- Release Date: November 17, 2023 (worldwide)
- Developer: ATLUS P-Studio
- Publisher: SEGA
- Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Windows (Steam and Game Pass Day One), Nintendo Switch
- Price:
- $59.99 - Standard (Digital and Physical)
- $79.99 - Digital Deluxe
Persona 5 Tactica has DLC from the Digital Deluxe Edition in the above image, this specifically includes:
- Pircaro Summoning Pack & Raoul (Izanagi Picaro, Orpheus Picaro, and Raoul personas)
- "Repaint Your Heart" - A challenge campaign featuring Akechi and Yoshizawa.
- Weapon Pack
The Phantom Thieves in Cafe Leblanc suddenly find themselves in another dimension that resembles Medieval Europe. They meet a woman named Erina and form an alliance with her to lead the Rebel Corps and free the land from tyrannical rule of the Legionnaires.
Note: Any potential major spoilers for Persona 5/Royal will be marked.
Persona 5 Tactica is a spinoff of Persona 5, taking place in another dimension. It's a strategy RPG, similar to modern X-COM or Mario + Rabbids with its own Persona flair. This isn't the first time Persona has actually had any kind of strategy RPG elements in it. The first time was actually back in Persona 1, which had a grid system in its combat, although this was for determining what targets characters could hit with attacks.
Atlus has had a bit of a history with strategy games in the overall MegaTen umbrella. The first MegaTen strategy game was Majin Tensei on the Super Famicom. It's infamous for being incredibly slow. I have heard it compared to Growlanser, but I have not played that and do not know myself. Atlus also released Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis on the Super Famicom, as well as Ronde for the Sega Saturn. As for Ronde…the less said about that one, the better. I don't mean to judge a book by its cover but well…look at this…
Anyway, around ten years later, Atlus jumped back into strategy RPGs with two absolute bangers of games: The Devil Survivor series. These games had an isometric view more like many other tactics games at the time, such as the Final Fantasy Tactics games. You had up to three humans in each map at a time, each with the ability to have a team of two demons with them. Most people (including myself) consider these games to be very good, and are definitely worth your time! Unfortunately, your options for playing them now are very few and far between after the closing of the 3DS eShop. The games were originally released as DS games, and then had 3DS enhanced ports later. If you can, play the 3DS versions, there's no real downside to them.
The type of strategy game P5T is hasn't been done in the MegaTen franchise before. It's always exciting to see Atlus tackle new ideas like this, and it looks like it should be a good time. It is also worth pointing out that many people might see the art style and think it's the same as the Persona Q games, but that's not the case. It's a different artist, and the characters are taller and slightly less chibi than the Persona Q games.
One of the major features of the game is the "Triple Threat" mechanic, known as "Tribangle" in the Japanese version. Knocking down enemies by exploiting their weakness, and having all three characters form a triangle around them allows you to trigger the Triple Threat, unleashing what's very similar to an All-Out Attack.
Each character has their own Persona specific to them. However, much like the Q games, Everyone can use sub-Personas. These are Personas that can be gained or fused in the Velvet Room and give access to additional skills beyond what their Persona has. These sub-Personas are mostly based on the demons from the Shin Megami Tensei series drawn by Kazuma Kaneko, so expect to see the same great designs you have across many games!
"Joker"
Persona: Arsene
Morgana "Mona" the not-cat
Persona: Zorro
Morgana is Joker's loyal partner that he met pretty early on in the original Persona 5. He's unsure of his origins, and believes he's actually a human that was somehow turned into a cat. He acted as Joker's teacher in becoming a Phantom Thief, and even has the ability to turn into a van. No one has definitely ever seen a cat do anything like that in any movie ever, definitely. Ryuji and Morgana sometimes butt heads, but they are able to resolve their differences and work to change the hearts of distorted humans.Persona: Zorro
Ryuji "Skull" Sakamoto
Persona: Captain Kidd
For real?! Yes, it's him. He's the first human friend Joker makes when moving to Tokyo, pushing Joker to explore the strange castle they discovered at the same location as the school. He's a bit hot-headed, but means well. He was on the school's track team and is quite the athlete.Persona: Captain Kidd
Ann "Panther" Takamaki
Persona: Carmen
Being a fashion model and a student can be quite challenging, but Ann manages to pull it off somehow. She wields a whip, and her design is actually a reference to Ayase from Persona 1! Ayase also had blonde pigtails and a whip.Persona: Carmen
Yusuke "Fox" Kitagawa
Persona: Goemon
An art student formerly studying under a hack artist, he mostly cares about the quality of his paintings and is often very serious. He exposed his plagiarist teacher and ended up moving into his school's dorm. He does not attend Shujin Academy unlike most of the group.Persona: Goemon
Makoto "Queen" Niijima
Persona: Johanna
Being the sister of prosecutor Sae Niijima, she is very focused on her studies and is the student council President. She initially spends her time spying on the Phantom Thieves, but she eventually has her reasons for turning around and joining them.Persona: Johanna
Futaba "Oracle" Sakura
Persona: Necronomicon
Persona: Necronomicon
Futaba is the navigator of the group, not actually taking part in combat. She offers tactical advice and support such as buffs, healing, or mapping areas. She spent much of her life locked up in her room before joining the Phantom Thieves.
Haru "Noir" Okumura
Persona: Milady
Born into a rich family, with a father owning a large food corporation, she's very well off but overwhelmed at the same time. She initially tries to pull off the whole Phantom Thief thing on her own with Morgana, but quickly changes her mind and joins with the rest of the group. A common complaint about her in the original Persona 5 was that she did not get much screen time, and while this was fixed in Royal and Persona 5 Strikers, here's hoping she still gets that in Persona 5 Tactica.Persona: Milady
Erina the Leader of the Rebel Corps
Persona: none
Erina is the first ally Joker and gang meet in this strange world. She has been leading the Rebel Corps to fight against the Legionnaires and enlists the help of the Phantom Thieves to finish the job. Not much is known about her, but she does not use a Persona to fight.Persona: none
Toshiro Kasukabe
Persona: unknown
Toshiro is a young member of the Japanese National Diet, in the running to be the next Prime Minister. He ended up somehow imprisoned in this strange world, and does not remember how he got there or why he was even in a cell.Persona: unknown
Do I absolutely need to play the original Persona 5 to understand this game?
The simple answer is "probably not" as most of the Persona 5 spinoffs have been pretty easy to understand without playing it, but it's still highly suggested you do as this game may spoil some details about characters you might wish to have found out playing Persona 5.
Does this game have a calendar like Persona 5?
No, it's mission-based.
Will I like this game if I Devil Survivor?
Probably, if you've been hankering for a good MegaTen strategy RPG! The game plays more like X-COM or Mario + Rabbids, with cover mechanics as well as pushing enemies around.
Will I like this game if I like Shin Megami Tensei?
Most likely. The game contains sub-Personas using Kazuma Kaneko's great designs. Spell names follow the same pattern as they have in previous SMT and Persona games. There's no dungeons of course, as this is a strategy RPG.
Will this game run on Steam Deck?
Yes! It has the Steam Deck Verified seal of approval from Valve, meaning it will work just fine on your Steam Deck with readable text, button prompts, and all you need to play the game without having to change anything on your Deck, be it the original or the OLED version. I know that's how I will be playing most of this game.
Is the game available day 1 on Game Pass?
Yes!
Is there an English dub?
Yes!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5aBbuInWvs
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTXPfo2_ij0
Screenshots
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