persona 5 game review
Persona 5 Royal, the return of the J-RPG kingPersona 5 stole your heart and changed your life three years ago? Whether this is the case or not, the Atlus RPG marked its generation. Its success, both critical and popular, has very legitimately led the creators of (Shin) Megami Tensei to offer an even more complete version of a title that is already very stingy in content. Persona 5 Royal, 100% exclusive to PlayStation 4, presents itself as the ultimate form of the adventures of Joker and the Phantom Thieves, (finally!) With French texts, and a whole bunch of major additions enriching a gameplay and a scenario very dense. It remains to be seen whether it is primarily intended for neophytes who have missed out on this excellent episode, or whether it is worth going back to the box for those who already have a hundred hours to their credit. on the original…
Content of this test
Persona 5 Royal is not a simple remaster or even a "final" edition of the game released three years before, so we will not copy and paste our test of Persona 5 proposed in April 2017. However, we recommend that you consult this last as a complement, since we will refer to it regularly, especially when it comes to evoking the fundamentals of role-playing game designed by P-Studio, which we will not summarize again here: this article has for goal to explain the contributions of the "Royal" version to an excellent game (rated 17/20 at the time) and to see if it is improved or not. Finally, this test is of course guaranteed without spoilers.THE GAME OF MANY DIFFERENCES
There are two ways to approach Persona 5 Royal. First through the prism of absolute novelty: if you have never played "P5", or even any Persona or even the slightest installment of the Megami Tensei saga, all is not lost! It is indeed completely possible to discover the franchise with this 100% Tokyo component, far from the rural world of its canonical predecessor; this was the case for your servant in 2017. Certainly, several game mechanics will echo what fans of this long saga already know (the Velvet Room and its musical theme as melancholy as sublime, to name a few) her), but you can fully discover them via this episode without feeling too lost. Finally… on condition, of course, not to drop out in the face of an introduction to the basics of gameplay it is true very long, this in order to ensure that you will master the (many) cogs to enjoy in the best conditions possible. 'a quest as endless as memorable.Conversely, if you have already played Persona 5 (and have finished it, as long as you do), you will obviously be playing on familiar ground, but will instantly identify a few differences that are likely to make you want to put back the cover. Many players who succumbed to the colorful aesthetic of the original work will almost immediately feel the urge to dive back into it, and that's good: Persona 5 Royal wants to set the tone, immediately, with the same excellent introduction only at the time ... but with novelties. Right away, the Phantom Thieves aficionados - what am I saying, the Phantom Thieves! - will reconsider all the symbolism surrounding this sequence, and will especially be very quickly disoriented by the little scenaristic surprise that this Royal version dares to allow after not even five minutes of play…
THE ULTIMATE FORM OF PERSONA 5
If you had the feeling that the excellent Persona 4 Golden (unfortunately confined to a PSVita not constituting the best showcase to make known so much talent to the greatest number) was acting as a real ultimate version of the Persona 4 originally released on PlayStation 2, be aware that Persona 5 Royal intends to raise the bar even higher. It is a question here, pell-mell, of protagonists exclusive to this (re) edition, additional intrigue, new mechanics of exploration and combat ... not to mention a legitimate graphic facelift to a notoriously very aesthetic creation, but which no longer has to suffer from its initial cross-gen release. It will be recalled that the one we like to call "P5" was initially planned for PlayStation 3 in ... 2014, before being repeatedly postponed and finally released jointly on two generations of consoles. The occasion was royal (!) To refine the visual part of a title to the artistic direction many times hailed, very typed manga and thought, in large part, for countless scenes of dialogue in the purest visual novel style .However, to confine oneself to the graphic improvements of all kinds, not very notable moreover for the layman (in addition to being unequal, we will speak of it again), would amount to limiting Persona 5 Royal to a simple status of remaster ... which is very far from it. The objectives of Atlus for this new edition are multiple and pass not only by the form, but also by the substance: the gameplay and the narration, enriched, must here put themselves at the service of a story greatly "augmented", well at beyond a simple director's cut. So assume that the basis, namely an excellent game very poor in defects, is perfectly preserved, and that the slightest change comes from the positive addition. In "P5R", nothing is lost, everything is created, and is transformed for a good cause, starting with the PS4share finally activated apart from very rare exceptions, to the delight of the author of this test.
