Persona 5 Critic Reviews

Persona 5 sets the benchmark for modern Japanese RPGs: it oozes style, charisma, and polish quite unlike anything we've played. With this fifth entry, the series' trademark formula of dungeon delving and socialising has been perfected. Addictive, engaging gameplay, incredibly endearing characters, and a consistently rewarding narrative loop combine to create a spectacularly cohesive whole – whether or not you're already a fan of Persona. A masterpiece from top to bottom.

Whether you’re a series fan, a JRPG evangelist or a total turn-based newcomer, this is an essential play. Persona 5 is packed with stuff to do, expertly put together and exquisite to the last pixel. An unabashed masterpiece.

Persona 5 is one of the best games I have had the pleasure of playing and something that managed topping my favourite game of all time Persona 4 Golden in almost every way.

You'll struggle to find a more complete, self-assured, forward-thinking, and simply joyous example of the modern JRPG than this. Persona 5 knows what it is and is unashamed about it. The result is a game that, for all its themes about imprisonment and societal slavery, is free of shackles itself. That freedom makes it series-defining, genre-defining, and a must-play.

Persona 5 stole my heart. It was impossible to see that the best game of the already venerated series was yet to come, and yet somehow everything works wonderfully. I’d rather the dialogue didn’t pad things out as much as it did, but I was captivated from beginning to end, it brought back mechanics long thought out-dated, and introduced smart changes for the better. An essential RPG for 2017 that you should not miss out on.

Persona 5 is the pinnacle of the JRPG genre, showcasing for one of the few times in history what it's like when a beautiful story is assisted by great gameplay. This is a game with a wonderful personality, and one with more content than just about any other single-player game you can name...Persona 5 might have arrived with subtlety like a cool breeze, but its tailwinds will leave behind a confident and meaningful reminder that JRPGs are alive and well.

The voice acting is outstanding, the music is genius, the art style is so slick it'll raise your personal coolness level just from being in close proximity to it. Playing Persona 5 will make your hair glossier, increase your vocal range by an octave and add 7.32 years to your overall life expectancy. Play it enough times and you'll likely not only be able to levitate but also make a perfect omelette while in midair. It's THAT good.

With the most bewitching tale the series has ever told and an incredibly likable cast that rises above their typical archetypes, Persona 5 sings a song of rebellion. Not just against the norm of JRPGs, but of society's oppressive grasp, inspiring its players to rise up as the Phantom Thieves would. In the end, in spite of its minor missteps, Persona 5 has the power to steal the hearts of longterm fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Atlus has spent the last decade trying to make this niche JPRG franchise more prominent in the west, and Persona 5 deserves to be the game that finally takes the series from obscure to mainstream. Not only is it true to the series’ roots as well as a great starting point for the series, it’s a fantastic game, period. A hundred hours might not even feel like enough time; my first thought upon seeing the credits roll was “Is it too soon for New Game Plus?” Persona 5 is something very special, so never fear, JRPG fans: it was worth the wait.

Girls and boys, Persona 5 is simply the new king of Japanese role playing games, and it may even be 2016's game of the year. The story is so deep, the battle system is so well-executed, the art direction is so amazing and the music is so groovy! I instantly felt in love with this game and I am pretty sure you will too.

At its core this is a spectacular work of contemporary young adult fiction, one with a strong moral core, angled yet never didactic, expansive yet always focused.

Persona 5 may not pull up many trees in terms of innovation, but it refines and refreshes the things that make a great RPG work. The real star of the show however, is the world this RPG inhabits, and the people in it that you come to adore. Persona 5 is something to sink your entire self into, and end up feeling utterly despondent about when you finally have to leave its stylish embrace.

A brilliant way forward for the most traditional side of the JRPG, an example for the genre that should be taking into account for the future.

Persona 5 is a massive game. Dozens upon dozens of hours, even on the critical path, are eaten alive before you even notice it. It achieves this with a level of production that rivals even a Final Fantasy game, albeit on a wildly different plane. There are some hiccups, such as fuzzy textures (this is also on PS3, mind) and some awkward camera/movement, but as soon as the next eye-catching visual effect pops up or the next exciting cutscene with legitimately upsetting villains unravels, it’s like nothing else in your surroundings matters. Persona 5 is special, even more so for people who have been paying attention to this series for the past few decades. Just, you know, clear your calendar for a while.

Persona 5 is a JRPG that deserves to be played, period. There are few other games that understand their genre as well as Persona 5 does. It knows exactly what Persona fans, JRPG fans, and gamers in general want to see. It’s not just a game, it’s an addiction, and if you give it a shot you too will find yourself playing and replaying Persona 5 for the better part of 2017.

Persona 5 isn't just a rank and file member of Japan's streak of game of the year contenders in 2017, it's a blistering RPG masterpiece that cements itself among the all-time greats. Tagging along with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts on their psychedelic capers triggers a contact high of dazzling sights and sounds, with enough thematic depth to match its relentless swagger. It's a game that'll try to steal your own heart, and you'll willingly oblige.

While it’s easy to rattle off the merits of the various gameplay systems and gush about the presentation, those aren’t the things that make Persona 5 stick with you. It’s a game that’s willing to comment on the issues of today both in a broader sense and on a personal level. It doesn’t just have typical characters but rather people that you come to know by investing serious time in them. Persona 5 honors the now decades-old Shin Megami Tensei legacy without feeling content to stay within its limits, serving as a prime example of what a modern JRPG should be.

I’m absolutely in love with this game, and if you haven’t given it a shot yet, I think you’ll find a lot to love about Persona 5 too. It’s not a huge departure from Persona 3 or 4, but there’s been some noticeable changes and improvements made that do make a difference, all of which are for the better. The dungeon variations, the stealth mechanics, and even the ease with which you can navigate the overworld map are noticeably better than before. So even if you’ve felt a little lukewarm about the series up until now, I’d still urge you to give Persona 5 a try.

With Persona 5, Atlus has once again proven that it is the master of the modern JRPG. With terrific style, addictive gameplay, and an engaging, thought-provoking story, Persona 5 not only matches, but often exceeds its predecessors, one of which RPGamer even declared its RPG of the Decade back in 2010. It is an exceptionally long game, with most players likely to expect over one hundred hours for a single playthrough, but the investment is well worth it. Persona 5 is a remarkable game that shouldn't be missed.

It’s the sort of game that only comes around once every few years. It’s a game that is so unique in every aspect that it’d be impossible to mistake a single moment of it for anything else. It’s also a game about real life, despite the wacky hijinks you’ll often find yourself in. It’s about the moments you have with your friends, laughing around a hot pot as you make jokes only those there would understand. It’s within those moments that Persona 5 enters a league of its own, untouched by its contemporaries in every respect.