Since Persona 5's release in 2016, Atlus has been busy with the Phantom Thieves by releasing spin-offs such as Persona 5 Strikers and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, as well as an expanded version of the game called Persona 5 Royal. The Phantom Thieves' journey will continue later this year with the release of Persona 5 Tactica, a tactical strategy-based RPG. From the onset, it's very clear just how different this title would be, as the characters become Chibi-like versions of themselves, but that change makes the title stand out more than it does harm the appeal.
Game ZXC recently attended the Sega Summer Showcase in NYC, where we were able to play about thirty minutes of Persona 5 Tactica. This gave us a brief, straightforward look at the story while focusing on its new tactical combat for the most part. It should be noted that one combat encounter was the tutorial and the other was very tutorial-like in nature, so our impressions can only be limited to what amounts to the opening of the game.
Story-wise, players will find themselves dragged into a French Revolution-like Metaverse called The Kingdoms, as they try to rest ahead of their graduation ceremony. They are immediately attacked by Legionnaires, who blindly serve and fight under the spell of Queen Marie. She instantly draws comparisons to the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, and that general theme seems to fit the game as a whole. Everything seems to be over-the-top, with even serious notes having a whimsical undertone, but it all translates well to this new Metaverse. Either way, players meet Erina and set off on this new adventure.
The combat tutorial saw us fighting a couple of legionnaires and learning the basics. Anyone who has played a tactical RPG will be familiar with these elements: movements, using cover, attacking, and activating skills (Personas, in this case). Indeed, the combat itself isn't that different from the turn-based combat of traditional Persona games, though there seems to be a bigger emphasis on movement and fewer options than in those titles, at least in these opening segments.
It was pretty straightforward in its use of these elements, and while the tutorial boss was a little more fun, the combat gives the impression that it is pretty simple overall. It could grow more complex as players proceed throughout the game, but it's hard to say for sure based on our experience. At large, perhaps the biggest point of comparison for these first few encounters would be Mario + Rabbids: fun, straightforward, and can be picked up and played by anyone.
There were a few extra combat options for Persona 5 Tactica we learned as we moved forward, the first being a Triple Threat attack. Players can potentially down enemies (or be downed by enemies), and if players follow the proper steps and move their units to surround the enemy, they can perform a Triple Threat attack. This sees each unit unload on the enemies within a triangle between them, unleashing tons of damage.
Another mechanic was called "One More," which allows players to pop off with another attack if they successfully down someone. Another option is for a unit to "Charge," which means if they don't take actions, they gain a special Charged status on their next turn. What Charged does is unique to each unit, with Erina's Charged status seeing her requirements to down an enemy eased somewhat. Notably, there are also three skill trees tied to each character. A glance over them shows that they are relatively straightforward.
Our biggest question coming out of this preview relates to the environments. A good tactics game ensures that environments can be used to a player's advantage with environmental hazards, interactive items, differently-leveled terrain, and so forth. Our first combat scenario was a very restricted area with limited room to move, with only smaller pillars to serve as cover. The next areas were much more open, but still restricted in terms of how we could interact with them. Because what we played was early in Persona 5 Tactica, there's still time for these to have a bigger impact on its turn-based combat, and one dev suggested environments would become more important later on. How and to what degree remains to be seen, but that would certainly help cement the title as a strong tactical RPG.
The Persona franchise is not afraid to try something new, and the idea of a Persona tactical RPG is certainly an interesting one. If it continues to pick up momentum from these opening combat encounters, much like a mainline title, then fans may have another winner on their hand.
Persona 5 Tactica is set to release on November 17, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Game ZXC was provided travel and lodging for the SEGA Summer Showcase in NYC.
