Persona 5

 PlayStation 4
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5569 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4,794 out of 5569
  2. Mixed: 212 out of 5569
  3. Negative: 563 out of 5569
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  1. Jdotdeedot
    Jul 1, 2022
    9
    My first persona game. It's not my favorite one but oh is it good. Aside the slightly weak endgame and mOrGaNa this game is almost flawless. The rpg turn based combat in p5 is the best it's ever been in the persona series. The phantom thieves as a cast of characters are solid but not my favorite. The confidants are really good here and are probably my favorite in the series. Also, theMy first persona game. It's not my favorite one but oh is it good. Aside the slightly weak endgame and mOrGaNa this game is almost flawless. The rpg turn based combat in p5 is the best it's ever been in the persona series. The phantom thieves as a cast of characters are solid but not my favorite. The confidants are really good here and are probably my favorite in the series. Also, the music is JAMMIN'. Arugubably the best in the series. Overall this game is really good and I prefer it slightly more to p5r despite some improvements it makes.… Expand
  2. Robobuster12657
    Sep 9, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It has a much darker story line then all the other games in the persona series. Its exciting and captivating and it's definitely one of my most favourite RPG games that I've played.… Expand
  3. That_One_Dude
    Nov 27, 2022
    9
    This game made me realize how important a good cast can be, and it got me into RPGS, and turn based battles. The story is great, the gameplay is great, the setting is great, the art style is great, the waifus are great and the soundtrack is god tier.
    This game has it's issues, but not enough to remove it from my favorite game of all time.
  4. warion
    Feb 8, 2023
    9
    Good story and enjoyable RPG game would recommend and play again. The world's are well thought out and the personas you both get and fight have there own personality. The characters are well thought out with there own storyline and impact on the story. The extra features like gyms, crafting, school questions etc. But my problem is that all the perfecting and stay boost take too long toGood story and enjoyable RPG game would recommend and play again. The world's are well thought out and the personas you both get and fight have there own personality. The characters are well thought out with there own storyline and impact on the story. The extra features like gyms, crafting, school questions etc. But my problem is that all the perfecting and stay boost take too long to grind for because you barley get chance to leave Leblanc without Morgana telling you to sleep but good game 9/10… Expand
  5. TheQweast
    Mar 3, 2023
    9
    One of my favorites of all time I love the characters and the overall look of the game is amazing. Weakest of the persona protagonists imo and the story itself drags pretty hard in places but after replaying it 4 times it still is something I could see myself coming back to.
  6. Jaidenbrkl1
    Apr 17, 2023
    9
    Despite my difficulties to enjoy it again, even in 2023, it is still a beautiful experience that I don’t talk about as much as before.
  7. Nmaa18
    Mar 27, 2023
    9
    I first saw persona 5 when i checked this website a couple of years ago. Upon seeing the positive reviews, I decided to give it a go, even though the gameplay didn't particularly pull me in from youtube footage. I had intended for this game to be my last ps4 game. I was starting to have enough of gaming as a whole, for many reasons. I ended up playing a game so good, that I decided toI first saw persona 5 when i checked this website a couple of years ago. Upon seeing the positive reviews, I decided to give it a go, even though the gameplay didn't particularly pull me in from youtube footage. I had intended for this game to be my last ps4 game. I was starting to have enough of gaming as a whole, for many reasons. I ended up playing a game so good, that I decided to never stop gaming. it reinvigorated my love for gaming. It is one of the rare games i wish i had not played, because now, i will never be able to experience it anew. Despite being a ps3 game, it surpassed my expectations, and it will be enjoyable for eternity.

    Best stuff: the artistic vision and unique game design/ui. the awesome music. the loveable characters. the personas themselves remind me of my childhood with pokemon. The things to do in tokyo.

    What could have improved the game: Joker's lack of voice, absence of character customisation in game - wait its DLC...

    In conclusion: The game is practically flawless, it kept me fully interested for so many hours, and is memorable and fun. For a month, the phantom thieves became my only and best friends. I don't know how they made the characters feel as real as they felt to me. I give this game a 93/100    … Expand
  8. Killerpummkin
    Aug 10, 2023
    9
    Beautiful game, incredible, hard to describe, it's been a long time since I felt like this with a game, if you're looking for a quality JRPG to play, you can go with Persona 5, best JRPG I've played in years.
  9. Goo4you
    May 1, 2017
    8
    I am into the early goings of this game, yet I am finding myself falling further and further into the on-rails like narrative. This may just be a convention of early game, but as a person picking up the series for the 1st time; it's well appreciated.

    Like I stated above; never played a single Persona game up until this. There is a nebulous sea of J-RPG's out there and myself and this    I am into the early goings of this game, yet I am finding myself falling further and further into the on-rails like narrative. This may just be a convention of early game, but as a person picking up the series for the 1st time; it's well appreciated.

    Like I stated above; never played a single Persona game up until this. There is a nebulous sea of J-RPG's out there and myself and this series never crashed together. For me J-RPG's end up being socially jarring (American here), so the nuances of the game(s) are odd or awkward or mirror the same tropes every other J-RPG has done. Persona 5 does this, yet also bridges a gap that makes the product palatable and genuinely likeable; even when dealing with a hairy guy wearing nothing but a crown/cloak and pink speedo's.

    There's the art style which has already been talked about by everyone, but I would add that perhaps a better camera control could have been included. It's not god awful, but it's also a tad under satisfactory for my tastes. It makes taking in the world around a little poor and I wanted to see more than a tunnel-like view (perhaps a cinema-like option). The controls are fine though I would have liked a walk/run option. Having to use the very delicate joystick for it isn't great but i've dealt with worse. The music is J-RPG common fare, but it feels a lot like being swaddled in a comfy blanket. You know they are crafting a feeling to make you at ease or uncomfortable. Earworm quality is the best term for me, the music bores into your mind, which is fine by me I enjoy the soundtrack. I have caught myself humming the battle victory tune while doing things in real life.

    I've enjoyed my time so far. Solid game with a lot of things to get attached to.    … Expand
  10. OwtDaft
    May 10, 2018
    8
    + The story is very good but has some flaws.
    + You get to choose the protagonists responses at times and he does have a bit of back story.
    + The game has some great side stories. + It's fun trying to get as much done in a dungeon and in a single day, while conserving energy. + Out of dungeon parts are great, like past Persona games, but needed something new. + Deciding how to spend    + The story is very good but has some flaws.
    + You get to choose the protagonists responses at times and he does have a bit of back story.
    + The game has some great side stories.
    + It's fun trying to get as much done in a dungeon and in a single day, while conserving energy.
    + Out of dungeon parts are great, like past Persona games, but needed something new.
    + Deciding how to spend your day is a lot of fun and your given lots of options.
    + Choices made in your free time matter for improving character stats and building bonds.
    + The graphics are poor for a PS4 game but the games art direction more than makes up for it.
    + Dungeons aren't the same dull corridors of the past, though some dungeons still look a bit dull.
    + The music is great for the most part but the tracks while exploring dungeons are very repetitive.
    - Never been a big fan of silent protagonists and it makes the main character feel soul less.
    - Story is too structured, along with the dungeons which go though the same steps as past ones.
    - Lot of junk unnecessary dialogue. Explains obvious things which is really annoying in dungeons.
    - The stealth is a good idea but can be very frustrating with clunky controls and detection.
    - There is a randomly generated dungeon in this game which isn't very fun to explore as it's very dull.
    - Game over when the main character goes down is super infuriating, coupled with instadeath spells.    … Expand
  11. dtl
    Apr 24, 2017
    8
    While a little overrated, this game has a good sense of what it is trying to be. Essentially, this game is an anime, though with a significant amount of player involvement. The design of many of the areas of the game suboptimal, and sometimes poorly behaved, but it keeps pretty well to its style, and the fundamentals work pretty well.
  12. bulger_paul
    Jul 29, 2019
    8
    I'm 40 hours in and I get the sense that's I'm maybe only about halfway through, but I think 40 hours is more than enough time to know what I think of any game. Persona 5 is a game with a ridiculous amount of hidden depth, but the depth is not where its strengths lie, but in its characters, all of whom are more complex than they appear to be at first, and all of whom I wanted to get toI'm 40 hours in and I get the sense that's I'm maybe only about halfway through, but I think 40 hours is more than enough time to know what I think of any game. Persona 5 is a game with a ridiculous amount of hidden depth, but the depth is not where its strengths lie, but in its characters, all of whom are more complex than they appear to be at first, and all of whom I wanted to get to know. Merely having lots of options is not enough for me to make a game good. I know a game is good when there's a lot of options that I'm pained to choose between because I wish I could do everything. I want to spend time with all of the characters but there's only so many hours in the day and so many days in the week to schedule everything out.

    My only complaint is that a lot of the dialogue is extremely overwritten, which is a problem that pervades most JRPGs I've played, and anime I've seen in general. I mean seriously, every JRPG I've ever seen can write the crap out of practically any mundane occurrence, but it's definitely worth sitting through in this case because the characters are brimming with personality.

    Edit: I just finished the game last night at 110 hours. Geez this game is insanely long, and I think that the absurd length is heavily due to how overwritten so many of these scenes are. But like I said, when a game contains this much personality and hidden depth, the extreme length is worth it if you're up for it.    … Expand
  13. OllyNorton
    Mar 6, 2018
    8
    If I had reviewed this game at around 50 hours it would have been a 10. The game is beautiful, has many QoL improvements over Persona 4, and the sound design and music are exceptional. However after having completed the game, I found myself thinking it could have done with some astute editing.

    Text conversations, that happen throughout the game, become a chore as every single character    If I had reviewed this game at around 50 hours it would have been a 10. The game is beautiful, has many QoL improvements over Persona 4, and the sound design and music are exceptional. However after having completed the game, I found myself thinking it could have done with some astute editing.

    Text conversations, that happen throughout the game, become a chore as every single character has to have something to say. What was initially a cool way of recapping the plot becomes streams of unnecessary text. The plot, which was building up to a grand finale with a well developed if shadowy antagonist, takes a left turn for the final few hours. The resulting battles are epic, but the story didn't build to any of it. It almost feels like the game ends and then there is DLC added. A big grievance, that I can see no reason for, is that still If the main character gets downed (which in high level areas can happen with a few lucky strikes from an enemy) it's game over, all other characters can be revived but no if you get unlucky you're losing what can be up to an hour of progress in certain areas.

    I think Person 4 golden still stands as the series high water mark, the characters were more memorable, and the plot more personable. However Persona 5 is still a great game. If you have the time it is well worth exploring this world.    … Expand
  14. huiboy
    Jul 10, 2018
    8
    Good game- not amazing. I give it a 7 for enjoyment but an 8 for overall quality in art and polish. The story isn’t incredible but the bosses are very unique and interesting. It is also like one giant anime which is pretty cool. It goes up and down between being completely invested and then becomes dragging and boring. Halfway through the game and I don’t feel like I’m missing out if IGood game- not amazing. I give it a 7 for enjoyment but an 8 for overall quality in art and polish. The story isn’t incredible but the bosses are very unique and interesting. It is also like one giant anime which is pretty cool. It goes up and down between being completely invested and then becomes dragging and boring. Halfway through the game and I don’t feel like I’m missing out if I don’t finish it but I do want to just to see how it ends. Lots of time management that can get stressful so I recommend not worrying about efficiency on your first play through. Usually just when I get bored of daily life- it opens a new story arc and a dungeon that comes with it, which keeps me interested. I like the feeling of beating games, but since this will take a while, I’ll move on but I do suggest RPG enthusiasts to give this a try especially on a sale… Expand
  15. smahlt
    May 22, 2017
    8
    I bought this game on a whim from a friend's suggestion after having never played any Persona before. A week and a half later I had beaten the game and had a 75 hour save file. I could not tear myself away from it whenever I wasn't at work.

    The RPG elements are simple, and yet require strategy. The Persona capturing and fusion system is loads of fun. The story is gripping and the    I bought this game on a whim from a friend's suggestion after having never played any Persona before. A week and a half later I had beaten the game and had a 75 hour save file. I could not tear myself away from it whenever I wasn't at work.

    The RPG elements are simple, and yet require strategy. The Persona capturing and fusion system is loads of fun. The story is gripping and the real-world components where you raise your social stats and relationships is fun, though it's slow at times.