I AM YOU, YOU ARE ME…
In addition to its purely narrative claims, arising from an obvious desire of P-Studio to extend a particularly complex scenario (and yet very mastered), Persona 5 Royal seeks to erase the rare defects of the original copy. In the West, the first point dear to the eyes of many players, and in particular our readership, has been corrected by a localization team anxious to make "P5" accessible to the greatest number, and especially in Europe! If English remains the only Western dubbing, and we do not recommend it any more than in 2017 (even if it means playing with subtitles, prefer Japanese voices!), The adventures of the Ghost Thieves now benefit from texts in German , Italian, Spanish, and especially in French.Certainly, purists will always point the finger at the incorrect aspect of this localization: the translation imperfections at the level of the language register of certain characters (Ryuji, in particular), already present in the English texts, are always there. We will also deplore a few silly grammar or spelling mistakes even if we put them to the credit of a monstrous amount of text to be checked, but we will spend with much less leniency on certain untranslated English words or expressions . The French translation is however sufficiently careful and, on the whole, spared by the odds inherent in such a localization challenge, to praise the presence but also the quality. So many years later, Persona 5 is playable in (very good) French, let's not sulk our pleasure!
However, how not to salute the immense work of adaptation carried out by teams responsible not only for translating a colossal amount of text (Persona 5 is a disproportionately talkative game), but also and above all for embedding it in one of the UIs sexiest ever seen in a video game? As fluid to use as it is fantastic in its artistic madness, the now famous interface of the menus of Persona 5 puts itself in the languages of Molière (or rather that of Leblanc!), Cervantes, Dante and Goethe. If you dreamed of making such a complex game in Japanese with German subtitles, and on maximum difficulty, this is now allowed. Keep in mind that these improvements are exclusive to the Royal version, and that no patch is planned to add them to the original "P5": they are two different games, and it goes without saying that Atlus is looking for anyway to make us go to the cashier, whether for the first or the second time.
A GRAPPLE, SKULLS, FLOWERS AND PADS
In terms of content, Persona 5 Royal promised many improvements without sacrificing anything from the original material. This will be felt in particular in combat, with additional mechanics to take into account such as for example the presence of calamitous shadows, these enemies may explode in full confrontation for your benefit or not, the exploitation of the transfer rank linked to the evolution of your links with your confidants, duo attacks ... or even certain forms of boss that will change completely (and in a good way, in some cases!). The exploration of the Palaces, knowing that an additional is included at the end of the scenario, will also be somewhat modified, just like the famous Memento (Mementos in original version). On the program, among other things, the integration of the grappling hook, a very fashionable gameplay element of this decade, which allows access to some new rooms and / or secret passages exclusive to this version, slightly increasing their duration of exploration. if it wasn't already big enough like that. In particular, you will be able to discover new secret artifacts, three in number per dungeon and always well hidden (and often guarded by a very tough mini-boss!), Intended to unlock a mysterious skull specific to the theme of said palace.The latter, once harvested, can be exchanged in the Memento for objects to add to your inventory, with a new enigmatic character by the name of Jose, whose intervention with his curious traveling shop reminds a bit of Emil prowling in the ruined city of NieR: Automata. Flower collector and also in search of strange stamps scattered all over the strange depths of the distorted Tokyo metro, it will allow you to recover a whole bunch of objects and equipment useful for exploration and combat, and modify the appearance of the place. This will give a little more depth to the exploration of this famous almost infinite procedural dungeon and will further increase the time spent on this occupation as optional as almost essential for any self-respecting Phantom Thief. Anyway, overall, Persona 5 Royal will take you more time than the original, especially if you take the game. The icing on the cake, Morgana is less restrictive in the evening after a day spent in the metavers: this In any case, it will not be too much to complete the countless time-consuming activities available, from reading to watching DVDs, including studies, outings with friends, odd jobs, and so many others…
NEW GAME, NEW ACTIVITIES… AND NEW FRIENDS?
