy of justice, in a way that feels both very personal and very fantastical. It’s a world where inequality and injustice reigns supreme, where the powerless are left to fend for themselves and the powerful exploit them at every possible opportunity. It’s a game that wears its themes of social justice proudly on its sleeve: the world is messed up, and nobody’s putting their hands up to make it better for the next generation. This game’s universe is one where most of the adults in the world are truly terrible, awful people who do little else but grab power and look down on the youth of the world. ![]() It also takes a strong stance against capitalism and government corruption, a stance that’s not particularly rare in today’s gaming landscape, but good to see presented in a game like this nonetheless. There’s sexual assault and coercive relationships from teachers in positions of power, mafia bosses forcing students into shady dealings and drug running, famous artists abusing and plagiarising their protégés at the threat of being thrown into homelessness. I’m not kidding when I say that these targets are the worst of the worst, too - Persona 5 doesn’t shy away from tackling some surprisingly heavy topics head on. Doing so removes the twisted desires of their targets, often leaving them wracked with guilt and eager to atone for their crimes. The Phantom Thieves, as they’re dubbed, use the Metaverse to their advantage, diving into the cognitive palaces of the worst people around to steal their hearts and trigger a total change in demeanour. Hmmm, maybe it’s not that different from Facebook’s after all. Probably the polar opposite of Facebook’s interpretation of the term, Persona 5’s Metaverse is a hellish alternate world of people’s worst thoughts, desires, and impulses. This angry, impassioned group of teens look at the injustices in the world and want to do something about it, and with the help of some magic powers and a mask to hide their identities, they stumble upon the Metaverse. ![]() Not long after moving to Tokyo, Joker finds himself acquainted with the outcasts of Tokyo - students who, like him, have been handed a rough hand in life, often for reasons outside of their control.
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