    One small reason this isn't a 10 is because the final couple palaces jump up too far in levels. If you play through the whole game normally, fighting all the enemies you see and clearing Mementos, you will still be underlevelled for them. A large reason why this isn't a 10 is because the final boss and story comes out of nowhere. I was extremely annoyed by how it seemed like the devs realized they needed to finish the game and pulled out the final boss out of nowhere. I would have given the game a 9.5/10, rounded up to 10, if the final palace segment was not there.    … Expand
  16. SuperkenGaming
    Jul 25, 2017
    8
    Persona 5
    A Bit Over Rated
    Everyone on the internet talks about Persona 5 like it’s the greatest thing to ever hit consoles.. and while this is a great game.. don’t quite believe the hype.. In Persona 5 you play a highschool stuident that gets framed for assult when he defends a woman from an abusive man, hes on probation and under watch while he attends highschool… youre the new kid    Persona 5
    A Bit Over Rated
    Everyone on the internet talks about Persona 5 like it’s the greatest thing to ever hit consoles..
    and while this is a great game.. don’t quite believe the hype..
    In Persona 5 you play a highschool stuident that gets framed for assult when he defends a woman from an abusive man, hes on probation and under watch while he attends highschool…
    youre the new kid in school with a bad boy reputation… here you meet some friends that are dealing with a horribly abusive gym teacher…
    and coincidentally enough you find a strange app on your phone and it takes you to some crazy castle that you learn is actually how this teacher perceives the school.
    youre in his palace… this palace is crawling with creatures known as shadows that keep its treasure guarded..
    that treasure being the targets heart..
    youre here to change it and make them confess their wrong doings..
    there are 8 palaces total in this game if you count mementos which is a grinding area that you can eventually visit any time…
    and as you progress the game new members will slowly join your party
    each of you has your own persona which is basically like a pokemon…
    you have to make your way through these maze like palaces in search for your treasure and not get caught by these shadows..
    if your meter reaches 100% and your target is aware of your presense its game over.. so its important to stealth around and attack from behind.. especially at the risk of losing hours of progress as the dungeons can be multiple hours long
    but there are save rooms in these dungeons just incase that you can fast travel to and from if you need a break or need to head back to the real world and stock up on more items…
    and again like pokemon this is turn based and each persona has strengths, weaknesses, and special moves you can use during battle that they learn as you level up..
    and your main character can even catch these shadows if you hit them with a weakness or weaken them to a point that they give up.. you then have to talk to them and tell them what they want to hear to remind them that they are personas as well…
    you can then take your captured personas and use them in battle, freely switch them in and out to find your enemies weakness.. or even combine them for new and more powerful personas up to your current level…
    the combat system here is actually nothing that special at all.. its flashy and cool at first.. but it gets dull pretty quickly..
    thankfully youre able to fast forward battle to make your party do basic physical attacks to not waste your sp which is used to pull off moves from your personas
    and each palace does end in a boss battle…
    but this dungeon crawling and persona battles isn’t all this game is about.. if it were persona 5 wouldn’t be special at all…
    its this with whats outside of these dungeons that makes this game so great..
    youre living life as a school kid..
    youre paying attention in class answering questions, youre studying and reading books to boost your stats, youre getting part time jobs for cash to spend on weapons and gear, increasing your kindness, and going to the bathhouse for more charm,
    but youre also meeting up with your teammates, going on dates, helping characters out to boost your bond which in turn boosts their terrot card stats to give you perks back in the metaverse
    it’s the balance of all of these things that make persona 5 a great game…
    none of these parts on their own are any great at all..
    I felt the story lost steam after the komoshida arch as he was a such a perfect villain…
    I legitimately hated him
    it starts to pick up again towards the middle of this 100 hour journey…
    but it doesn’t reach the height of this games first 10 hours…
    and the dungeons were never really fun and I grew bored of the combat after around 20 hours…
    it’s the back and forth of managing your time with the right activities and people that keep you hooked…
    Persona 5 I still believe isn’t as great as everyone makes it out to be…
    im not even really sure the type of player to recommend this to..
    the jrpg and social aspects mixed together make this game really special and something more than just a turn based combat game…
    I give Persona 5
    an 8.5/10    … Expand
  17. Phantomkid
    Jul 25, 2017
    8
    Person 5 is a game with waster potential, after playing over 100 hours into this game the flaws start showing itself. Persona 5 biggest flaw is it's narrative this being the third persona game to have it's characters gain their persona through circumstance it really drops the ball. compare it to 3 or 4 where 3 has characters have persona's but unable to use them until they battle enough orPerson 5 is a game with waster potential, after playing over 100 hours into this game the flaws start showing itself. Persona 5 biggest flaw is it's narrative this being the third persona game to have it's characters gain their persona through circumstance it really drops the ball. compare it to 3 or 4 where 3 has characters have persona's but unable to use them until they battle enough or 4 where the boss of each dungeon becomes a new persona user. Where 5 really feels lack luster is it trying to copy it's narrative of 4. Where 4 gave character motivations and showed how how each character was ashamed of part of who they are, while persona 5 has character get their persona by getting mad or fed up with something. The other problem is how the dungeon bosses have little to no personality to other being the most evil person alive with no redeemable qualities. But where persona 5 does shine is in it's game play the mechanics have been fine tuned and combat feels faster and more fun. Dungeon design is much more interesting with each dungeon feeling different from the last. While the game is easier making it better for newcomers to hop into the series it takes away some of the charm by doing so. This game hands out social links like candy, while other games you had to find them this one makes it easier to find and pretty noticeable to who will be a social link. This game is a good JRPG but a bad persona game, you play RPG's for the story and with a story as weak as this it's hard to say if it's worth playing, What makes this game above average is the gameplay, but if you don't care for gameplay then Persona 4 or 3 would be the better choice, but if it's important then this one over the other two.… Expand
  18. Stobek
    Dec 15, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is too long. Simple as that, and there are too many side characters that are completely irrelevant to everything and You don't even see some of them in the end cutscenes.
    The choices You make doesn't matter at all too. Even getting the girls just doesn't count at the end.

    Skill system is very good for modern jrpg, i really liked it, BUT there are way too many skilss and options You don't need to use, or use 4 times in whole game(skill card system for example).
    Skills liek confusions etc are totall waste of time too cause U cant use them against bosses, and normal monsters You beat easy anyway.

    There are at least 2 castles too much. I think harru character is unnecessary, You get her too late into a game too care for her, and nobody will care about some rich kid. Sad but true.
    The fat mafia kid castle is waste of time, it provides nothing for the plot.
    Cosmic rocket castle is so tedious and boring to do.

    Music is great, artwork is great.    … Expand
  19. Empyrea
    May 6, 2019
    8
    After 106 hours I've beaten this game so here goes my opinion. After almost 30 hours of reading everything I started skipping messages. So my advice would be to skip all the conversations that you want. I mean, I appreciate the effort on doing so many dialogues but in my opinion there are too many. I think this game would have been better if it was half shorter. Worst of this game is thatAfter 106 hours I've beaten this game so here goes my opinion. After almost 30 hours of reading everything I started skipping messages. So my advice would be to skip all the conversations that you want. I mean, I appreciate the effort on doing so many dialogues but in my opinion there are too many. I think this game would have been better if it was half shorter. Worst of this game is that you can't save whenever you want nor autosave so this is a big issue if you want to play this game and you don't have much free time. The battle system is like old rpg, such as FF or Dragon Quest (turn-based games) and you gain some techniques when you advance in the game. Another thing would be when you move hiding from one place to another and sometimes you can't properly hide and then the enemy see you. It's not a big deal but in makes you move more carefully than you should. About characters, always say yes even when appears the message saying the relationship is not growing deeper. This message is normal so don't avoid it like I did at first. It can get a bit boring after the first hours so I'd only recommend this game to rpgs lovers and people who likes animes.… Expand
  20. anarchonobody
    Apr 13, 2017
    8
    It’s impossible to overstate just how annoying the cat-sidekick Morgana is. It brings back visions of my teenage years, playing Ocarina of Time, and wanting to put my fist through my boob-tube TV every single time that stupid fairy Navi said anything. Morgana plays the same role as Navi in this game.. he/she/it (he, I guess) is intended to guide you through the game, he fulfills theIt’s impossible to overstate just how annoying the cat-sidekick Morgana is. It brings back visions of my teenage years, playing Ocarina of Time, and wanting to put my fist through my boob-tube TV every single time that stupid fairy Navi said anything. Morgana plays the same role as Navi in this game.. he/she/it (he, I guess) is intended to guide you through the game, he fulfills the Japanese requirement of diluting difficult adult situations with cuteness, but ultimately his sole purpose is to annoy the crap out of you. After Morgana introduces the ins-and-outs of dungeon crawling in the game, his value to you very quickly fades and he does nothing but comment on everything you do and will out-right refuse to let you do others. Want to buy something from the store? Morgana will ask you what you bought. Want to meet a friend after school? Morgana will make sure he knows. Answer a question correctly at school? Wanna use a melee attack instead of a ranged attack in battle? Morgana has a comment for those too. Wanna watch a DVD in your bedroom after a day of dungeon crawling… MORGANA WILL REFUSE TO LET YOU! I’d be perfectly fine if the protagonist said “I’m too tired to do anything” after a day of dungeon crawling… instead, we have a stupid cat tell us “Aren’t you too tired” or “Let’s not do that today” such that I’m back to wanting to put my fist through my TV.
    Stupid sidekick/guides ALWAYS ruin good games. Navi in Ocarina of Time, that stupid dog-thing in Ni no Kuni, the owl in Kings Quest 5…and there’s just never a compelling reason to include them other than a strange desire to make the protagonist a mute. Please, do the gaming community a favor and don’t overlook how annoying Morgana is. He literally turns a near perfect game to just a really good game.    … Expand
  21. MAFIAxMaverick
    Feb 6, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Perk of having the Flu - finally able to finish Persona 5. What an experience it was. I had never played a Persona game before, but I fellow RPG-loving friend told me this was the time to try it. I can't believe I'd never played this series before. The game was a blast, combat was a blast, collecting personas was a blast, and I enjoyed the story for the most part. I guess as someone who hasn't played the series before, I wasn't as blown away by Igor being imitated. And I felt as if the ending of the game in regards to the depths of Momentos, the final boss, and the build up to it was a bit underwhelming. But the journey to get there, what a ride.

    I really liked every character, save Ryuji outside of his confidant story line. It felt like the writers wanted him to just be the guy that messed everything up. I really wanted to like the character, especially after his personal arc, but I just did not like the way he was written.

    My only other complaint, which I also had for Xenoblade Chronicles 2, is the blatant womanizing, and using women as sex symbols. I get this is supposed to be about high schoolers, and I remember some of the stuff I did in high school. But the freaking out every time the girls were in bathing suits, staring, making this painfully obvious that there was some sexual tension or something, is just a big turn off for me in games. Honestly, it bothered me even more than the option to romance grown adults.

    Definitely love the series save a few things and I definitely want to go back and play some of the prior installations now that I've got P5 under my belt.    … Expand
  22. ByYuxiSs
    Apr 11, 2017
    8
    At last I get this game and it is an incredible vice that did not give me time to give it a score.
    "This game is practically excellent" if not for:
    In itself is an incredible Jrpg full of epic moments, a very mature and fairly decent story and quite good gameplay. The problem in itself is that the game is not translated into Spanish or Latin which to understand the history of this in    At last I get this game and it is an incredible vice that did not give me time to give it a score.
    "This game is practically excellent" if not for:
    In itself is an incredible Jrpg full of epic moments, a very mature and fairly decent story and quite good gameplay.
    The problem in itself is that the game is not translated into Spanish or Latin which to understand the history of this in itself is somewhat difficult.
    My review is 8/10    … Expand
  23. dr0nzer
    May 18, 2019
    8
    Picked this game up because of the reviews, it's not what I expected, it's pretty much a high school simulator and one giant 90+hour anime show, the story is really captivating but it did take me around 20hour mark to really get invested, i got to admit, that despite that i still skipped large parts of the text, it's just wayyyyy too much and wayyy too long to read, I came to play a game,Picked this game up because of the reviews, it's not what I expected, it's pretty much a high school simulator and one giant 90+hour anime show, the story is really captivating but it did take me around 20hour mark to really get invested, i got to admit, that despite that i still skipped large parts of the text, it's just wayyyyy too much and wayyy too long to read, I came to play a game, not a read an encyclopedia.

    It's my first persona game, was easy to pick up and follow, has a lengthy tutorial (approx 8 hours) as it walks you through everything in practice and stages, freedom doesn't kick in until after this.
    Not entirely a fan of the "normal life" part of the game and there is a metric crap ton of dialogue... otherwise the depth the game, it's story, the characters and world is truly amazing.    … Expand
  24. Malus_
    Apr 4, 2017
    8
    Summary:
    Overly verbose script, unsteady tone, uneven character development, and limited changes to core mechanics weigh down an otherwise lovable sequel
    Preface: I’m a huge Persona fan, and I like Persona 5. A lot. I’ve spent over 140 hours playing since the Japanese launch. That said, as much as I like Persona 5, I don’t love it to the degree that I expected to or wanted to. The    Summary:
    Overly verbose script, unsteady tone, uneven character development, and limited changes to core mechanics weigh down an otherwise lovable sequel

    Preface:
    I’m a huge Persona fan, and I like Persona 5. A lot. I’ve spent over 140 hours playing since the Japanese launch.

    That said, as much as I like Persona 5, I don’t love it to the degree that I expected to or wanted to. The uncritical praise with which the game has been showered with, left me feeling like I should speak out.

    As I’ll be focusing on what I didn’t like, I’d advise readers to think of this as a companion to, and not a replacement for, the many positive reviews out there.

    Music/Presentation/Combat
    Absolutely Excellent.

    Graphics:
    While the graphics are serviceable, and the beautiful art style helps to create a compelling world, the inability of the 3D models to convey convincing fascial expression is problematic. The 2D portrait art during dialog scenes is nice, but feels like a crutch. Such a distinctly limited range of facial expression feels dated, even on the PS3. Somehow the game actually looks worse than Atlus’s Catherine, whose expressive faces somehow manage to outshine of Persona 5’s half a decade later.

