Highlights

  • Persona 5 Tactica's innovative gameplay and new story make it a refreshing spin-off in the Persona franchise.
  • The game's focus on movement and positioning could inspire new dungeon designs in Persona 6, incorporating puzzles and alternate paths for different characters.
  • While Persona 6 may not adopt the position-based mechanics of Persona 5 Tactica, it could draw inspiration from them to create a more tactical and strategic approach to gameplay in future installments.

The importance of positioning in Persona 5 Tactica could lead to a new aspect of game design in Persona 6. Although Persona 5 Tactica is a spin-off rather than a true next installment of the Persona franchise, that doesn't disqualify it from acting as an inspiration for future games. There are a surprising amount of ideas fielded by Persona 5 Tactica that could comfortably find their way into the main series, with a few feeling like shoo-ins. This includes a variant on one of the game's main mechanics that could be repurposed in a novel way.

While Persona 5 Tactica is the latest in a series of Persona 5 spin-offs, it still feels fresh due to its own innovations. It does primarily consist of the same Phantom Thieves that the player has been spending the last few games with, but the shift in gameplay helped it substantially. It helps that there was a completely new story that was largely centered around the game's new characters, so the game felt like a continuation rather than a retread of old ground. Persona 5 Tactica wasn't perfect, but it was a respectable effort. Most importantly, it keeps fans entertained while they continue to wait for Persona 6.

Persona 5 Tactica isn't Shin Megami Tensei 's first strategy spin-off. That would be Majin Tensei , which came out in 1994.

Persona 5 Tactica cutscene of Noir and Panther fighting Marie's Legionnaires
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Persona 5 Tactica's Position-Based Strategy Could Direct Persona 6's Dungeons

persona 5 tactica gameplay

As the name clearly states, Persona 5 Tactica is a tactical RPG, and with that comes the importance of movement and positioning. Rather than full parties fighting face-to-face like Persona games normally do, battles take place on a grid-based map, and characters have to move into the proper position in order to attack. The game even has its own version of Persona's all-out attack in the form of the Triple Threat Attack, where three characters form a triangle around an enemy on the map and all attack at once. To succeed, players have to master proper positioning and use it to their advantage.

Some aspect of Persona 5 Tactica's focus on movement could act as an inspiration for Persona 6's design. Persona 5's dungeons had several quirks and puzzles, but Persona 6 could change up its approach and create a new flavor of obstacle for players to deal with. Movement and positioning could play a big role in Persona 6's puzzles, requiring players to move to certain places, or in certain ways to traverse an obstacle or unlock the next area. These could take the form of mazes, illusions, or any number of unique floor designs. All that matters is that the resulting task is challenging and satisfying.

This kind of dungeon design could also benefit from having different party members moving individually. By splitting the party like in Persona 3, Persona 6's dungeons could feature alternate paths for different characters. For example:

  • One character could travel alone through an enclosed or restricted area.
  • The party could split in half to tackle two halves of a dungeon simultaneously.
  • Each party member could have to take a specific position to solve a puzzle, similar to Tactica's triple threat.

There could even be rebalanced enemy encounters to accommodate the party's state in these instances. Bringing back the party-splitting mechanic would open the door to a new direction in dungeon design.

Persona 5 's dungeons had several quirks and puzzles, but Persona 6 could change up its approach and create a new flavor of obstacle for players to deal with.

Persona 5 Tactica's position-based mechanics probably won't reappear in Persona 6, but they could be an inspiration. The dungeon designs of Persona 6 could be some of the most intricate in the franchise, with a whole new selection of secrets and tricks. Changing the way that players approach these dungeons, with more emphasis on positioning and planning could lead to a game that requires players to take a more tactical approach. Persona 5 Tactica's position-based gameplay could be a hidden gimmick for Persona 6.