As E3 draws near, all Persona fans are holding their breath for news about the next installment of their beloved franchise. Even the meanest sneak peak of Persona 6 could speak volumes about what is in store for the franchise. One possibility, however, is that long-standing series creative director Katsura Hashino revisits his original Persona 5 premise for a game based on a road trip. The idea of exploring a bigger world would likely resonate strongly with audiences currently. This theme is hinted at in the ending of the original game, and through the frame narrative of Strikers.
Atlus also has multiple road trip game examples to work off of, though the most notable is Final Fantasy 15. Noctis' quest to reunite with his betrothed is a road trip at heart, even more than prior installments where the adventuring party would roam the world freely. The interactions between the crown prince and his bros creates a distinct "finding yourself through travel" vibe, which sounds similar to Hashino's hopes for Persona 5. These parallels create an obvious opportunity for Persona 6 to draw upon Final Fantasy 15's successes, while learning from its shortcomings.
But Persona 5 was built around the conceit of peerless thieves striking exotic locations, so globetrotting is very much on-theme. It is entirely possible that the Phantom Thieves will star in the next main Persona title, but given the game's divergent subseries, this seems unlikely. Assuming Atlus holds Persona 6 to the main series' tradition and follows a new cast of characters, what new frame narrative could support this travelogue-style of gameplay? And what lessons can it draw from Final Fantasy 15 specifically?
Coming of Age After High School
The Persona series has dipped it's toes into adulthood before, most recently featuring an adult Persona user in Persona 5 Strikers, but the series could grow exponentially by leaving it's high school origins behind. Noctis isn't much older than the cast of prior Persona games, at least at the beginning of his journey, but the issues he is facing—the burden of national leadership, a burgeoning war, and his impending marriage—dwarf the gravest problems high school has to offer. More importantly, in a game that is focused on spreading its wings, it is crucial to explore a new thematic setting, as well as internal locales. Atlus has done amazing things with adolescent students, but it's a well worn road at this point.
That having been said, Persona is a game about social growth and personal development. It is a series that has always revolved around coming of age. But fortunately, most people don't stop growing after high school. Some people are not free to start until they taste independence. Like Final Fantasy 15, Persona 6 should jump past that first diploma, and move on. If leaving the school setting in one go is too drastic, daily classes and quarterly tests could still work with college, graduate school, or some sort of touring apprenticeship.
More Than First Meetings
The four leads of Final Fantasy 15 are some of the most closely-knit heroes in the franchise's history, and capturing their realistic dynamic should be a top priority for Atlus' next Persona outing. It helps that there are fewer characters than typical for a Final Fantasy game, to say nothing of a Persona title, which gives each character more screen time proportionately. But there is a more important lesson for Atlus to steal from FF15's example: every member of Noctis' retinue has a history with the player.
A considerable amount of the party's history is relayed through the game's extended media and individual character episodes. Without that supplementary information, the player has to make some significant inferences (or online research) to fill in the gaps, which is less than ideal.
But the idea of a party being pre-established established before an adventure begins is almost revolutionary for traditional JRPG franchises. Countless titles follow the formula of young people meeting for the first time, in sequence, but in a relationship-based game like Persona, this practice actually causes numerous problems, including uneven development and limited screen time for favorite characters.
Admittedly, Final Fantasy 15 takes the idea of an intimate party a little too far. It would have been nice to have picked up a few new party members along the way to spice up combat and change the dynamic between the best bros. But Square Enix's missed opportunity could be Atlus' gain. Persona 6 can achieve the best of both worlds by including some established relationships between the player character and the confidants, as well as some new, fresh faces they meet along the way. The "Mysterious Transfer Student" trope had a good run, but its time to move on. This would also create an excellent opportunity to ditch the vestigial silent protagonist trope as well.
Searching for Someone
The party doesn't need a specific reason to travel together, at least initially. But one premise that would work with any thematic dressing (from Phantom Thieves, to S.E.E.S., to pirates), would be the search for someone important. It does not need to be a romantic reunion, as per Final Fantasy 15's example, but searching for people is a powerful, deeply personal premise that would dovetail well with the preceding two lessons. Everybody loses touch with somebody precious at some point in their lives, but few people have the means or spirit to try and track them down, making it an ideal subject for a relationship-centric, fantasy RPG to tackle.
Final Fantasy 15's narrative was at its strongest when it focused on the personal relationships between its lead characters. Giving players more agency over how those relationships develop, which is the Persona franchise's specialty, feels like a natural evolution of that winning formula, and for the Persona franchise as a whole. Stepping out from the Phantom Thieves' shadow (or finding a subtle way to preserve their influence), moving into adulthood, and exploring a broader world sounds like a recipe for success.
Persona 6 is reportedly in development.