    Gameplay:
    As I have a lot to say here I’m going to utilize a bullet point format to highlight what I feel are the biggest problems.
    1. Dialog choices in social links still amount to nothing more than a simple game of choosing the correct answer to get the most points, with no lasting impact.
    2. Freedom is often restricted and it gets incredibly old being told to just “go to sleep” so you can listen to more dialog the next day, for days in a row.
    3. No hidden characters, hard to access social links, colds, random events, and quite frankly, limited replay value as a result.
    4. Poorly scaled difficulty with “normal” being easy, while hard is absolutely punishing. Oh, and no trophy for beating the game on hard.
    5. You can still date all the girls with virtually no repercussions, totally breaking the immersion. If Atlus could do it in Persona 3, there’s no reason that they couldn’t at least create a rational risk/reward dynamic for dating more than one person a decade later.

    Story:
    It’s not that the story’s bad (I enjoyed it a lot), but that it feels undercooked, features uneven character development, and is held back tonally by its predecessors while featuring poor pacing.

    The Script:
    The first problem is that Persona’s 5 script is incredibly verbose to the point of excess. Dialog, the majority of which is still text based, often feels repetitive, like a dog chasing its own tail. With better editing, I feel like the same story could have been told with around 1/3 less text.

    While hardcore fans may not care, this makes the game tedious at times, and much less accessible to newcomers.

    Perhaps the most unfortunate casualty of the script is that Hifumi Togo, a social link who was supposed to be a playable character, but had to be cut because the game was already “too long.”

    Character Development:
    For a game about building relationships, the social links for half of the main cast leave a lot to be desired. While Yusuke, Futaba, and, to a lesser extent Haru all have interesting arcs, Ann and Makoto are both bland, while Ryuji comes off as marginal at best.

    Still the game has a large number of reasonably strong and memorable supporting social links, which help to make up for this, although I’d still say overall quality isn’t up to Persona 4

    Tone:
    Persona 5 obviously struggles under the weight of the previous games. On the one hand, it wants to be dark and provocative like Persona 3, on the other, it wants to be fun and lighthearted like Persona 4. Unfortunately, by trying to have their cake and eat it too, the developers have created a game that is often (but not always) tonally flat.

    This is highlighted early on when a talking cat mascot joins your party (light hearted), followed by an attempted suicide (dark), to which characters react with a limited emotional range unbefitting of the situation (tonally flat).

    Pacing:
    A major reveal is made in what is literally the last 1-2 hours of the game. The story could, and IMO, should have continued for another 10+ hours, but instead just ends.
    Also, a certain someone’s research is hinted to be very important throughout the game, and yet by the time the credits role, the player still knows almost nothing about it.

    Conclusion:
    If you’ve made it this far, you might come away thinking I hated the game. I didn’t! I love the game in spite of its flaws, but have been annoyed by coverage which has just flat out glossed over them. I feel like with just a little more spit, polish, ingenuity, and time Persona 5 could’ve been one of the best games of the generation. Instead it ends up being a serviceable sequel to Persona 4, but so much less than it could’ve been.    … Expand
  25. JanekDelux
    Jul 20, 2021
    8
    Great game. Story is fantastic and really fun. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I won’t mention it too much. The gameplay is the best part of the game. It’s one of few rpgs I’ve played that you can participate in everyday life of characters and I really enjoyed that.
    Speaking of characters, they are one of the best I’ve seen in a RPG game. They all have interesting stories and are    Great game. Story is fantastic and really fun. I don’t want to give any spoilers so I won’t mention it too much. The gameplay is the best part of the game. It’s one of few rpgs I’ve played that you can participate in everyday life of characters and I really enjoyed that.
    Speaking of characters, they are one of the best I’ve seen in a RPG game. They all have interesting stories and are different from one another. Overall, I highly recommend. PS: Makoto is the best girl :*

    8.9/10    … Expand
  26. belody42
    Jun 3, 2019
    8
    A great game for sure, one of the best jrpgs of all time, but coming to 5 after 3 and 4 I was left both satisfied and unsatisfied. The gameplay and visuals are definitely a step up from the last games, being that they were on the ps2 and this game is simply a straight-up upgrade on those elements of the game, with an incredible art style that extends to even the UI, and the combat isA great game for sure, one of the best jrpgs of all time, but coming to 5 after 3 and 4 I was left both satisfied and unsatisfied. The gameplay and visuals are definitely a step up from the last games, being that they were on the ps2 and this game is simply a straight-up upgrade on those elements of the game, with an incredible art style that extends to even the UI, and the combat is faster and more engaging than ever, with much more interesting dungeons, although some drag on a bit too long. However, the story and characters were the main thing that disappointed me. There is a reason people say persona 3 has the best story, 4 has the best characters and 5 has the best gameplay. Without spoilers, a lot of characters are rather one-dimensional and either boring or vaguely annoying and the plot is villain-of-the-week-esque with slight building up for the final act every now and then, and the middle section of the game is especially plodding. I loved the cast of persona 4 as though they were my real friends and the story of 3 is unforgettable. I entered 5 with too high of expectations I suppose, but compared to those games, for me at least, I was disappointed, which is a shame since those were the parts of the past games that made me love them so much, more so than the gameplay itself. Overall, it is still a great game, one of the best jrpgs ever made, but depending on why you love persona this game will either be your favourite or least favourite of 3-5.… Expand
  27. RegularNormal
    Aug 5, 2017
    8
    This game is pretty sick, but definitely over hyped. The story is kind of underwhelming and the game play is just above average. It does have style, however you will hear one battle song for the entirety of the game excluding the final boss, if I remember correctly...and it will drive you insane. Admittedly, I've only played P5 and P3 so I don't think I can be called a SMT expert orThis game is pretty sick, but definitely over hyped. The story is kind of underwhelming and the game play is just above average. It does have style, however you will hear one battle song for the entirety of the game excluding the final boss, if I remember correctly...and it will drive you insane. Admittedly, I've only played P5 and P3 so I don't think I can be called a SMT expert or anything like that. The game might make Persona lovers happy...but I don't really understand the hype.… Expand
  28. zeyad600
    Aug 29, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is the best JRPG of 2017, unless you want to count FFXV as a 2017 release. There are few things in Persona 5 that I didn't necessarily hate, but they were kind of disappointing. Pros and Cons listed below:

    Pros-

    The characters in this game, mainly your playable characters are all designed very thoroughly and actually do have depth unlike many JRPGs in the past. Some of the them remind you of close friends and family and by building your confidant relationship with them, you get to dig deeper into them in their own side stories. Persona 5 was meant to have just as much realism as any typical Japanese student's life today, and by playing, you the player will choose who your best friends and family are and not only what you say in every social situation.

    Music is definitely some of the best in an RPG, and many things in the game teach you about Japanese culture.

    Battle System and Personas in this game are also very complex and help the player learn and grow. Fusing personas is fun and rewarding and you have types on top of types of persona (similar to Pokemon) that aid you in your fight. You can also use fire arms to exploit weaknesses and cause hold ups.

    The Plot of the game takes quite a while to get started but once it does, it becomes quite interesting and exciting, the Phantom Thieves go through many struggles and overcome obstacles in their own private spots to gain the favor of the general public time and time again, so not only do they have their "Power Rangers" style during the metaverse but they also use knowledge and wit in real life. There are also some of the best plot twists in a JRPG that rival past installments.

    Cons-

    The Game is simply too long and that does not mix very well with the battle system at all. Thinking as a developer, I would want my game to be quite lengthy but there does exist a balance between how long a game the fans want it to be and how long it should be. JRPGs are known to be quite long to begin with but Persona 5 could very well take 200 full hours of play time to finish.

    Battle System yet again is not bad, there are guns, there are Personas and there are regular attacks as well and all your other basic RPG fundamentals. However, with how long this game actually is, Personas start to dominate the battle system by a lot to the point where they completely take over. Hold Ups are really cool and all but do I really have to see the same Victory pose art of each character over and over? The fights are very likely to become way too repetitive and you'll find yourself ending each one with: Persona, Weakness, Hold up, Victory Art, done. There could have been other ways to finish a fight other than a Hold Up into all out attack. Maybe Special attacks could have been present and made the system even more unique.

    The weakest part of this game are enemies and bosses. The enemies are your Personas so thats understandable seeing as how there is a taming aspect to this game with rules and limitations. But the bosses and mini bosses (Mementos Requests) are a pathetic excuse (Incoming Tales Bosses). They're absolutely horrible: A piggy bank boss, A painting boss? As soon as you see these two, you will guess what the next ones will be because of the Person's Palace. If that's not the worst part, one of them is literally a bunch of the same enemies until he runs out of enemies to use and loses because of it. Pretty much, bosses were probably fillers which is very disappointing.

    To sum up, for the most part it's a great game but it looks as though more should have went to the fights and bosses and there probably wasn't enough time for that.    … Expand
  29. IIIAHMIII
    Dec 2, 2021
    8
    You can't complete requests at cetrain points in the game. Or if you missed 1 **** text message you miss a complete request Im already on my 4th playtrough and 3 times in a row did i miss a request it is such utter bull shi this system. Not only that is the problem. Persona's from my list have been deleted. The hope diamond and satan from the death arcana are gone. Also making me have toYou can't complete requests at cetrain points in the game. Or if you missed 1 **** text message you miss a complete request Im already on my 4th playtrough and 3 times in a row did i miss a request it is such utter bull shi this system. Not only that is the problem. Persona's from my list have been deleted. The hope diamond and satan from the death arcana are gone. Also making me have to find it again and fuse it in another **** playtrough. FIX YOUR GAME… Expand
  30. QuisaLeah
    Jul 30, 2018
    8
    You can play this for hours and have none of your decisions really matter right up until the game throws a "bad end" at you, and suddenly to are panicked questioning everything you have done for the last hundred hours. The pacing is slow, characters are forever repeating things they just told you. The story can feel predictable, but the characters are real enough to balance that. It looksYou can play this for hours and have none of your decisions really matter right up until the game throws a "bad end" at you, and suddenly to are panicked questioning everything you have done for the last hundred hours. The pacing is slow, characters are forever repeating things they just told you. The story can feel predictable, but the characters are real enough to balance that. It looks good, though I wonder what they could have done if it didn't also release on the older PS3.… Expand
  31. Laffn14
    Feb 20, 2018
    8
    Persona 4 golden got me hooked on the series, and Persona 5 follow up on its brilliansy. An interesting story, exiting characters and a good battles system. You can clearly see that the developers wanted to make this game good, which is more than i can say for some people, *cough, cough Ea, cough cough. But even tho its gets a lot of praise from me, and deservingly so, the reason why IPersona 4 golden got me hooked on the series, and Persona 5 follow up on its brilliansy. An interesting story, exiting characters and a good battles system. You can clearly see that the developers wanted to make this game good, which is more than i can say for some people, *cough, cough Ea, cough cough. But even tho its gets a lot of praise from me, and deservingly so, the reason why I gave it a 8/10 in stead of a 10/10 is due to two small things.

    The cover system is garbage. Its harder to snap out of cover than winning the lottery twice, plus im not the biggest fan of the cover system as a hold.

    The palaces can be fun, but sometimes ending up as repetitive.

    Plus the characters, although being very good, just lacks that tiny bit of charm and spark that persona 4 golden had. For example Ryuji is annoying due to his rebellious style, Yusuke is incredibly naive when it comes to knowing what to say and when.

    But i will end on a high note. Im pretty dure that if Persona 6 gets realeased I can promise you exiting characters , a great battle system, and a interesting story.    … Expand
  32. MNCC0210
    Jun 23, 2020
    8
    Playing this game was quite an experience. It was mostly positive but it does suffer from some major flaws that hinder the gameplay experience quite significantly. I will start with the good things.

    I would say that the best part of this game is the music. The soundtrack in general elevates the game and carries most of the flaws very significantly. With the music comes the overall style    Playing this game was quite an experience. It was mostly positive but it does suffer from some major flaws that hinder the gameplay experience quite significantly. I will start with the good things.

    I would say that the best part of this game is the music. The soundtrack in general elevates the game and carries most of the flaws very significantly. With the music comes the overall style of this game. It is very memorable, it will stay in your mind and you will remember what persona V is because of the amount of style, be in in the artstyle, the way the story progresses and the Japan and anime style in general. It is very interesting to see how the game touches subjects like the darkness of human psyche within the context of anime and how it mixes with the innocence of a high school context.

    The gameplay is fun, with a good flow and ratio of exploring, character development and combat. Combat gets fun once you understand all the mechanics and once your character develops according to your style and your likes. There quite a lot of side quests and side story to accomplish depending on who you end up liking and what you like doing on the game. Some of the mechanics nicely interconnect. I found myself wanting to increase certain character stats to have access to some character stories or to be able to do a certain action within the world.

    The world itself is also quite intriguing. I want to go to Japan and visit all these places just from what I saw while playing this game. The amount of cultural references and art style in general makes it so that you get a clear impression of how uniquely strange and fascinating Japanese Culture is. The fact that personas are representations of symbology from different religions and visions around the world is fascinating. There is quite a lot of research in theology and psychology that goes into this game and it is quite noticeable if you know about these subjects.

