Import Thoughts: Why Persona 5 is a perfect starting point for series newcomers

Though Persona 5 is technically the sixth mainline Persona game, it’s actually one of the best entries to start with. If you’re a newcomer looking to see if Persona 5 is for you, here are some reasons why you may want to put it on your radar when its English version releases next February on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3.

New Cast, New Location, New Experience

Persona 5 features a brand-new colorful cast of characters set in Tokyo. No prior knowledge is needed at all to enjoy the numerous story developments that the cast face. Several Persona games in the past relied on past knowledge to some extent, in the form of Persona 2’s two split games and Persona 4 revisiting some locales from Persona 3.

Marking a fresh start, Persona 5 embraces its independence from previous entries making it the ideal gateway into this fascinating series.

Just Want to Enjoy the Story? No Problem

RPGs can sometimes be a hassle with difficulty spikes and excessively grinding stats to overcome them. Persona 5 aims to appeal to those who also simply want to uncover the story without any stressful barriers.

Marking its return from Persona 4 Golden, the Safety difficulty option allows players to enjoy Persona 5 at their own pace. It vastly reduces enemy stats and damage output along with increased experience and currency rates from battles. There are also additional fail-safes to ensure that a player does not get a Game Over as well.

Intuitive Tutorials

There are a lot of system mechanics that Persona 5 brings to the table. Luckily, the game does a fantastic job explaining its flow step-by-step. For example, it temporarily takes control of your first additional party member to illustrate that hitting an enemy’s weakness will knock them down and grant you an extra turn.

Also, traveling around Tokyo seems overwhelming at first, but the game helps guide players to their destinations and gives them an extensive fast-travel option to get to places within seconds.

A Guiding Hand

Sometimes there are days in Persona 5 in which you’re not sure what to do. You can receive texts from your friends that say they’re available to hangout which can warp you immediately to their location if you accept their invitation. It not only saves the hassle of traveling to them manually, but also informs you of where they are both on weekdays and weekends.

Persona 5 is a massive game that has many layers of mechanics, but it’s all presented in a smooth fashion. Even if it’s your first Persona game, there’s a lot of fun to be had in this new entry!