Summary
Unlike previous entries in the franchise,Persona 5 Royalbrought players to the real-life city of Tokyo. The setting of Tokyo allowed the game to provide more for players to do than previous entries, and it’s expected thatPersona 6will also feature a large amount of content. Little is known aboutPersona 6other than the fact that it is being made, but it has already become one of the most hotly anticipated JRPGs. This is the direct result ofPersona 5’s success, as well as that of its enhanced re-release,Persona 5 Royal.P5Rdelivers fans satisfying RPG combat, compelling characters, and an engaging depiction of Tokyo to explore.P6could be even more exciting to explore if it reuses Tokyo in a bigger, more elaborate way.
Tokyo is one of the largest metropolitan areas on Earth, a fact which plays a big part inPersona 5’s aesthetic. Countless citizens discuss the actions of the game’s heroes and can be overheard in public areas. A landscape of the city with floating voice bubbles discussing the current events in the world of the game is a frequently used loading screen as well. The city itself and its population’s differing opinions function as a significant part of the story.Persona 5 Royalshowed that the developers understood the cities' importance in the game and expanded its map with the addition of Kichijoji, which containsP5R’s jazz club. ForP5, Tokyo is more than a mere backdrop; it’s an integral part of the game’s identity.
The latest release in thePersonafranchise is a remake of its third entry.Persona 3 Reloadis, in essence, a mainline game in the series, even if its story has been told before.P5was made with the PS3 in mind, butP3Rwas made first and foremost to target current generation hardware. The result is thatPersona 3 Reloadfeatures the series' best visuals and most densely packed environments to date. WhileP3R’s world is faithful to the original and smaller than that ofP5as a result, the attention to detail makes it a large step forward. The game’s inclusion ofTwilight Fragmentsworks to incentivize exploring it as well.
The world ofP3 Reloadlooks great, rewards exploration, and matches the quality ofPersona’s UI and menu design. The game’s faithfulness to the original means that its scope is somewhat limited, but this probably won’t be the case forP6.Personagames tend to build on the foundations left by their predecessors, andPersona 5 Royaldelivered the series' biggest map to date. Not only are there more places to go inP5R, but the city itself carries thematic significance.P6could takeP3R’s excellent presentation and apply it to the series' largest world to date, giving players even more to do and see than there was inP5.
How Could Persona 6 Depict Tokyo?
There are plenty ofreasons forPersona 6to stay in Tokyo. The city is so large that another game could be set there and visit almost none of the same locations. This would be a missed opportunity though.Persona 5’s maps for each area that it lets the player visit are mostly linear, which makes navigating them quick, but there is less to discover.Persona 6could return to areas depicted inP5and make them feel more alive by making each area larger. It could populate Tokyo’s neighborhoods with more stores and activities, similar to how theLike a Dragonfranchise features small but dense locales.
Bigger Environments Would Set Persona 6 Apart
Persona 3 Reload’s world is the culmination of what the series has been working towards since the launch of the originalP3. GivenP3R’s amount of detail and high visual fidelity,P6will have to do something different to set itself apart.Persona 5 Royal’s depiction of Tokyo is great in many ways, but limited in scale. Bigger and more open environments seem like a logical step forward forP6to make, and Tokyo is vast enough that it could serve as a setting once again. Unfortunately,Persona 6leaksindicate that the game is still far away from releasing, so fans will have to wait to see how it handles its setting.
Persona 5 Royal
WHERE TO PLAY
Don the mask and join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as they stage grand heists, infiltrate the minds of the corrupt, and make them change their ways! Prepare for the award-winning RPG experience in this definitive edition of Persona 5 Royal, featuring a treasure trove of downloadable content included!Forced to transfer to a high school in Tokyo, the protagonist has a strange dream. “You truly are a prisoner of fate. In the near future, ruin awaits you.” With the goal of “rehabilitation” looming overhead, he must save others from distorted desires by donning the mask of a Phantom Thief.Explore Tokyo, unlock Personas, customize your own personal Thieves Den, experience alternate endings, and more. Become the ultimate Phantom Thief and defy conventions, discover the power within, and fight for justice in the definitive version of Persona 5 Royal.
