ThePersonaseries is no stranger to spin-offs, but there’s no doubting thatPersona 5: The Phantom Xis a very different beast from what came before. Even in a series whose side games range from turn-based strategy and musou-style beat-em-up to dancing-based rhythm games,Persona 5: The Phantom Xis something new. It’s perhaps the closest cousin of the mainline games in its core gameplay loop, but that familiar core is propped up by the pillars of gacha gameplay and mobile-friendly design philosophy.
I recently attended a hands-on preview with Sega of America, where I had the chance to play about two hours of the game and join a group interview with chief Atlus producer Yosuke Uda and Sega Development Producer Jun Matsunaga about the creation ofP5X. Dense as these two hours of gameplay were, it’s clear that I only scratched the surface ofPersona 5: The Phantom X; it’s jam-packed with activities and places to explore, to an extent that rivalsthe mainlinePersonagames.
Persona 5: The Phantom X Remembers P5 Fondly
My preview began with the first hour or so of the game, and here, the influence ofPersona 5was perhaps the most heavy-handed. The setup of the game’s first arc doesn’t dramatically deviate fromP5’s opening hours: the protagonist enters the Metaverse thanks to a mysterious app, is motivated to Phantom Thievery by a tragic event, and learns the ropes of Persona usage and the cognitive world from a cute but cryptic animal companion. The game even reuses a lot ofP5andP5R’s soundtracks; fans should expect to hear many of the original game’s greatest hits in cutscenes and the Tokyo overworld.
Thankfully, the story’s introduction moves much faster than it does inP5, so fans of the original game don’t have to strap themselves in for six hours of repeated exposition, and new music seems to become more and more common as players progress. In our interview, Uda discussed updated arrangements ofP5’s songs to matchP5X’s tone, and noted the return of iconicP5singer Lyn Inaizumi and longtimePersonacomposer Ryota Kuzoka (especially known for his work onthePersonaDancinggames) to create new music forP5X. It also helps that Perfect World hasn’t skimped on the animation quality; some ofThe Phantom X’s cutscenes and activity animations are even more dynamic and expressive than those in the base game.
What’s more, Lufel shines as a remarkably different take onthePersona"mascot companion"in the intro. Morgana and Teddie sometimes get flak for their childish and annoying streaks; Lufel instead comes across as a wise but out-of-touch old man in the body of an owl. It remains to be seen how much his character arc will borrow from Morgana long-term, but on first impression, he seems much less grating than his predecessors, and rather charming in his old-school manners and vocabulary. I had little time to get to know the game’s other original characters, but the glimpse I got into their lives at least suggested that fans shouldn’t expect carbon copies of the Phantom Thieves, nor of Joker’s other Confidants. With the help of these fresh faces, there’s certainly hope thatP5X’s overarching story will establish its own identity.
The Phantom X is as Alive as Any Persona Game
After playing through the first hour of the story, I had another hour to free-roam, and in this segment, it was clear that the social sim elements ofPersona 5are the biggest winners of the mobile format inThe Phantom X. Given that the entire point of a live-service game is to be played in perpetuity,Persona’s strict calendar systemwould seem like a poor fit, but Perfect World has risen to the occasion here. Instead of passing in-game days after hanging out with a friend or working a day job, the player spends activity points, afternoon slowly turning to night as points get spent. The number of available points each day seems quite limited, so fans must still spend time as wisely as they do in mainlinePersonagames, but they refresh daily. In other words, the player’s real-life calendar has become theP5Xprotagonist’s calendar. It’s a handsome spin on thePersonacalendar system that also dovetails nicely with more standard daily log-in rewards, which also appear inP5X.
The social sim elements themselves seem short but sweet, ideal for mobile play.Social Links and Confidantshave given way to a similar Synergy system that empowers the player through relationships. Studying, working, gaming, and other mundane solo activities are about as brisk as they tend to be in a mainlinePersonagame, and even hangouts with NPCs seem shorter than the typical Social Link or Confidant event. While this could leave one wanting more, it’s certainly convenient for playing on the go, and with the help ofP5X’s handling of time, social activities are little imposition on the dungeon-crawling and combat for the mechanically-minded player. As a cherry on top,Persona 5 Royal’s Thieves Den returns inP5Xas a way to unwind and reflect on the player’s story and social progress with collectibles and customization; I didn’t get a chance to tinker with it, but it seems to come with all the expected amenities and more.
