ThePersonaseries keeps getting more and more eyes on it with every release in the franchise. They are chief among some of the best-rated games on Metacritic along with other aggregate sites. WithPersona 3 Reload, fans may be itching to see what will come next whether that is another remake, a sequel to this, or a proper sixth installment.
The series is by no means perfect though as every well-reviewed game always has a few cracks. After so many sequels, fans may want the next game, or a spinoff, to change things up in some significant ways. ThePersonaseries doesn’t need fixing as if there is a problem. It’s more like Atlus could use some new ideas to help break even more records.
6It’s Time To Leave High School Behind
College Or Adult Life Would Be Interesting
Most of the protagonists in these games have followed high schoolers. TheoriginalPersona 3took things to the extreme by putting players in the daily life of a teen in high school. They had to attend class, go to after-school activities, make friends, and so forth. It revolutionized the series andPersona 4andPersona 5copied that trend.
A majority of the players who grew up with this series are adults now and probably want to see something more adult-oriented. It can be a bit weird for some to get into teen relationships in these games. Whatever game comes next could instead focus on college life if Atlus wants to stick to the school setting or they could center on an actual adult. Maya fromPersona 2: Eternal Punishmentwas an adult reporter, so the series has done it before.
5The Modern Day Is Overplayed
Pull A Yakuza 0
Every game in this series has taken place in contemporary times. Wouldn’t it be great if the series pulledaYakuza 0and rewound the clock to the 80s? That game took place in the 80s when Japan’s economy was booming. There’s certainly a way to tie that cash boom into aPersonastory. The music ofPersona 5felt heavily inspired by 70s funk, which would also be an interesting era to explore.
Without technology, Atlus would have to rethink communication lines between characters as phones have played heavily into the story sincePersona 3. It would be a challenge for them but scenarios like this often lead to creativity. There’s nothing inherently wrong with modern settings, but even RPGs likeFinal Fantasymix it up between high-tech eras likeFinal Fantasy 7and more fantastical eras likeFinal Fantasy 9. Change and variety are good is the lesson here.
4It’s Time For A Little Girl Power
No Choices Necessary
This series has featured plenty of great playable female characters likeMitsuru fromPersona 3, Chie fromPersona 4, and Makoto fromPersona 5. They weren’t the main characters though. In the PSP version of Persona 3, players were allowed to choose their gender which has only happened once in the series. Besides that character, who is canonically referred to as Kotone, the aforementioned Maya fromPersona 2: Eternal Punishmenthas been the only other female lead in the series.
That seems pretty wild for a series that has existed since 1996. The next game should focus on a female heroine to help spice things up and Atlus shouldn’t go back to the choice system inPersona 3 Portable. That would complicate dialogue perhaps a bit too much and solely focusing on a remake lead would allow Atlus to tighten everything up. This decision would be a win for all players who wish to see more female representation in games and for the industry as a whole. Also, it would be great if the protagonist could talk.
3Keep The Party Count Down
Less Is More
This series has been celebrated because of its characters or at least that has been the case sincePersona 3as it introduced Social Links. This was a way for players to get to know NPCs and some party members better. It was a mechanic that was further improved upon in the sequels and this led players into connecting more with teammates especially. The trouble is that playable characters got introduced far into the story and to an overwhelming degree.
After leveling up a core group of characters, why would anyone switch over to someone new likeHaru inPersona 5for example who got added almost halfway through the game? A large party is fine if that’s what Atlus wants to keep doing but they should make the cast playable faster then. Alternatively, a smaller playable cast would be okay too like inFinal Fantasy 15’scase which only had four party members with guest characters popping in and out.
2Does It Need To Be A Hundred Hours
A Tighter Narrative Wouldn’t Hurt
Another thing that might be controversial to say is that these games are too long. For some fans, that hundred-plus hour count is what they love about them as these games only release once every five or even ten years. That does not include ports, enhanced editions, and remakes likePersona 3 Reload.
So, some fans cannot wait to invest that time into a new entry especially if this is the only RPG or game that they play in general. That large amount of time helps that bonding ritual with teammates and NPCs so it’s not like a waste of time. However, the pacing could be tighter in these games. Like with the example of the party size, sometimes less is more.
1Do The Opposite Switch Of Yakuza
Say Goodbye To Turn-Based Combat
There are very few tentpole RPG franchises left that still do traditional turn-based combat. Most entries in theShin Megami Tenseifranchise, including Persona, are turn-based.Final Fantasyhas almost completely ditched the idea but Square Enix is still holding on to turn-based combat with theDragon Questseries. The turn-to-action gameplay seems to be the evolutionary move.
Funnily enough, the Yakuza series pulled the opposite move when the seventh main game,Yakuza: Like a Dragon, was released which ditched action combat for turn-based battles. There is no right or wrong answer as to how franchises should proceed with sequels. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Atlus to keep turn-based gameplay for the Shin Megami Tensei series while the Persona games incorporate action gameplay. It worked forPersona 5 Strikers, which was a spinoff, but it was still a successful experiment worth noting here.
