Highlights
- Persona 6 could reintroduce randomization in dungeons while maintaining handcrafted levels to enhance replayability.
- Procedurally generated dungeons in Persona 3 and 4 allowed for grinding and multiple playthroughs, while Persona 5's handcrafted palaces were less replayable.
- Persona 6 has the potential to blend randomized elements with handcrafted dungeons, introducing new features in new game plus mode to expand gameplay.
Persona 6, despite lacking a formal announcement, is one of the most hotly anticipated JRPGs right now. This can be attributed to the series excellent turn based combat which has been developed over the course of many entries and its dating simulator like life management and social links. While P1 and P2 are their own beasts, P3 through P5 share many similar gameplay mechanics. And though there are clear trends persistent throughout the games, Persona 5 is something of a diversion. Dungeons in Persona 3 and Persona 4 are much different from those of Persona 5, which are handcrafted. P5 reduced the role of randomization in the series, but Persona 6 could reincorporate it in new ways to keep the series traditions alive.
Dungeons in P3 and P4 are randomized. Each floor's layout is procedurally generated when one enters the dungeon, as is enemy placement and the items that can be found there. Notably, if the player leaves the dungeon for the day, next time they return, each floor will be different. This procedural generation has made Persona 4 one of the best JRPGs for grinding. The main dungeons in Persona 4 can be grinded through repeatedly until cleared, which incentivizes players to keep dungeons open and return to them until the time limit approaches. P3's tartarus features a looser structure in terms of time limits and progression, but is similarly procedurally generated.
Persona 5 Reinvented Dungeons
Rather than building on the series' procedurally generated dungeons, Persona 5's palaces are handcrafted. The layout of each floor and the items found there are all pre-determined. While enemies are still a mystery to the player before engaging with them, there are set enemies in each area, and certain enemies are often placed together in similar configurations. While the handcrafted nature of these dungeons makes the first run through them more engaging, they are less replayable. Mementos exists as a longer, procedurally generated dungeon, but is easy to quickly complete the content for and can feel divorced from the main objective until later in the game.
While changing the series dungeon structure was overall a good thing that led to the addition of new mechanics such as Persona 5 Royal's grappling hook, the game lost some of its replayability since returning players are able to blow through levels. P5's stealth mechanics compound this problem because it is easy to bypass enemies and experienced players will be able to defeat bosses at a level deficit on all but the hardest of difficulties. Mementos is a valuable addition, but a future title would need to provide more content to complete in a space like it, even if not all of that content features the storytelling of P5's Mementos questlines. Persona 6 has a number of ways it could fix this issue.
Persona 6 Could Reintroduce Randomization in a Big Way
Persona 6 ought to introduce randomized elements into handcrafted levels, and even blend the two approaches to level design. While the handcrafted dungeons should remain, the new entry could feature randomized rooms within larger dungeons so that returning to an area could feel more exciting. Taking things even further, which enemies appear in an area and the configuration they appear in could be expanded or made totally random in some places. The game could also introduce an enemy with varying elemental types or abilities. If Atlus felt that this would take away from the deliberate nature of its level design, these features could be reserved for new game plus. Persona 5 Royal's new game plus simply carried the player's stats, items and money over, so introducing new features would do a lot to expand the mode.
While Persona 5's handcrafted dungeons were ultimately more engaging than the series' procedurally generated ones, especially for a first playthrough, Atlus has the chance to give players the best of both worlds in P6. Before that however, players will have the chance to return to Iwatodai in Persona 3 Reload. Given the importance of random elements in P3, Reload could provide insight into how Atlus's approach to it has evolved. The game will also offer fans of the franchise something new to play while waiting for Persona 6.
Persona 6 is rumored to be in development.