In terms of optional extras, the "new" Persona 5 is also illustrated on the side of its brand new "Den of Thieves". It is no more and no less than a gallery where you can contemplate your exploits through challenges to be completed, unlock the game's soundtrack but also all the cutscenes and re-view them at will, play a card game with your companions… and even embody any of these, just long enough to stroll through this little theater of your exploits. We come to regret, since they are therefore officially playable, not being able to move at the controls of Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto and others in Tokyo or at least in the metavers! The fact remains that this not insignificant little supplement will delight collectors in search of new challenges, and eager to satisfy their desire for completion even more than with a simple list of trophies, the famous platinum being, at first sight, less difficult to reach that in Persona 5 "vanilla": if the list contains a lot of trophies in common, some of the most arduous have disappeared, and a large part of the new ones is unlocked much more easily. In the same genre, challenges will be offered to you from time to time in the Velvet Room… as if it were not already rich enough and complex like that!Finally, Persona 5 Royal adds a new district, Kichijōji, which you will happily unlock soon enough in the game (after two months of lessons, to say the least) to enjoy it. Located very west of the Japanese megalopolis, this new living area made of a single block to explore is not only larger, by comparison, than Akihabara or Yongen-Jaya; but above all, it is full of shops and activities, including a jazz club but also a billiards table and a frankly damn dart mini-game, which even operates the gyroscope of the Dual Shock 4 at a time when we had almost forgot about existence. We will clearly want to return there regularly when it comes to changing relationships with the confidants, knowing that two new ones are added to the story… the New Game + becomes here more than necessary if you want to reach rank maximum of social bond, even if on the whole, "P5R" is a little easier than the original (hello the ammunition which reloads with each combat, even in maximum difficulty!).
We will therefore end with an obvious mention to the new protagonists, one of them (Kasumi Yoshizawa) constituting mine the heart of Persona 5 Royal, until stealing the show from Joker on the official jacket of the game! If its integration with the wire of the adventure is done with ingenuity, its real implication and its consequences are very late: it is only if you hang on to Persona 5 that you will discover the subtleties. However, his contribution is very solid, justifying the addition of an additional Palace in the last quarter of the game, further extending an adventure that will flirt with the hundred hours (or even more if it s is your first experience of the game). We will avoid further detailing his real role for the sake of not spoiling anything, especially since we were recommended not to dwell on this period of the scenario in the test, but know that this new character does honor to Phantom Thieves and their incredible quest for justice. Finally, Takuto Maruki, the other new exclusive confidant to this version, is a little more anecdotal but does not taint the master canvas of P-Studio more, blending perfectly with a narration that is still as special, both mature, light, humorous and devilishly endearing.
We could for a long time continue to boast of the innumerable merits of this "augmented" version of Personna 5: excellent at its initial release, it is now exceptional, and it does not suffer much anymore except for, inevitably, this exclusivity Very strict PlayStation that sticks to his skin despite the calls of PC players and especially Nintendo Switch, who will continue to dream about it. In the meantime, if you have a PS4 and you had shunned Persona 5 for lack of French localization, and not for lack of time, you now have no more excuses to get started in a huge J-RPG, totally out standards and playing with many established conventions. When one of the only notable faults of a video game is to be confined to a specific medium, it is that we are faced with an exceptional title, and too bad if it is a second edition . This time, it's the right one, don't miss it…
The notes
+ Positive points
All the original qualities of one of the best RPGs of its generation…
… With all of its additional content…
… And finally with French texts!
New, exclusive content that has been brought in fairly well
Lots of new and relevant gameplay subtleties
Kichijōji, a real new lively district with good activities
Consistent reinforcement of the scenario, which spoils nothing
The PS4share finally usable!
A little less constraints, it feels good
Shoji Meguro still inspired by the soundtrack
Small significant graphic improvement…
-Negative points
… Even if there is still room for improvement and not always where it is needed
Even longer, and therefore sometimes really too long
Still, some beautiful missed in the location
Miser in rewards for players of the original version
Persona 5 Royal is what we hoped for. Not content to offer new narrative arcs by diversifying a very rich scenario, and to improve a little more a staging yet already fantastic, P-Studio brilliantly sublimates the episode that popularized the license with the general public . With this title, Atlus now has all the assets to conquer the hearts of refractory people who have, in particular, been limited to the absence of a Western localization other than English. Persona 5 having been able to seduce players completely hermetic to J-RPG and / or turn-based, we can only recommend you too much which is undoubtedly the definitive experience of an exceptional game, and one of the last great games PlayStation 4.
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