Persona 5: The Phantom X’s Banquet of Mechanics
Combat itself is both very faithful toPersona 5combat, and yet entirely different. On the surface, combat plays out much like a normalPersonagame: in turn-based battles, players test out elements on Shadows using Persona skills, earn 1 Mores by hitting weaknesses, then polish off the enemy with an All-Out Attack when they’re all knocked down. However, the skills each Persona possesses are a far cry from the simple “deal damage” or “restore health” often found inPersona. Each character has elaborate passive abilities and secondary effects on active skills: Cattle can reduce incoming healing on an enemy, Closer can increase incoming Electricity damage, and so on. While battles with low-level Shadows are bound to feel much like a normalPersonagame, longer boss battles will likely test the player’s understanding of each character’s kit and how the team synergizes. (Honkai: Star Raildie-hardsmay find themselves perfectly at home inPersona 5: The Phantom X.)
One element of combat worth highlighting is the Finisher. During battles, players charge a meter which, when filled, they can spend on one party member to activate their Finisher. What that entails is different for each character – one might obliterate a targeted enemy, while another might heal the party with a buff on top. This is simple enough, and not unheard-of in a gacha RPG; what caught my attention is its obvious iteration on the Showtime format fromPersona 5 Royal. Finisher animations are the spitting image of Showtimes, except they star a Phantom Thief and their Persona rather than two party members, and the effects are much more intricate than a Showtime’s. To me, this feature was living proof of Perfect World’s ability to faithfully capturethe style and flair ofPersona 5while doing something new.
While this preview only offered a limited look at dungeon-crawling, it does appear to be one of the more time-consuming parts ofPersona 5: The Phantom X,as one might expect. Mementos returns, still a series of winding tunnels where players must progressively unlock the depths and complete side quests. Lufel conveniently shares Morgana’s ability to turn into a car; he bashes open doors and rams Shadows in a near-identical manner. This is an aspect ofPersona 5that Perfect World hasn’t exactly reinvented, but since Mementos is so simple at its core, it’s fertile soil for new features post-launch, and at least an even more convenient way to grind than before, thanks toThe Phantom X’s handling of time.
The dungeon element also makes good use of crossplay. If players knock out their social sim activities on mobile throughout the day, they can get intoMementos and the Palaceson PC later. During our group interview, Matsunaga emphasized the value of crossplay as a way to enjoy different parts of the game at different times, which resonated with me; during the gameplay preview, I found myself wanting to tap through simple social activities on mobile, then use a PC to settle in for a higher-commitment dungeon crawl.
The actual gacha system ofPersona 5: The Phantom Xdidn’t fully reveal its hand during this preview, but its presence was felt nonetheless. Shadow battles and side quests were loaded with multifarious component rewards, although I didn’t have the chance to thoroughly learn all the ways to spend them. At a glance, it doesn’t seem like anything a seasoned gacha game fan can’t handle, but it may be a bit of a learning curve for those who just come looking for a mobilePersonagame in the spirit of the series’PS Portable and PS Vita era. Still, this preview suggests that Perfect World has found a way for gacha andPersonato meet in the middle.
That’s whatP5X’s future hinges on, really.Persona 5: The Phantom Xis a clear love letter to the original game, and it will stay that way, so long as the combat, dungeons, and social sim activities stay gripping in their own right, existing in balance with the gacha grind, rather than merely in service to it. While I went in with my reservations about a gacha take onPersona, this preview made it clear thatPersona 5: The Phantom Xis a comprehensivePersonagame for mobile, devoted to both honoring its source material and contemplating its further possibilities. With any luck, Perfect World’s passion forPersonawill keepP5Xgoing full throttle for years to come.