    The characters are quite likable and in some cases even relatable. I found myself wanting to get to know some of them, not only because of the in game bonuses developing my relationship with them would provide, but also because their story is compelling and complex, and representative of something much bigger. Some of the moments and the dialogue would make me laugh out loud and other moments would make me sad and invested, This is something that the game does extremely well.

    Now with what I thought were the negatives from this game. I found that the number one flaw this game suffers from is its length. By the end, this game stretches out for far too long for its own good. Even though the progression is good and you do feel you get stronger and stronger and what happens gets you invested, there are some palaces that feel that were crammed into the game just to get them in there. Some of the villains are not as interesting or well developed as others. I like how the game takes you from fixing smaller problems to massive ones but it definitely takes you too long to get you there. I have had very few gaming experiences in which I wanted the game to end already but it just would not. It gives you the impression that it is gonna end too many times just for it to stretch out for 5 or 10 more hours, and it became quite a hustle to finish.

    This actually lowered the score significantly for me, since its length and its unwillingness to just end caused me to actually be annoyed by playing a game I had enjoyed for 80 or more hours and just wanting to finish it to not waste all these hours and actually getting to see the end of what started out as a very good and interesting story. I know games nowadays try to give you a lot of story and gameplay, but sometimes this is just not necessary.

    Another major flaw this game suffers from is the lack of freedom at times. I would feel trapped very often with no choice but to just read endless amount of dialogue, especially after finishing a boss fight and a palace. Even though the game is linear and the days system is necessary, there were some times that I could not even do a slightly different thing for half an hour several times during gameplay. I could not even save my game because I HAD to be reading the dialogue and see what happened during the game. I wanted to do something different and I found myself having to play 10 game days before I could do anything different than what the game wanted me to do. This felt annoying at times since sometimes you have to stop playing to do something else and the game just does not give you that option.

    Some characters also feel unnecessarily crammed into the game. Some members of the Phantoms thieves felt like they had very little business being there, I found myself not caring for some of the people in the group as much as Ann or Ryuji for example. Same goes with bosses and villains, some were inevitably evil and cool, while others were just not important or relevant enough.

    Very good game but not at all perfect.    … Expand
  33. Malakia
    Apr 21, 2018
    8
    Solid old-school turn-based JRPG with interesting story, great character design, and stylish visuals. Easily the best entry in the Persona series so far, it offers an insane amount of content (you can easily spend 80 hours on the main story alone) and replayability thanks to the confidants' system and the addicting process of obtaining and fusing Personas together in order to "catch 'emSolid old-school turn-based JRPG with interesting story, great character design, and stylish visuals. Easily the best entry in the Persona series so far, it offers an insane amount of content (you can easily spend 80 hours on the main story alone) and replayability thanks to the confidants' system and the addicting process of obtaining and fusing Personas together in order to "catch 'em all". Once again, Atlus proves that JRPGs aren't a dying genre and that we could definitely use more high-quality ones on the market.… Expand
  34. Fairbottom
    May 23, 2018
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is great if you've ever wanted to commit mass atrocities against some inscrutable minority group without feeling any pangs of guilt. The game calls them shadows or some such, I don't know, I had trouble following the story. Also, there's a weird eugenics program for personae. I find the constant weeding out of the weaker, enervating elements from your personae-herrenvolk really tedious.

    On a more positive note, the aesthetic choices made by the game designers are spot on. Usually genocidal warfare against vulnerable populations is depicted too drably.    … Expand
  35. BlackLotus
    Jul 10, 2020
    8
    Awesome game. Easily put in 100 hours. Just wish I could of done everything before doing new game +
  36. Darkhaund
    Mar 22, 2020
    8
    A very well and solid JRPG. Great story, likable characters, fun combat system, an upbeat soundtrack and plenty to do will keep you occupied with this game for hours to come. If you are a fan of the Persona series, this is a must play.
  37. GrafvMD
    Sep 19, 2018
    8
    Good game with a lot of story and some fighting. in my opinion, it's a little too much "bla bla" in the dialogues, making the game feel longer than it is.
  38. Jojonut
    Nov 19, 2018
    8
    This is an EXTREMELY long game. If you have time and you want a bang for your buck, then this game is what you are looking for. This game is designed very well, it has this comic art style that is consistent in every part of the game (ex: menu system, battle system, etc). The characters and the relationship system is complicated and offers a LOT of possibilities and will demand many hoursThis is an EXTREMELY long game. If you have time and you want a bang for your buck, then this game is what you are looking for. This game is designed very well, it has this comic art style that is consistent in every part of the game (ex: menu system, battle system, etc). The characters and the relationship system is complicated and offers a LOT of possibilities and will demand many hours of your time, but it was fun seeing how the characters interact, going through day to day life and influencing your characters life and those around him. The first couple of dungeons were engaging, but mid-game it started to get repetitive and gruelling. The underground subway side dungeon was extremely frustrating, I absolutely dreaded going through it, because save points are far and few in between. Punishment for dying or not being able to sit there for hours on end playing is being pushed back down 5-10 floors and start the trek up all over again...The music is my favourite part in this game. It is absolutely addicting, upbeat and vibrant, I was totally jamming to it while playing. The story is not bad, but not memorable. It definitely doesn't live up to the previous Personas. If you are going to get this game, I would say put aside a lot of time and patience for it.… Expand
  39. TJ_of_Carolina
    Feb 8, 2020
    8
    Gameplay and persona fusion is exciting and remains so throughout, at times the game felt too easy compared to the earlier persona games, sometimes not really requiring strategy. but it does get progressively harder. The music is phenomenal and is the best part of the game. The story starts off strong with Kamoshida, a well written villain with great buildup, but the quality of the writingGameplay and persona fusion is exciting and remains so throughout, at times the game felt too easy compared to the earlier persona games, sometimes not really requiring strategy. but it does get progressively harder. The music is phenomenal and is the best part of the game. The story starts off strong with Kamoshida, a well written villain with great buildup, but the quality of the writing drops off from there and gets gradually worse. Character portrais are fun to look at and the UI is stylish. The voice acting is generally wonderful even if the script isn't as great, the most well acted character is definitely Ryuji, certain lines were so great that I found myself replaying them in the audio log. The game has some very useful quality of life features such as an a dialogue log you can access in case you missed something or to just replay lines if you want to, and you can fast forward dialogue.… Expand
  40. M3G4L
    Sep 15, 2022
    8
    One of the most memorable JRPGs of the generation. The unique art style and fun gameplay that is based on the Shin Megami Tensei series, of the most acclaimed turn-based games, make it an experience that would turn any new person in the RPG sphere into an aspiring fanatic of the Persona series and open its doors to more games of the genre. The only thing keeping its score at an 8 is itsOne of the most memorable JRPGs of the generation. The unique art style and fun gameplay that is based on the Shin Megami Tensei series, of the most acclaimed turn-based games, make it an experience that would turn any new person in the RPG sphere into an aspiring fanatic of the Persona series and open its doors to more games of the genre. The only thing keeping its score at an 8 is its storytelling not being as interesting as the other Persona games.… Expand
  41. DengKevin
    May 26, 2020
    8
    I didn't like the beginning of the game because it took forever to feel like I was actually playing the game. I wish there was voice acting besides the few words and sounds. Music is nice to listen to. I've got to I think the 3rd castle, and wish I had P5 Royal
  42. SHiiK3n
    Apr 20, 2019
    8
    My first persona game, And what a game it was, Fun daily activities, Great final boss of every dungeon, Music is awesome, Good characters and a good story, But its way to loooooong i hated entering a new dungeon since like dungeon 3.
  43. StarsWitch
    Feb 3, 2020
    8
    I really love the persona series, and seeing this one on the current gen is just amazing, it's really fun and stylish, absolutely amazing
  44. Shimmeywill
    Apr 3, 2020
    8
    Best UI design and music in the industry. Some characters are charming. Core gameplay is ok and story is passable.
  45. tec
    Jun 21, 2020
    8
    A really good JRPG. Gorgegous art/visuals, decent VA, a outstanding soundtrack and a gripping story (if you´re into japanese culture). People never playing Persona before (like me) could have problems with the system though, you´re a student and every passing day could potentialy mean a missed opportunity while there is so much to explore, you´re set to missing content if you´re without aA really good JRPG. Gorgegous art/visuals, decent VA, a outstanding soundtrack and a gripping story (if you´re into japanese culture). People never playing Persona before (like me) could have problems with the system though, you´re a student and every passing day could potentialy mean a missed opportunity while there is so much to explore, you´re set to missing content if you´re without a guide. The gamplay consists roughly about 50/40/10% of dialouges/fights/preperation. Give it a try, you probably wont be dissapointed.… Expand
  46. Magenta1991
    Nov 14, 2019
    8
    La música maravillosa, la presentación hermosa y el gameplay dinámico sobrellevan el videojuego en su totalidad de una forma que rara vez vemos en el mundo de los videojuegos. Lamentablemente el brillo se va perdiendo después del primer capitulo y jamas repunta. Aún así el camino hacia el abismo es divertido y merecedor de jugarse solo por el placer de coleccionar y fusionar personas paraLa música maravillosa, la presentación hermosa y el gameplay dinámico sobrellevan el videojuego en su totalidad de una forma que rara vez vemos en el mundo de los videojuegos. Lamentablemente el brillo se va perdiendo después del primer capitulo y jamas repunta. Aún así el camino hacia el abismo es divertido y merecedor de jugarse solo por el placer de coleccionar y fusionar personas para complementar la estrategia del equipo o reformar una nueva en base a tus nuevos atributos. La historia es mejorable y deja de lado muchos aspectos que prometían explorar al principio.… Expand
  47. Ambimunch
    Nov 29, 2019
    8
    In short, Persona 5 accomplishes two things: (1) it re-imagines turn based combat and evolves it to be fun/fast/stylish/and strategic in todays's modern gaming landscape, and (2) it delivers a unique story that is aimed at mature audiences with well written characters that are believable and fun to befriend throughout the course of this 100h+ journey! While the game has its slow monotonousIn short, Persona 5 accomplishes two things: (1) it re-imagines turn based combat and evolves it to be fun/fast/stylish/and strategic in todays's modern gaming landscape, and (2) it delivers a unique story that is aimed at mature audiences with well written characters that are believable and fun to befriend throughout the course of this 100h+ journey! While the game has its slow monotonous parts, overall Persona 5 is the new standard for AAA JRPGs in terms of quality and volume of content, and a representation of video games that are considered art thanks to its amazing style and presentation. 8/10… Expand
  48. Rainpresis
    Jul 25, 2020
    8
    Great Game, overall design from characters until music are very nice. A good update on JRPG style.

    A little bit to long, more than should.
  49. Alentejano
    Aug 9, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Persona 5 is amazing but it's also extremely flawed. To start with the good: this game is incredibly stylized. Everything from the dynamic menu screens, your phone, the clinic's and airsoft shop's menu's to combat finishing moves(the all-out attacks, each one amazing, unique and loyal to the character's personality, they are also really pleasant to look at) is an exercise in innovation.
    The music is up there with Nier: Automata as the best. Every track is perfectly used and the creates the right mood. "Rivers in the Desert" and "Life will change" are the best tracks but every palace theme is perfect to its palace theme making them even more fun to explore. Some of the best moments in the game include listening to the lyrics to "Life will change" for the first time and "Rivers in the Desert" being used as the battle theme in Shido's fight.
    The turn-base combat is actually fun and the "persona system" includes a good amount of personas with great character design most of the time and a good amount of abilities. The social aspect is related to the personas and the combat and that is a great decision since it motivates to get to know these characters' stories and sorting out what you should do and who you want to hang out with is engaging.
    The characters are a bit hit or miss. Mostly they are good or great, but they can have really bad scenes: Makoto's stupid decision to go after a mafia boss, Ryuji is always revealing that they are the phantom thieves, Yusuke's introduction (wanting to paint Ann nude), Haru's lack of screen time and importance, almost everything Morgana does or says and Mishima's fixation with the group. While playing the game this tends to not matter anymore since you spend more time with the characters and grow to love each one (Yusuke and Ryuji are the best ones).
    The voice acting is just perfect especially Ryuji and the character design for each phantom thief is stylish.
    Here comes the not so great parts:
    The story overall has lots of problems but does lots of things right...but the copious amount of exposition, bad or repetitive dialogue in some earlier sections, cartoonishly evil moments (Shido's and Akechi's dialogue), the entirety of the Okumura's palace/Morgana's tantrum and the pointless flashbacks are not even close to being decent. With that out of the way we can get to the good part again: the story is really good, a bit simplistic (society, society, society, rotten adults) but the game doesn't have a very serious tone so it's more acceptable. Each palace is fun to explore, contains a good amount of symbolism in its architecture and interesting persona fights, including the final boss... except the Okumura one, that's just **** enemies,"quests" and boring puzzles leading to the worst boss fight (all of this plus Morgana's tantrum just steal Haru's spotlight). All in all Sae and Futaba have the best and second best palaces and "Price" and "Whims of fate" are the best palace themes. Almost every palace is amazing. The last section in mementos is also really great: going through this area full of strong enemies is a great build-up to the Holy Grail reveal that leads to the second best scene in the game (the gang disappearing). Next comes a series of amazing fights against raphael and company leading to the best fight in the game against Yaldabaoth (Akechi's fight is more meaningful and difficult and Sae's is the most aesthetically pleasing with the roulette stuff) that is both difficult and fun due to the seven deadly sins. Then when you loose, all your confidants cheer you on as you literally use the power of friendship and free Arsène's chains to summon Satanael and in the best scene in the game you use your gun and Satanael fires a single bullet that shatters Yaldabaoth's head (great use of both slow motion, silence and sound design), great camera work as the camera comes through Yaldabaoth's head while focusing on the cloudy skies (great use of color with the yellowish/redish skies contrast with Satanael's blueish "awakening"). After that basically comes having to say goodbye to the characters you grow to love and letting your friends drive you home.
    Persona 5 is stunning but inconsistent, it has around 80 hours of greatness, 20 hours of just good stuff and 20 hours of mediocrity. With that being said it still is among the best games of its genre and a great game.    … Expand
  50. SnaZzyDotEXE
    May 6, 2021
    8
    + great sound track
    + actually enjoyable turn based combat
    + great visuals, art style and UI + decent characters + by far the best dungeons in the series. massive step up from the tv world and tartarus + enjoyable gameplay loop - bland dialogue between characters - some characters are introduced too late to finish their social links or for them to fully have a character arc -    + great sound track
    + actually enjoyable turn based combat
    + great visuals, art style and UI
    + decent characters
    + by far the best dungeons in the series. massive step up from the tv world and tartarus
    + enjoyable gameplay loop

