Fans are still looking forward to news about the upcoming Persona 6, and the enduring legacy of Persona 5’s success has caused the series to only grow in popularity during the wait. With more players looking back into the greater Persona and Shin Megami Tensei franchises respectively, it’s understandable that these fans have started to see ways that Persona 6 could improve the series. As one of the most prolific turn-based RPGs of the 2010s, Persona 5’s party battle system truly defined its gameplay. Despite their memorable personalities, the skill composition of the Phantom Thieves could have better reflected the balance of their iconic characters.
Even with its updates, some of Persona 5 Royal’s party members have ended up proving more valuable to most players. Powerhouses such as Ryuji and Ann end up overshadowing characters like Morgana, the game’s sole dedicated healer. Morgana somehow finds himself being less useful despite the abilities of his Personas going far beyond the typical Diarahan healing spell. This is due to the distribution of Morgana’s skills also making him a relatively lackluster attacker whose party member slot could be better utilized in most cases; it doesn't help that he's the most fragile Phantom Thief by a long stretch either. Persona 5's versatile Joker can generally serve as a more reliable healer, as he allows the abilities of his strongest allies to shine.
Persona’s Parties have Always Focused on Versatility
While the player’s inherent versatility through Joker’s access to many Personas supplements the party’s reliance on the support of Morgana in Persona 5, this also leads to the player being stuck filling the healer role. The variety and effectiveness of the party’s offense can make it easier for Joker to fall back into supporting them, which is effective but ultimately not what most players want from their battles. With it becoming easy to leave Morgana behind as Persona 5 Royal progresses, it becomes apparent how lonely he is in his healer role. Instead of setting him up to perform as Atlus seems to have intended, it becomes easier to split up the support role between scattered support skills on Makoto, Ann, Haru, and Joker.
Persona 5 Royal’s cast may have diverse designs and stories, but their roles in combat put them on pure offense most of the time. Persona 3’s Yukari was generally that game’s proper healer, but Ken and Aigis can also be proper supports by the late game. Furthermore, both Yukiko and Teddie in Persona 4 were viable for backing the party’s attackers up when they weren’t filling the role themselves. Between this precedent in the modern era of Persona, and even the first two classics in the series, there’s a foundation for Persona 6 to follow suit.
Multiple Healers in Persona 6 Would Allow More Player Choice
The Phantom Thieves’ statuses as criminal tricksters of the heart may have contributed to their lack of focus on party support, since their designs mesh well with their inherent natures as attackers. With the high likelihood that Persona 6’s theming could differ significantly, this same dynamic could end up subverted within the upcoming title. Having at least one more party member with a full set of healing skills would allow players far more viable party compositions without having to gear the protagonist towards support.
Persona 5’s own brand is still going strong with new spin-offs, showing how the franchise doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Atlus hinted at Persona 6’s development in 2021, so the next entry in the fusion of RPG and social simulator is sure to be well under way by now. While Persona 5 is a best-selling entry in the greater Shin Megami Tensei franchise, Atlus was only able to achieve this landmark success by flipping the series on its head with a bold new direction. Shoring up one of the weaknesses of Persona 5 Royal would also serve to honor the history of the series, but fans will have to wait to see how Altus explores the shadow of humanity’s subconscious in Persona 6.
Persona 6 is currently in development.