Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight knows its audience within its audience. It's one of the more engaging rhythm games I’ve played to date, even if I wish it was open from the start and had more to do. Like the Phantom Thieves, I have to follow my heart; and it sides with the music.

Those who simply love music rhythm games and haven’t got much experience with the Persona series, though, should probably just dip their toes in with Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight to test the water. And maybe wait for it to go on sale before they do so. Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight are both very good, but they don’t quite feel like they’re worth their asking price.

At their core, both are solid, fun rhythm action games with kickass soundtracks that you can have a great time with, regardless of character knowledge, and despite the games being exact copies of each other. If you like the genre and have that itch, then get on your dancing shoes and enter the Velvet Room. The stage awaits.

Person 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Person 5: Dancing in Starlight are both great rhythm and musical games. Albeit the two lack some aspects from Persona 4. Dancing All Night like an Story mode or even a wider variety of tracks, both titles offer enough of content to please fans of the series and, especially those who love the work of the composer Shoji Meguro.

Based on the lore of Persona, the gameplay is intuitive and its difficulty will meet all kinds of players' skill.

For Persona 5, the love and polish is there in equal amounts, but the somber jazzy style of the original game just doesn’t translate as successfully to a loud and groovy rhythm game experience.

The masterful fusion of jazz, pop, metal, and rock make for a great playlist that feels like a trip through the struggles and triumphs of Persona 5 all over again.

While I still don’t know that the world needs dancing games based off of the Persona series, it’s obvious that Atlus could do way worse than Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. Both games show clear effort in terms of visuals and animations, and if there’s any RPG franchise with soundtracks you’d want to groove to, it’s Persona.

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight is a rock solid and super stylish rhythm game. Its jazzy remixes are top notch and its presentation is excellent, resulting in a good-time-title that keeps you coming back for more. Approachable controls and concepts make it easy to learn, but a steep difficulty curve -- perhaps too steep, in some cases -- makes it very hard to master. Put in the practice, though, and you'll be rewarded with an immensely satisfying experience.

Despite the gameplay not being the best, the game is charming enough with its music and music videos to still be a fun time.

Its main gameplay mechanic - the actual rhythm gameplay - does get in its own way. But if you’re just wanting to experience more stories and groove to the amazing soundtrack, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight is definitely a good place to do so.

Dancing in Starlight is a heedless trip back to the Persona buffet for seconds thirds fourths. You wanted more Persona 5? You got it. Chew the fat. Pretend the calories aren’t empty. Pray you won’t get sick. Somehow, despite the intemperance, I still feel fine.

We miss things like a Story Mode or more (and better) songs, but it is a great rhythm-based game Persona fans will love.

Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight are fantastic ways to explore their respective soundtracks from a new perspective. However, they lack the glue that a story mode brought to the previous game in the series that could have made it feel like a cohesive whole rather than a broad but disparate list of songs and customisations.

If you're aching to go dancing with your favorite Persona characters, Persona 4: Dancing All Night remains the best choice for now. If you want to listen to Persona 3 or Persona 5 songs instead, opt to borrow these games if possible instead of investing in them for now.

For an odd spin-off to an RPG series, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight is very well executed. Its song library is more than a little sparse considering how many of the tracks are remixes, but each song offers its own challenge and is fun once one gets into its groove.

As long as a lack of a formal campaign isn’t a total deal breaker, Persona 5 fans should have enough here to enjoy themselves. Enjoy the extra time you’ll get with the Phantom Thieves and try not to think too much about the scrapped story mode.

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight is a rhythm game that is very good but one that should've been released later on so it could've had a more varied soundtrack with better remixes.

Persona 5’s soundtrack helped define its captivating sense of style when it released last year, and Dancing in Starlight is a good celebration of it. The clumsy dancing interface and short tracklist make it fall short as a rhythm game, but some great remixes and fun progression hooks make it a worthwhile way to revisit the look, feel, and sound of one this generation’s most stylish RPGs.

Those who have already had their hearts taken by Persona 5 will enjoy their time with Dancing in Starlight, but those less familiar with the Phantom Thieves may be disappointed at its small song count and lack of extra content.

Putting aside the fact that I find it incredibly weird that Dancing in Moonlight and Dancing in Starlight are being sold as two separate, full-priced games (they’re too similar in concept and execution for it to make sense) it’s neat fanservice for those who wish to spend more time with the Tartarus SEES and Phantom Thieves crew. Ultimately, though, I wish that the devs had tried just a little harder to carve out a new and exciting rhythm game, rather than something that fits squarely into established genre norms and coasts by on the charm of its characters.

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight and Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight could be two simple yet funny rhythm games, but they are held back by a severe lack of content.

Persona 5 Dancing is a good rhythm game, but lacks of content and has a poor playlist.

If you're looking for a Persona spin-off, Persona Q is a much better use of your time and money. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a rhythm game first and foremost, there are much better options for you to pursue. Persona 3 and 5 Dancing aren't bad, but in today's rhythm games climate - they needed to offer a lot more to stand out from the crowd.

If you miss your S.E.E.S. pals or Phantom Thieves buddies, then look no further than the boogie bliss of Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. While it's a rhythm game still best suited for portable, if you're a fan of the Persona soundtracks, it's a sweet way to enjoy its excellent music all over again. Though without a story mode unlike its predecessor and a so-so rhythm game still at its core, both games end up feeling a little lesser, reserving these entries for only the most dedicated and eager of fans.

Dancing in Starlight pays a loving tribute to Persona 5, but without a stronger setlist it doesn’t stand alongside its fellow rhythm game spin-offs.