    - bland dialogue between characters
    - some characters are introduced too late to finish their social links or for them to fully have a character arc
    - cheesy story. i would be pretty indifferent to it but there is this one line which morgana says towards the end of the final boss which just completely changed my view on it. you know it when you hear it; its cringey af.
    - *slight spoiler about how something is not really that important but is made out to be*
    the whole morgana running away part did not have the intended effect at all and just seemed like a cheap way to introduce Haru. felt really random and out of character for him.
    - game does take quite a while to take off honestly. personally i found the first few hours kind of boring
    - due to the sheer length of the game, its hard to revisit. personally i love short and concise games, and i find that i am much more likely to revisit them, even if there is no need to. as much as i would like to replay persona 5, i doubt i will for a very long time. i finished the game in around 80 hours, which is slightly quicker than the 100 that most people have said to have beat the game in, but even then 80 hours is not something i would want to throw away into a game i have already played. also i played this game a couple of years ago, this is all from memory. i really do not want to spend another 80 hours playing this, despite it being a good game.    … Expand
  51. Duncs12345
    Aug 16, 2020
    8
    The story seemed really cool but I just couldn’t keep playing it... I tried several times but eventually gave up.
  52. Burattix54
    Jun 26, 2020
    8
    Making turn based rpgs fun is hard, but Atlus got it right. just great.
    Only annoying thing is the sometimes cheesy and tropey dialogue, with the usual lines about friendship and justice you always see in mediocre anime. There are still great plot sections and character moments.
  53. INU4SH4
    Jun 23, 2020
    8
    First things first, as a sequel, is Persona 5 as good as Persona 4 Golden? Not really. Does that matter? Nope. Persona 5 is a fantastic game and a must-play PS4 JRPG fan. If you own a PS4 and you haven't played this one yet, what are you waiting for? Let's jump to the actual review right away.

    Persona 5's presentation is beautiful, the game is super aesthetic and the developers really    First things first, as a sequel, is Persona 5 as good as Persona 4 Golden? Not really. Does that matter? Nope. Persona 5 is a fantastic game and a must-play PS4 JRPG fan. If you own a PS4 and you haven't played this one yet, what are you waiting for? Let's jump to the actual review right away.

    Persona 5's presentation is beautiful, the game is super aesthetic and the developers really used its theme to perfection. The gameplay is just as good and even improved the already perfect P4G gameplay. Excellent voice acting and finally the option to play with the Japanese audio. I also loved the soundtrack as much as every other Persona's soundtrack.

    The things I did not like about this game were some of the party members not being very memorable or interesting unlike all of the P4G cast and some details about the story. But that isn't really a deal-breaker. This game is one of the finest in the whole series and I'm happy it brought more new members to the community. including people who didn't even like JRPGs before. The game is that good and accessible.    … Expand
  54. meenarstotzka
    Jun 22, 2020
    8
    Gameplay : 9/10
    Graphic : 7.5/10
    Story : 7/10 Audio/Soundtrack : 9/10 Persona 5 has great concepts/ideas and somewhat "decent" execution. It's the first Persona game I've played following by Persona 3 and Persona 4. Persona 5 starts off strong but as the game's story progress it starts to fall apart. Persona 5 story was stuck between "serious" and "funny" in some parts it want itself    Gameplay : 9/10
    Graphic : 7.5/10
    Story : 7/10
    Audio/Soundtrack : 9/10

    Persona 5 has great concepts/ideas and somewhat "decent" execution. It's the first Persona game I've played following by Persona 3 and Persona 4. Persona 5 starts off strong but as the game's story progress it starts to fall apart. Persona 5 story was stuck between "serious" and "funny" in some parts it want itself to be serious but also want itself to be funny (with anime tropes) this is the biggest cons point in the game. They tackle current social issues (Sexual Harassment, Corruption, Plagiarism, etc.) but instead of make them thoughtful and push these issues to the ultimate climax, they (ATLUS) choose easy way.    … Expand
  55. ProGamesPlayer
    Jun 25, 2020
    8
    The game play is good i like it. The story is good and is fun to play through. Overall a must for me.
  56. Cingleon
    Nov 27, 2021
    8
    -2 poins. For what? FOR THE EXLUSIVE. WTF. It's my favorite Jrpg and one of the my favorites games. BUT. SONY JUST BOUGHT rights for it. I have ps4 yes. But i really have this platform. For bugs. For bad technical support. I have sony. It's not ps studio. Why just y can't reliase this game on all platforms sega?
    Pc Xbox Switch and Ps5. IT's NOT A PROBLEM. PLEASE
  57. RLRoro
    Jun 26, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Awesome game... hypnotizing soundtrack, very stylish, interesting stories and moral messages, it has caught my attention until the very end. Great mechanics. I only won't rate it higher because, considering the game's grand message, I feel there are some inconsistencies, like: LGBT community is seen as very stereotyped, and women seem to be drawn to men's attention, but you can't expect much for a PS4 game in this area anyway...… Expand
  58. Anima2z
    Jun 28, 2020
    8
    great story, characters, gameplay, love the strategic fights, but got to hate how dungeons looks all the same
  59. ShefardAlex
    Jun 30, 2020
    8
    I love this game for

    style; More adult plot than 4 plot; gameplay dynamics; Superior story dungeon design. But there are problems Very few new personas, while there are not some that were in 1-3 parts Haru Skreentime After 3, there isn’t enough more mysticism, plus a slight loss of liveliness of the characters, there is not a single character who wants to empathize like a Ken    I love this game for

    style;
    More adult plot than 4 plot;
    gameplay dynamics;
    Superior story dungeon design.

    But there are problems
    Very few new personas, while there are not some that were in 1-3 parts
    Haru Skreentime
    After 3, there isn’t enough more mysticism, plus a slight loss of liveliness of the characters, there is not a single character who wants to empathize like a Ken of 3 or Shinjiro
    Too positive world compared to other smt games
    Farther and farther from smt    … Expand
  60. Ashering
    Aug 7, 2020
    8
    Good game. Good game. Good game. Good game. Good game. Good game. Good game.
  61. zai_zai
    Dec 31, 2020
    8
    Pros:
    1. Great art style and general presentation. Personas and dungeons have great, unique designs.
    2. Core gameplay loop is satisfying with the mixture of dungeon crawling, fusion, and high school sim. 3. Decent story and characters that pushes plot ahead and good value for money as main story is easily 70+ hours. Cons: 1. Standard JRPG style dialogue and character trope. Occasionally    Pros:
    1. Great art style and general presentation. Personas and dungeons have great, unique designs.
    2. Core gameplay loop is satisfying with the mixture of dungeon crawling, fusion, and high school sim. 3. Decent story and characters that pushes plot ahead and good value for money as main story is easily 70+ hours.

    Cons:
    1. Standard JRPG style dialogue and character trope. Occasionally some very corny dialogue.
    2. Gameplay can get quite repetitive and story quality drops off in the second half of the game.


    Overall, a good game that I would Definitely recommend to fans of JRPGs and RPGs but people that do not like anime or JRPG style writing should be more cautious.    … Expand
  62. BeeSting1
    Jan 28, 2021
    8
    A long journey of a game.

    Good - the sae flash forwards are cool way to tell story - the story behind futaba wanting her heart changed makes me feel the phantom thieves were real, cause I could use a heart change myself. This allowed me to relate to the game on a deeper level - there's a certain appeal and humor to leveling up skills doing random normal daily things like    A long journey of a game.

    Good

    - the sae flash forwards are cool way to tell story

    - the story behind futaba wanting her heart changed makes me feel the phantom thieves were real, cause I could use a heart change myself. This allowed me to relate to the game on a deeper level

    - there's a certain appeal and humor to leveling up skills doing random normal daily things like answering questions in class or crafting lock picks or eating a huge burger challenge.

    - the Japanese locations are well done. Good replication of the real places.

    - I love the foul language the characters use, like ryuji. It makes the chars feel organic.

    - the mental symbolism behind each palace based on what the villain perceives their world is interesting to see. Like ATMs for people kaneshiro sees. And art pieces of madarame's students. And kamoshida's view of Ann. It makes me think about what my palace would look like, and the way I view others would be symbolized in my own palace.

    - the music is awesome

    - the characters are diverse and interesting.

    - by the end of it, I felt like I knew the characters personally. It's like I knew them for a life time. This was one positive thing that came out of the insane amount of cutscenes and dialogue.

    - despite the game feeling it was dragged on during the middle, the ending was absolutely beautiful, and it wouldn't have been so had the game not been so long. I really felt like a journey. An adventure. As if I've made a group of long lasting friends.

    Bad

    - too much dialogue. When **** goes down, it's fine. But when nothing's going on, it's tedious going through it.

    - it's very hard to fuse the personas required by the twins because if the persona needed isn't on my list, I would need to spend yen to withdraw it just to see what the fusion result is, then toss it away to withdraw the personas I had on my list originally. This is so inconvenient to the point where I absolutely needed to refer to a guide.

    - sometimes RNG can just completely f*** you over. There was one time I got ambushed, one of the enemies inflicted rage on my whole party, so I couldn't heal, and the enemy just wiped me out in two turns. There was literally nothing I could do to save the situation the moment I got to ambushed.

    - it's unclear when you should spend time with a confidant. The game says bond Wong deepen, so does that mean I shouldn't request them? It's unclear what I should do

    - there's a lot of unnecessary dialogue. Like when grabbing an item in dungeons, some other party members always have to chime in with a completely useless comment, like oh look it's a treasure chest when I clearly see it, or maybe we should try to press this button, when I obviously will press it already.

    - the character animations aren't exactly ground breaking. The characters are standing there talking 95% of the time, making the cutscenes visually boring. MGS is known to have a crap ton of cutscenes too but at least you get to enjoy high quality animations, which makes it more interesting.

    - the negotiations are way too vague. The answers are terribly ambiguous.

    - it sucks that I can't angle the camera freely while running in one direction. This makes scouting for enemies around me while moving difficult    … Expand
  63. MacG
    Jan 28, 2021
    8
    It's not perfect and it isn't in my all time top PS4 games but Persona 5 is an excellent JRPG that you will have fun with for the best part of 80-100 hours (that's before you consider a new game plus as well). Value for money is second to none, the story is engaging as are the characters and the boss battles are very imaginative.
  64. Shinyscyther
    Apr 6, 2022
    8
    It is a really good game, with a lot to do, the only thing that messed it a bit for me is that i wasn't too invested in the story or gameplay to dedicate so many hours to the progress of the game, nevertheless, an amazing game that anyone should at least try.
  65. Ericastor
    Apr 30, 2021
    8
    Disclaimer: I'm new to the Genre of JRPGs so if you're too this might be a good review to read

    Giving Credit where it's due Persona 5 is definitely one of the most "Jazzy" games i've ever played, all the designers of this game nailed everything, the Soundtrack, the Colors, and the overall vibe of the game is very stylish and upbeat. Another positive point in my opinion is the whole    Disclaimer: I'm new to the Genre of JRPGs so if you're too this might be a good review to read

    Giving Credit where it's due Persona 5 is definitely one of the most "Jazzy" games i've ever played, all the designers of this game nailed everything, the Soundtrack, the Colors, and the overall vibe of the game is very stylish and upbeat.
    Another positive point in my opinion is the whole social part of the game, The daily life of Joker by itself is already very entertaining even without the whole phantom thieves and metaverse stuff, while playin I was way more exited when there was a new event with one of my favorite confidants than when I was infiltrating a Palace. Also the way the social stats are a really nice feature and honestly being able to ace a test with my maxed out knowledge was one of the best feelings the game gave me, even though I had almost no effort doing it.
    This brings me to the last aspect of the game that made it hard to bear towards the end, the combat. In the first 50 or so hours I was really enjoying the combat system but because the game is so long (100hrs approximately) I started to grow weary of it given that there isn't much action since it's turn-based. In the last section of the game Is pretty much pure combat and I almost dropped it there due to the simple fact that I just couldn't handle it anymore, every battle lasted for more than 30 minutes and I didn't feel good after finishing them because I was already fed up with battles, especially when some enemies just heal 100% of their health just as you're about to land that last strike.
    Overall, in my opinion, Persona is a good game, but you need to be really patient in order to play it to the end.    … Expand
  66. Noored
    Jun 14, 2021
    8
    If u want to play nearly best JRPG, you must play Persona 5 and Persona games.
  67. ibblue07
    Aug 18, 2021
    8
    I’m not a big fan of turn-based RPGs, but this game is still fun nonetheless.
  68. Xathiahs
    Jan 20, 2022
    8
    A beautiful game in every aspect. One of the best jrpgs of the last few years. The cons: too long and very repetitive.
  69. quittit1
    Jul 5, 2022
    8
    Okay buddy I’ll get back in a little while lol I think it will be good to go to get it lol I know I just don’t know
  70. GuiBio
    Dec 31, 2022
    8
    it's different from everything, a good turn based RPG with a really tripping story.
  71. xSKReviews
    Feb 3, 2023
    8
    Overall very good game. A good mix that pays homage to the older titles, while still being modern Persona.

