Content Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide, sexual assault, and abuse.Persona 5 Royal is the most successful game in the franchise, earning financial as well as critical acclaim. There are many aspects of Persona 5 Royal that would make a lot of sense to bring over to Persona 6, but the notable thing that hooked so many was its first palace. It introduced all players to the things that make the Persona series so unique: the music, the in-depth character writing, and the actual personas themselves.
While Persona 5 Royal has a brief tutorial that introduces players to the game's surface-level mechanics, it doesn't provide as much depth as the first section surrounding Suguru Kamoshida's Castle of Lust; also the first time players can walk around Shibuya, Shujin Academy, or stay in for the night and study at Cafe LeBlanc. The impact that this section has cannot be understated, as it establishes the tone moving forward and provides more in-depth tutorials for available activities in and out of combat.
Introducing the Phantom Thieves
One major aspect of the first palace in Persona 5 Royal is the introduction to a couple of the Phantom Thieves that will accompany Joker on their journey. As the player makes their way through the opening days at Shujin Academy, Kamoshida will make snide remarks to put the player down because he knows about Joker's criminal record.
Kamoshida is openly antagonistic to not only Joker, but also a social outcast named Ryuji Sakamoto - the first Phantom Thief that will join the player on their quest for rehabilitation. When Kamoshida picks up fellow student Ann Takamiki in his car, Ryuji refers to Kamoshida as a "pervert teacher." Ryuji is shown to be a kind soul, despite everyone seemingly thinking otherwise. When he sees students trapped in the palace, his first instinct is to help, and throughout the palace it gets slowly unpacked that people see Ryuji as a no-good troublemaker because of Kamoshida.
Shiho Suzui, Ann Takamiki's best friend, attempts suicide early in the story. Afterward, Ryuji and Joker find out from Mishima that Shiho was called into Kamoshida's office a day before, at which point it becomes clear that he sexually assaulted her. The three students try to confront Kamoshida about it, at which point he says he will expel them, leading Ann to join the Phantom Thieves as well.
Persona 5 Royal does an excellent job of setting the stakes, as well as establishing relationships and motivations for each party member. This gives players a reason to fight against Kamoshida. Persona 6 could take notes on how its predecessor established its setting, as well as the motivation to take down an antagonist with the allies they've made along the way.
Kamoshida's Palace is a Brilliant Start for Persona 5
Kamoshida's palace sets an excellent example for what the rest of the game will be like. The layout is dynamic enough to provide different paths for exploration, the shadows provide a decent enough challenge in the game's early stages, and there's a lot of clear symbolism for real-world objects that become distorted in Kamoshida's heart. He sees himself as "king of the castle," and that could easily be gathered from one infiltration.
It's evident how Kamoshida views students as well, whether it be his volleyball players as slaves or Ann becoming an obedient servant in a revealing bikini. The ways in which the distortions are shown tie back well to the characters' motivations behind becoming the Phantom Thieves.
The opportunities to stealth around also feel fresh for a dungeon crawler, a feature that is expanded upon in Persona 5 Royal. Players can now approach enemies from around corners - either ambushing them or completely bypassing a few encounters. Older Persona titles had an ambush feature, but it wasn't nearly as fleshed out. Landing the first few ambushes provides a much easier time in combat, making players feel as if they really do have the upper hand.
Once the ability to fuse Personas becomes available, players can spend hours trying new combinations, and it really brings a feeling of satisfaction to beat harder enemies that players may have had a hard time with before. It all cumulates in a battle against Kamoshida himself that has a dramatic and intriguing climax. His battle is relatively difficult, and may be failed a few times, which brings out the experimentation of Persona fusing. Players get a good introduction to changing enemies stats, party buffs, and taking advantage of damage type weaknesses.
The opening hours of Persona 5 Royal will keep players hooked for many reasons that Persona 6 should try and replicate. The characters are memorable, the soundtrack is full of fantastic songs, and it starts Joker on his long road of rehabilitation. If Persona 6 can follow in these footsteps, Atlus promises to put out yet another classic that people will discuss for years to come.
Persona 5 Royal is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