    Looks aesthetically amazing, and feels good to play. Music, etc. Is top quality as always. However the main cast lacks in the writing department after their respective Palaces and Confidants are finished. Antagonists are a mixed bag in quality. Akechi is severely underutilized    Overall very good game. A good mix that pays homage to the older titles, while still being modern Persona.

    Looks aesthetically amazing, and feels good to play. Music, etc. Is top quality as always.

    However the main cast lacks in the writing department after their respective Palaces and Confidants are finished. Antagonists are a mixed bag in quality. Akechi is severely underutilized (feels unfinished). Also similar to KH3, this game feels to easy due to the sheer amount of things you can do for battle.

    Overall good, despite my issues.    … Expand
  72. darkraven0623
    Feb 9, 2023
    8
    cant say a good combat mode to fit in a 50h's walkthrough. However, others like music and graphics is so much modern and astonishing.
  73. NateDalton06
    Apr 26, 2023
    8
    Used to be obsessed with videos on you tube about the game and when I finally got to get a PlayStation and played it, it lived up to the hype. Absolutely love it, it is a masterpiece.
  74. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    8
    One of the most fun turn based strategy games ive ever played. Both the combat gameplay and the life management gameplay are fun and engaging. Characters are diverse and interesting. Main plot takes a bit to get going but really gets going in interesting directions. Problem is the main story goes off the rails in the last two chapters and it really drags down the overall experience. MusicOne of the most fun turn based strategy games ive ever played. Both the combat gameplay and the life management gameplay are fun and engaging. Characters are diverse and interesting. Main plot takes a bit to get going but really gets going in interesting directions. Problem is the main story goes off the rails in the last two chapters and it really drags down the overall experience. Music is awesome. Does allow the underage main character to enter a relationship with his schoolteacher though, which is gross.… Expand
  75. Bulletnot
    Nov 25, 2020
    7
    Pros: great story, role play mechanics where you can work at a job, go to school, socialise with friends, etc. Definitely a must buy if you don’t mind to read a lot of text.
    Cons: combat can get a bit grinding/repetitive when you fight a lot of the same enemies and, as it is turn based, you often just press a button and watch the same animation over and over.
  76. sityoazzdown
    Apr 29, 2017
    7
    An amazing game that will almost certainly take regular players over 100 hours to complete. Apart from a few pacing issues here and there (and general repetitiveness), this game is addictive and unique. The cast of characters and story, plus the addictive and rewarding game play makes this game shine. Yes it does get repetitive, but the rewards whether that be for the perks for hanging outAn amazing game that will almost certainly take regular players over 100 hours to complete. Apart from a few pacing issues here and there (and general repetitiveness), this game is addictive and unique. The cast of characters and story, plus the addictive and rewarding game play makes this game shine. Yes it does get repetitive, but the rewards whether that be for the perks for hanging out with friends, or grinding for better personas, the repetitiveness for me was worth it in the long haul. Plus the majority of the side stories (hanging out with confidants) are truly interesting. Now the core gameplay consists of traversing about 8-9 dungeons, each truly unique and different from each other, until you reach the end boss. Combat consists of turn based gameplay, you either grind away or target enemies weaknesses, forming your own team of "personas" (or pokemons per say) and controlling what skills and fight moves you want. It's a lot of grinding but again to me it's also rewarding and addicting. Difficulty is about average even a little easy if you know what you're doing, but some bosses do present a good challenge. The only thing I truly hated about this game was the chatting after finishing each dungeon, sometimes it takes me a couple of hours of "cutscenes" to advance to the next dungeon to progress the story. But overall as a newbie to jrpgs, I truly enjoyed this game, so much so I bought a vita to play persona 4. Pros: great story, amazing cast of characters, addictive and rewarding game play, general combat. The so-so: can get repetitive for some, most will finish game in 100 hours +. Cons: pacing issues, too much letter box chatting sometimes.… Expand
  77. akiranet666
    Dec 8, 2019
    7
    A solid game but highly overrated. There is a good turn based system, the visual style is there, but lets be honest: seeing Persona as the pinnacle of JRPG nowadays is at least misleading.
  78. max1c
    Jul 15, 2018
    7
    It's a good game. Good writing, deep gameplay, good story, nice art, nice mechanics. But poor design shows. The game was made in 2017 but plays like it's from the early 2000s. It has some of the worst controls I have ever seen in any game. Most of the time you find yourself fighting the controls rather than the enemies. A ton of long load screens. Also, this game is extremely linear.
  79. Steyraus
    Jun 23, 2020
    7
    I am not a fan of turn based combat, but Persona has such charm and character that it pull me in. It is still boring after time though.
  80. ignore78
    Dec 8, 2017
    7
    The good: Persona 5 has good story and art. It feels like i am playing a good Anime show. I am 10 hours in and have not scratched the surface. The bad: Ps3 graphics and Disorientated in between where to go next segments. i am enjoying listening as the characters talk and see how the story unfold. BUT then right after that i just want to rush to the next story scene. This would be muchThe good: Persona 5 has good story and art. It feels like i am playing a good Anime show. I am 10 hours in and have not scratched the surface. The bad: Ps3 graphics and Disorientated in between where to go next segments. i am enjoying listening as the characters talk and see how the story unfold. BUT then right after that i just want to rush to the next story scene. This would be much better as a anime.… Expand
  81. Turbodowg
    May 22, 2017
    7
    I feel like I'm in the minority with my opinion on Persona 5. Most gamers appear to really love this game. I'm not someone who hated it, but as a new comer to the series did not understand the hype.

    At best I thought it was an average game with way too much unnecessary dialog and little freedom for the player. But I'll start with the good points. The graphics are unique and the game    I feel like I'm in the minority with my opinion on Persona 5. Most gamers appear to really love this game. I'm not someone who hated it, but as a new comer to the series did not understand the hype.

    At best I thought it was an average game with way too much unnecessary dialog and little freedom for the player.

    But I'll start with the good points. The graphics are unique and the game is full of style. This does wear off quickly though and it can get tiresome watching the same animation after every battle that lasts longer than the battle its self. But visually there's no denying that at times it looks fantastic. The animated cut-scenes look gorgeous and are very well produced.

    The soundtrack is great, although tracks are often repeated there are some very cool and interesting tracks that fit well with what is happening on screen.

    The combat system is very well done. It is simple and effective. Battles are exciting and interesting and the use of personas are a really cool feature.

    The negatives and the reasons why I stopped playing are as follows.

    Firstly it takes a long long time for the game to get going, around 10 hours to get through the training and character introductions and 20 hours before you have beat the first dungeon. It felt like a real slog to get through. The problem was that in that 20 hours very little happens in terms of story or character development. Characters seem to repeat or dwell on the same issues without moving forward, it can become a laborious task reading/listing to the masses of unnecessary dialog.

    Gameplay. As I said before, combat works well, but a lot of the time is spent outside the dungeons. These parts of the game have you attending school, doing leisure activities, planning a dungeon raid or progressing story. This sounds cool but it's all very linear, you are often forced to do things you don't want and if you do go exploring and decide to watch a movie or play baseball the day ends, you are forced to sleep, then go back to school, then another bit of story pops up, then you are forced to do something else and by the time you get back to exploring the town 5 hours of real time have passed.

    SP (magic) is limited in dungeons, so early on before you learn how to stockpile magic recovery items you run out quickly, when you leave the dungeon to purchase an item to restore SP you often end up again been forced into story and dialog that takes days wasting more hours of your time before you can get back to what you wanted to do originally.

    Now I'm aware that one of the game mechanics is time management, so I'm not going to score the game down for it because I'm sure many people enjoy this and it is part of the Persona series, but for me it just isn't fun.

    Dungeons are fun and well designed. They are relatively barren and lack fine detail but each one is different and reflects the character they are based on well. I don't like that you can't just grind a dungeon and that it takes hours upon hours of progressing and leaving and then waiting for days in game for the boss to reveal them-self. It all seems a bit slow.

    And that's probably my main issue. This game requires patience. It's not like other recent RPGs, it is clearly designed for fans and doesn't make concessions for gamers outside the series.
    And that's fine, the game is clearly selling well and loved by many, it's just not my thing.

    Persona 5 has clearly been created with love and care. It has high production values an offers 100's of hours gameplay if you can get into it. I appreciate it as a game, but I've given up on it for now. Maybe one day I'll realize its true brilliance but until then I'll keep it on the shelf.    … Expand
  82. death12123
    Jan 28, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A Solid game but as a SMT game? Didn't really live up to my expectations.

    The soundtrack is good but the DLC like Raidou, Persona 2, Catherine and SMT 4 make it a million times better.
    Story could be better, bad ending, a character written in for no reason and a obvious villian.
    The dungeon crawling is amazing for first time but outside of Mementos if you know the pattern is too easy and the same every single time.
    Characters are good but a step down from 2 and 3 but a huge step up from 4. Nothing terrible and annoying like Chie, Teddie and Nanako. Also no Mr. Perfect thank god.
    The school life is absolutely boring but when you get to the dungeons it's amazing.
    The Social Links in this game are good but suck because they're FORCED unlike before especially with unlocking Ultimates. Who forces something optional to unlock the best? Some social links literally mean nothing. "I'm gonna change for better!" Then 5 minutes later go back to being the same idiot they ever were. Others actually had good impact.
    Difficulty is nothing. Even on Hard. All it just is, is you take more damage and gain less EXP. That's it.

    I wouldn't replay this again and it's only good for one playthrough. Maybe Royal might change that. Overall it's a solid game but more for casual players.

    Hoping this funded SMT V enough and will bring more Mainline and Spin-Off games. The best points being Nocturne, Raidou Kuzunoha, Soul Hackers, Persona 2 EP, SMT 4:A, etc.    … Expand
  83. Elias_Schmitz
    Mar 23, 2018
    7
    The game is really good, I mean, you have to agree with it if you finish it, it wouldn’t be impossible to play it for 100+ hours if it wasn't.
    The problem is, in the end you get to really hate the few problems the game has, what in my opinion, it takes the masterpiece tittle away from it, making it not have THAT perfect and unforgettable feeling, and I kind of hate that right now.
    First    The game is really good, I mean, you have to agree with it if you finish it, it wouldn’t be impossible to play it for 100+ hours if it wasn't.
    The problem is, in the end you get to really hate the few problems the game has, what in my opinion, it takes the masterpiece tittle away from it, making it not have THAT perfect and unforgettable feeling, and I kind of hate that right now.
    First of all, the game is way too long, it could totally be done with a little more than a half of it, and they would not take any of the actually game of it. For example, do you really need to spend so much time with your confidants? I’m not talking about the good time, but those you go there and you are not gonna get your relationship any deep, so you just spend a day to get a little close to them. Come one, the game is not already long enough? Furthermore, the messages, OMG, I want to kill myself when I get home after talking for hours with the Phantom Thiefs and when you get home THEY REPEAT EVERTHING USING MESSAGES! Come on guys, didn’t we just talk about that? After awhile you just have to skip those messages and I’m pretty sure o missed some good stuff doing that.
    What about the ending part? After a million palaces, a million Mementos Floor, then you have one more floor, that looks like a palace, and then one more palace, and then one more floor with 4 mini bosses, to then make able to the final fight, It’s like a 20 hours just in the final act. All that after you thought you had beaten the final boss!!!
    Now the mechanics of the game. It was not made for you to max all your confidants in your first play, because it’s impossible to do that unless you either use a guide or you study and think A LOT on how to do that, also, to do that you have to spend only one day in each palace in order to achieve that. The problem is, I don’t think it is fair to rush the palace in one day in order to spend that day with one friend that it is not get any deeper with you in the next time you meet him. It’s just an example of how unbalanced it is.
    In conclusion, the game is really good, but damn, they really pissed me off in the end, and I think it took the masterpiece tittle from it.    … Expand
  84. pongkrit03
    Jun 6, 2017
    7
    7/10 is enough for the game that depends heavily on story telling. This game has some merits but clearly not for everyone. I have spent 60 hrs to this game and decided to stop because I started to feel tired of reading ton of text. Basically, if you are into the story, then this game is superb. However, for me, I did not enjoy much of a story. It is not that bad but it is split into many7/10 is enough for the game that depends heavily on story telling. This game has some merits but clearly not for everyone. I have spent 60 hrs to this game and decided to stop because I started to feel tired of reading ton of text. Basically, if you are into the story, then this game is superb. However, for me, I did not enjoy much of a story. It is not that bad but it is split into many stories and combine together. Main stories (palaces) are not equally good. Character stories are mostly boring mediocre to me. Nothing really stands out here, as I have been watching a lot of anime, Persona 5 story does not really excel in this area. The pace overall is too slow.

    Combat system is also a general old school. Actually, it is even worse than some JRPG game (for example FFX). Most of the times, you just find weakness of enemies, then spam that skill to everyone of them, then use all out attack. You can't customize skills of your teammate either. The Persona Fusion system also relies heavily on randomness. (I hate it) The names of skill are written in Japanese so you have to memorize them by yourself.

    So Story and Gameplay are mediocre thus far but the reasons I generously give it 7/10 are

    1.Musics are epic. I love a lot of persona 5 osts. I listened them a lot even when I was at workplace. The songs with singer are so great and catchy.

    2.Art Design is top-notch. Everywhere in the game looks cool and stylish.

    3.Game length is Enormous. You need 80-120 hrs for your first play through.

    That is it for Persona 5. I had a high hope but it did not live up to my expectation. It is still ok so be warned. Only those who love reading text and old battle system will like the game. Hardcore gamers who like to play more than read, better skip this one.    … Expand
  85. ShinGlacier
    May 13, 2017
    7
    I've never played a Persona game before, but decided to give this a chance because a friend of mine really insisted. I'm not a fan of turn based RPG, but since there is the weakness/critical twist and baton passes and whatnot I actually enjoyed it. All the menus are absurdly stylish. The story is pretty interesting and deep. The soundtrack is amazing. What really bothered me is : yourI've never played a Persona game before, but decided to give this a chance because a friend of mine really insisted. I'm not a fan of turn based RPG, but since there is the weakness/critical twist and baton passes and whatnot I actually enjoyed it. All the menus are absurdly stylish. The story is pretty interesting and deep. The soundtrack is amazing. What really bothered me is : your number of actions are limited. Usually you can do something after school, and then something else in the evening. But the fact that a LOT of days that stupid Morgana just insists that i'm tired and should sleep, even if nothing major happened, thus wasting my day really pissed me off. Other than that it's a pretty good exclusive j-RPG.… Expand
  86. roman_emperor
    Apr 14, 2017
    7
    A lot of this game is hidden behind some serious limitations. The game denies freedom at every turn. If you decide to talk to somebody it takes all your day. Morgana is seriously annoying. I wish you would shut up. She decided what you can or can't do and it's annoying. I hate her being the game. The **** even tell you when to go to sleep. When you can or can't exercise or read a book. TheA lot of this game is hidden behind some serious limitations. The game denies freedom at every turn. If you decide to talk to somebody it takes all your day. Morgana is seriously annoying. I wish you would shut up. She decided what you can or can't do and it's annoying. I hate her being the game. The **** even tell you when to go to sleep. When you can or can't exercise or read a book. The game will ask you to study but them be like this, story, story, story, story, story, story, story, (Can I have some freedom here), story, story, story, story, (Thank you, finally! Oh, **** you mean I'm a the library but I can't read any books because Morgana decides I can't), story, story, story, story, story, story. It feels like if you're a prison. This game isn't a perfect 10, and it is definitely not for everyone. I really like the combat the endless limitations and narrative drags me down at times. When I had my first school break, I thought, "Cool I can focus on a few things for once, but then the game drags you on a long, long narrative, consuming all of your "free" days.… Expand
  87. IPintheForest
    Apr 25, 2017
    7
    This is a good game that has a few frustrating elements in it.
    You get to choose what to do on your own free time. Spending time with party members increases their skill level and other activities usually net your main character skill points or money. At first i thought this would make the game a lot more interesting because you could do multiple playthroughs but apparantly i was wrong.    This is a good game that has a few frustrating elements in it.
    You get to choose what to do on your own free time. Spending time with party members increases their skill level and other activities usually net your main character skill points or money. At first i thought this would make the game a lot more interesting because you could do multiple playthroughs but apparantly i was wrong. the way you supposed to play is maxing your main character skills then they are saved on new game+ where you can focus on the other things like social links. I do not understand why anyone would think that this is good game design.
    The cat companion won't allow you to anything after you had story event on the same day or the next day which feels like 99% of the game. The cat commands you to go directly to bed whatever you're trying to do it will not allow except for making infiltration tools which is normally a time consuming activity so it's weird why that is allowed but nothing else. (The cat thinks making tools is the smart thing to do however it won't even notify you that is an option while commanding you go to sleep right the hell now.) Activities that actually require the player to something and which you can fail somehow net less rewards than passive activities even when you complete them perfectly it makes no sense at all. do a crossword puzzle fail you get nothing succeed you get 2 knowledge points vs go have dinner and earn 3 free knowledge points + 1 free kindness/guts point without possibility of failure.    … Expand
  88. jmartin77777
    May 31, 2017
    7
    I'm a big fan of almost every game in the SMT series, and very much a fan of the previous 2 Persona installments. But the lack of player agency really bothered me in this installment. I enjoy 'silent protagonists' in general. One of my favorite games of all times (Suikoden 2) is the poster child of silent protagonists games. But they just did it wrong in this game. Most scenes inI'm a big fan of almost every game in the SMT series, and very much a fan of the previous 2 Persona installments. But the lack of player agency really bothered me in this installment. I enjoy 'silent protagonists' in general. One of my favorite games of all times (Suikoden 2) is the poster child of silent protagonists games. But they just did it wrong in this game. Most scenes in the game would have been unaffected had the protagonist not even been present. There are tons of instances where the scenario designers could have done such minor things to make the player feel important to the group. Cases where another party member has a moment of weakness that the protagonist could have been the one to put a kind hand on their shoulder, or where the conversation could have included a nod to the main character in meaningful exchanges. But in almost every case the game chooses to have the conversation take place between other party members. Even for most of the finale of the game left me feeling that Morgana was the real protagonist, and the shaggy headed dude was just a scene extra.

    The confidant interactions were all fine, they portrayed the relationship I WANTED to experience in the game, with the silent hero being a pillar of strength for his friends, even while suffering his own problems. But the central story dialogues almost went out of their way to NOT include the protagonist. There are just so many TINY changes that could have been made to let the player feel like he was the strength of the group as opposed to just some guy listening in (like he does with so many other whispered conversations while walking around). Maybe that was how he was meant to be, but it just didn't sit right with me since the confidant scenes implied he was important to everyone, but the story scenes did not (except in a few obvious cases that I won't spoil).

    I am glad I played this game, its by no means bad. The overall story is good for what its meant to be. And mechanically the game is fantastic! But the protagonist's place in the story really left me cold.    … Expand
  89. PlayorNaygames
    Apr 24, 2017
    7
    Should you buy Persona 5 (P5)? If you're a hardcore fan of the series, of JRPGs in general, or you really enjoy slice of life anime, then yes. Persona 5 is a unique experience if you've never played a Persona game before. Since it's been a long time since Persona 3 on PS2, this is probably going to be many people's first Persona game. So, I highly recommend this to people that are fans ofShould you buy Persona 5 (P5)? If you're a hardcore fan of the series, of JRPGs in general, or you really enjoy slice of life anime, then yes. Persona 5 is a unique experience if you've never played a Persona game before. Since it's been a long time since Persona 3 on PS2, this is probably going to be many people's first Persona game. So, I highly recommend this to people that are fans of video games in general because there're no games like Persona series.

    I played this game on a PS4 Pro with a custom hard drive. This minimized load times for me, but there were a lot of them. They were so short they didn't bother me however. I've finished the game at 110 hours, although you can finish in as little as 90 like my brother did.

    Lets give a critique by category:

    Graphics: Nothing impressive here. This is a game developed for the PS3 after all, ported to the PS4. The animations are worse than prior games. You character just stands there most of the game, occasionally doing a gesture. There are not facial animations at all. Even the character portraits when the character talks just have a mouth moving. They could have used several portraits for each character, like in past games/other JRPGs. The art style is fantastic and really carries the game however. There are very few object that have a model in game, for example, if I spend $100 on a gift for someone, it would be cool to see the gift being given. 6/10

    Music/Sound/Voice: You'll hear some really catchy tracks in this game. The music is by far the best in the series. The voice acting is top notch, my only complaint is that some of the voice actors used are a bit too familiar and I would have appreciated new voices I haven't heard before. The game lacks musics tracks for how long the game is, which is the case in every Persona game. The sounds effects are what you would expect, I thought they were great. 8/10

    Story/Writing: Here's where things turn ugly for P5. The game shamelessly follow a VERY similar structure to P3, which makes it boring to fans of the Persona series. From characters, to overall plot, as you go along, you'll see what I mean. The game also has less voice acting than expected and a lot of reading boring exposition in the form of text message conversation. The text conversations I mostly skipped through because it's small talk that just restates what the game has already gone over to death. There are some interesting characters and plot lines from the minor characters at least and the game rewards you with additional powers for spending time with the characters, so you are at least given incentives to go through the characters stories you may not like.

    There's so much dialog in the game between the main characters, I'm not sure if they needed as much as they put in. You will get fatigued reading unimportant day to day drivel that blows up your phone.

    There are more places than ever to go to than ever and while small, they all were interesting if you enjoy Japanese culture at all. There are also a ton of secondary locations that you can choose to take some of your social links to, which is new to the series and a great addition.

    It's not that P5 writing is bad, it's that there's too much boring dialog and that the overall story and characters too closely follow P3. This is a highly subjective category and doesn't weigh that heavily into overall score due to that. 4/10

    Controls: Not much to say here as it's a very basic game to control. The new stealth mechanics are obnoxious to control as the camera doesn't automatically pan to your next cover area like it should. This can lead to you accidentally unsticking from cover and getting ambushed. Getting ambushed by the enemy early on most likely mean you lose. 8/10 Which leads me to gameplay...

    Gameplay: The game can be fun often, but there are several niggling issues holding the game back. Namely they brought back some old school features that suck. Did anyone like that you lose a battle when your main character dies in P3? They got rid of that "feature" in P4, but brought it back here. You also got full mana and health by attaining a level in P3, but here you do not, forcing you to go back out of the main dungeons more often than you may want early on.

    The highly praised main dungeons are just okay. The puzzles are very easy and you are too often forced to fight more enemies than you would like do to the sticky cover controls being imprecise. Also, regardless of how high level you are, enemies will always chase you. In past games, if you were higher level than the enemy, the enemy would run away from you.

    The battle system is improved in that you can get some cool abilities that weren't in to old games. They also brought back guns and the ability to talk to Personas to catch them, both from Persona 1, which I thought was cool. The problem with talking to Personas is that it takes more time than the previous roulette wheel in an already long game. 7/10    … Expand
  90. SZJX
    Sep 26, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. P5 is supposed to be a "rebel against the mainstream social conventions" story, but the irony is that the characters are so cartoonishly good-vs-evil it ended up being a really lame, safe and mainstream story without much thought-provoking depth or connection with the real world whatsoever. (Not to mention the various other issues such as the one-dimensionality and objectification of Ann and Ryuji, the dubious "hidden relationships" that the protagonist is able to develop with so many characters, etc.) I don't expect it to be a thorough and brutal examination on the subjectivity and reversibility of "justice" and "evil" like some 18+ novel e.g. Soukou Akki Muramasa (which is an absolute masterpiece), but then people should see P5 as what it is: A very shallow and mainstream teenage heroism power fantasy. People imagine themselves railing against the suffocating societal conventions or whatnot, but in reality they are just lapping up another mainstream commercial production and forking out their money for a power trip which has little real-world connotations. (If you actually try to "dish out justice" or "change the system" in real life, it's not such a black-and-white affair as depicted in some shallow super hero "good vs. evil" drama. There will be real sufferings and real deaths, and when you think you're the justice is with you, the other side might well think they're the just ones, instead of acting in a cartoonish villainy way, and there's just simply no "right answer" or "absolute justice" in the world.)

    I can even see various points where the author probably initially envisioned how the story could get dark, e.g. the point where Okumura died felt like it could have been the phantom thieves that did it, whether accidentally or not. Instead they had to push every morally ambiguous or bad action to a fall guy (Goro) and dispense with him in the end as well, just like in every mainstream Japanese story (one who killed will also need to die in the end, while the protagonist is always clean). The "fake death" of Ryuji also felt like the author probably really thought about killing Ryuji instead. However, they decided to play it safe and make it a simple mainstream commercial success. Not to mention the student who committed suicide was miraculously healed at the end of the story… Yeah, sure, that's also one type of game/movie and I have nothing against it. But for it to receive such ridiculous level of praise and ratings is something I don't get. Well I guess this is how the mainstream game industry works nowadays and how its standards are. At least I'm glad that many people do share the same views.

    This is also why nowadays I tend to not play JRPG games and instead read visual novels. The music and the art style of P5 are great, sure, but those don't leave a lasting impact on me and I am not after those things. I can understand that maybe those aspects of the game instead of the story are what many gamers are after though.    … Expand
  91. SOLIDSNAKEN64
    Mar 5, 2018
    7
    After my 120 hrs play through, I found this game to be be very different from anything I've played before. I really enjoyed the art direction, the characters, the story, and the gameplay. Even though all those things were great there are some issues that I had with the game. First of all is the length, normally I wouldn't complain about a game being too long, but they could of seriouslyAfter my 120 hrs play through, I found this game to be be very different from anything I've played before. I really enjoyed the art direction, the characters, the story, and the gameplay. Even though all those things were great there are some issues that I had with the game. First of all is the length, normally I wouldn't complain about a game being too long, but they could of seriously cut the dialogue of this game in half. I love reading books but I don't play video games to read a novel, and unfortunately most of the time spent in P5 is used reading endless dialogue. The art direction of this game is awesome! the anime characters work really well. I didnt think the graphics of the environments were really done very well and this game is definitely a port from PS3. The music is really great until you've heard the same 3 songs over and over for the entire 120 hrs, WTF. I really enjoyed the pokemon type battle system. The boss fights were not only challenging but fun figuring out their weaknesses. I dont know if I would ever play another Persona game, but you will for sure get your monies worth with P5.… Expand
  92. macunix
    Apr 22, 2017
    7
    I like the story a lot. However, the battle system is very boring to me. I wish to skip all the useless battles. It should have another mode for story only mode.
  93. chad_pattan
    Apr 7, 2017
    7
    Here we go again, with me going "against the grain" of popular opinion. But I'm certainly not negative, I'm just realistic.

    Because you see, I loved Persona 3 even more than Persona 4. Persona 3 was much darker and in my opinion told a better overall story, despite Persona 4 having better gameplay and an easier transition into the battles. That's telling. It means I enjoy a well told    Here we go again, with me going "against the grain" of popular opinion. But I'm certainly not negative, I'm just realistic.

    Because you see, I loved Persona 3 even more than Persona 4. Persona 3 was much darker and in my opinion told a better overall story, despite Persona 4 having better gameplay and an easier transition into the battles. That's telling. It means I enjoy a well told story more than a well played game.

    But the hallmark of a good story is character development.

    With that, let me quantify my 7 real quick.

    Animation: 4 points. Things are smooth and subtle things added to the experience that you wouldn't have expected them to take the time on, like some gal crossing her legs or someone getting up from a desk and running out of the room. It feels fluid and natural. Wonderfully done.

    Battle Mechanics: 2 points. I do enjoy the hide mechanic because it doesn't require a lot of effort or thought, simple button layouts, etc. I'm not a fan of the general battle engine, but it's not a dealbreaker, more annoying compared to the older games.

    Controls: 1 point. They're simple, they don't overuse buttons like Breath of the Wild or Dynasty Warriors Next, there's no "gimmicks" that I can see. Just a basic use of the button X most of the time.

    And that's it.

    First off you're looking at a 5-hour sprint before you can really PLAY the game. To be fair, 3 and 4 had lengthy intros too, but with those, they focused very heavily on character development so you could learn who people were before teaming you up. Here, you're just doing minutiae tasks like flipping signs from outside a door. I can easily see today's millennials getting bored and frustrated 3 hours in and returning the game.

    Second, there are parts where you'll watch a cutscene, walk 7 seven steps to a load screen, then another cutscene. Or you'll fight one battle, walk 10 steps, see another cutscene. It's jarring. I like cutscenes but they need to do better with the transitions from battle to non-battle segments.

    Third, the graphics are just too much, too "loud". They look like what you'd get if you allowed Amy Schumer to design the game. Fonts are blown out and difficult to read, colors are all over the palette with no real logic. I was the first to criticize NIER Automata for being too bland; this is too far in the wrong direction. I actually avoid the menu because I can't stand the way it looks - and fortunately, there's very little requiring you to actually go there.

    Fourth, the cell phone mechanic is terrible. I'm sorry. I get what they were trying to do, but it wasn't done well. Why are you having to manually advance text messages?

    Fifth, the music. It's not bad music, but it's a pale shadow of what Persona 3 was doing. "When the Moon Reaches Out to the Stars" just won't get out of my head 11 years after the fact. Most, if not all, of the songs in 5 are forgettable and too short.

    This isn't a bad game. It's not. But having played the older ones I feel this was a step back. If you'd never played a Persona, you probably wouldn't be as harsh. I'll gladly say though, even if you don't agree with my review specifically, that there's simply no way it's a 10. Not in any universe I can think of.    … Expand
  94. Olander
    Apr 10, 2017
    7
    Are you looking for a game that can put you to sleep, look no further than Persona 5!

    Persona 5 is a very niche game, it is a turn based combat system and a social/dating sim. If you don't like either of those, you will dislike this game a lot. Not to say the game is bad, it is a very good game, it just has to many flaws (you can easily tell the limitations the game has because it    Are you looking for a game that can put you to sleep, look no further than Persona 5!

    Persona 5 is a very niche game, it is a turn based combat system and a social/dating sim. If you don't like either of those, you will dislike this game a lot. Not to say the game is bad, it is a very good game, it just has to many flaws (you can easily tell the limitations the game has because it released on the PS3, instead of being a full fledged PS4 game using its hardware to the max) to be given a higher score than what I rated it.

    The story is like a roller coaster, it has its ups and downs. The game's story is at its best when you are doing the palaces, and the story that revolves around them. But when you finish them, there is such a long low part of the game where it is just dialogue for several hours doing all the mundane stuff, waiting for your next target. Which bored me so much, I was just skipping some dialogue that didn't have voice overs that weren't pertaining to the main story. Another thing I did not like, is that every party character had to go through their Persona identity crisis. It just felt like every party character you met just repeated itself.

    As for the game play, the turn base combat is fun and interrogating the monsters is a interesting concept to capture them to use their powers. It feels very much like Pokemon. The stealth part in the palaces can be somewhat wonky at times because of the issues with the camera, but overall is a solid edition to the game. The best part of the combat system is finding the weakness in each enemy, and then knocking them all down to do a flashy move that most of the time kills all the monsters in a single strike. The bad thing about the weakness system, it goes both ways. Monsters can strike you multiple times if they have the weakness of the person they are attacking. Which can easily lead to a single wipe on harder difficulty settings.

    The music and the art style of the game is amazingly done and are easily the best part of the game. The rock/jazz/electronic music fits very well with the theme. And the style makes up for the limitations that Altus had to hold back by still having the game release on PS3 in 2016/2017.

    In the end, if you are looking for a JRPG to play, look no further than Persona 5. It is the ideal JRPG and a great starting point in the Persona series. It is just not for everyone.    … Expand
  95. Jax360
    Apr 29, 2017
    7
    pesona 5 one of the most overrated games of this year it does not desirve the hype or the ratings its getting as if its better or almost like latest games while it does not touch games like zelda, nier nioh of automata.

    Graphics.8.5
    Voice over.9
    Music.9
    CG.9
    Anime.9
    Story.7
    Control.7
    Fun Factor.6
    Overall.7
  96. marmoset13
    May 17, 2017
    7
    I loved playing this game, but found even the easy and normal settings overwhelming. I didn't want to play it on "safe" out of fear of missing out on trophies and new game plus carry-overs. I couldn't even get past the first dungeon in the thirteen days I was given. I am not a great gamer by any means, but I love the Persona series and feel like I was left behind just to please theI loved playing this game, but found even the easy and normal settings overwhelming. I didn't want to play it on "safe" out of fear of missing out on trophies and new game plus carry-overs. I couldn't even get past the first dungeon in the thirteen days I was given. I am not a great gamer by any means, but I love the Persona series and feel like I was left behind just to please the high-difficulty gaming crowd.… Expand
  97. Mac2311
    Jun 20, 2017
    7
    After seeing such high scores on this site I decided that I would give it a try. personally for me I made a mistake and found this game to not be something that was for me.

    the Anima style has never been my favorite and felt that I was on a hype train when I was playing it. I still gave it a decent score since I can see the overall concept and how appealing it can be to a lot of people    After seeing such high scores on this site I decided that I would give it a try. personally for me I made a mistake and found this game to not be something that was for me.

    the Anima style has never been my favorite and felt that I was on a hype train when I was playing it. I still gave it a decent score since I can see the overall concept and how appealing it can be to a lot of people plus combat and graphics were very top notch.

    I would say before you buy this game you just have to ask yourself how into Anima are you. if you answer "I like it but not big into it" that's still enough for you to rock out this game.    … Expand
  98. Keith_Irving
    Sep 7, 2017
    7
    Persona 5 is a great game, it is a very enjoyable ride throughout, at least most of the time.
    This was my first Persona game, and I was very excited to start playing.
    I am not going to spoil the story, but let's just say the overall story is pretty bad, but the individual stories were great. - Positives - 1. Combat is very fun 2. Confidants provide very useful abilities and    Persona 5 is a great game, it is a very enjoyable ride throughout, at least most of the time.
    This was my first Persona game, and I was very excited to start playing.
    I am not going to spoil the story, but let's just say the overall story is pretty bad, but the individual stories were great.

    - Positives -
    1. Combat is very fun

    2. Confidants provide very useful abilities and provides great incentive to hanging out with your friends

    3. If the Protagonist falls in battle, the game is over, I am very happy they decided to stick to tradition

    4. Visual Presentation is great, like seriously this game has style

    - Mixed -
    1. Story is 100 hours long and there are way too many days where you have no control on what you do

    2. Dungeons while no longer randomly generated like past Persona titles, can become very annoying,
    I have never actively avoided playing a game before, because I knew of the upcoming dungeon

    3. I felt like the music was a huge step down from previous Persona titles

    4. Characters are interesting but no where near the level of past Persona titles

    - Negatives -
    1.Combat is way too easy, even on Hard Mode except in the beginning when it's very brutal, almost unfair

    2. You can switch the game difficulty mid-game

    3. Even for serious moments or boss battles, most of the time standard music plays

    4. Lack of overall plot until end game

    5. There is a point of no return in the final dungeon that happens without warning,
    and I am really speaking about how you can't buy any recovery items at all once your past that point.

    This game was amazing, so I immediately bought and beat Persona 4 Golden, and wow...It really opened my eyes on how disappointing Persona 5 was in comparison.
    Don't get me wrong Persona 5 is great, but compared to Persona 4 Golden, I feel like it falls short.
    Persona 4 Golden is a magical experience from beginning to end, and I would recommend getting that game instead.

    It'll only cost around $60 to get a PS-TV and Persona 4 Golden.
    So overall, this is a great game, but falls in comparison to past titles.    … Expand
  99. HighLordWolnir
    Nov 14, 2017
    7
    The animation looks great especially the transitions from gameplay to cutscenes. Music is decent and the menus pop out of the screen with vibrant colours. But unfortunately the gameplay is repetitive and does not offer anything new to the series.
    Overall the game is average and not a full price purchase, unless you are a huge fan of the series or a big JRPG fan - wait for a price drop.
  100. ZacFry
    Nov 21, 2017
    7
    Persona 5 is a solid game. It's solid. It has a funky soundtrack with fun characters and "catch 'em all" Pokemon aspects. But it takes the qualities of JRPG's, and turns it up to 11, revealing the deep flaws in the genre. As much fun as dungeon crawling and collecting personas is, these moments are too spread out as the game DRAGS you through a mediocre plot and suffocates you withPersona 5 is a solid game. It's solid. It has a funky soundtrack with fun characters and "catch 'em all" Pokemon aspects. But it takes the qualities of JRPG's, and turns it up to 11, revealing the deep flaws in the genre. As much fun as dungeon crawling and collecting personas is, these moments are too spread out as the game DRAGS you through a mediocre plot and suffocates you with dialogue boxes. The game gives you the illusion of choice (like many games these days), but does it pretty transparently. While I can choose how I spend my time most days, in the end it just feels incredibly formulaic- you do an activity, or hang out with an NPC, and a stat increases. No skill is involved whatsoever. This also applies to the strategy around the battle mechanics. Barring the occasional enemy who is a snowman, all tactics are a guessing game. You just throw attacks against enemies and hope that they work. The core mechanics that make Persona so unique is there, I just wish Atlus would have made more improvements. Maybe the JRPG genre is no longer for this gamer, but Persona 5 is "check-list gaming" personified.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PS4 Game of 2017
4
#4 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2017
2
#2 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
93

Universal acclaim - based on 98 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 98
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 98
  3. Negative: 0 out of 98
  1. Cubed3
    Jun 4, 2019
    90
    Persona 5 is an absolutely amazing game that convinces with its art style, music and story. It has anything one could ask for such a game and more. The turn-based battle system offers a wide array of opportunities. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is definitely recommended to give it a go.
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  2. PLAY! Zine
    Feb 22, 2018
    90
    Persona 5 is a great example of quality jRPG game, with a good story, great battle system and fabulous artistic style, this is a must have for the fans of the series and the genre.
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  3. Power Unlimited
    Oct 19, 2017
    93
    Persona 5 beats every other turn-based RPG in terms of production values, combat, story, symbolics, character design, music, pace and variety. 2017 is a great year for gaming and Persona 5 confirms this with a load of unmatched swagger.
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