Persona 5 Tacticais a strange entry into the series’ canon.Persona 5has already been continued via the traditional extended edition (Royal) and rhythm game (Dancing in Starlight), as well as Q2 Labyrinths that connected Personas 3-5 non-canonically. Then, rather than the fighting game we saw with Persona 4, we instead got a musou game (Strikers), that acted as a direct sequel, although it ignored any changes in Royal entirely. Now we have the TRPG Tactica, which also ignores Royal, and keeps the Persona 5 fires burning.
Though we’re technically in the Persona 5 era, it feels mostly like we’re waiting on Persona 6’s to begin. It has been teased (or fans have suspected it has been teased) multiple times, and Strikers felt like the perfect goodbye to the crew. I enjoy myself a good TRPG, and I’ve fallen more in love with Persona, and particularly the Phantom Thieves, with each new addition to the roster. But after Strikers, I’m torn on the thought of revisiting the game and undoing that initial goodbye. Having played through the game at Gamescom, I’m still torn.
Related:Everything We Know About Persona 5 Tactica
I played the first 15 minutes, enough to reach (but not defeat) the tutorial boss, and 15 additional minutes a little further into the game where we meet new character, Erina, and learn the All-Out Attack skill. This move convinces me that Tactica is the Persona-flavoured TRPG I’ve been waiting for, but I’m yet to be sold on the game’s timing itself.
Time is an important factor in Persona 5. You must complete each dungeon (as well as other quests or side stories) by specific dates, and the calendar propels the story as you make your way through the school year. Likewise, Strikers is defined by summer, taking place in that golden but bittersweet time when you spend one last holiday with friends you convince yourself you’ll know forever, even though you know it could be the last time you’re ever all together.
From what I’ve played, Tactica has none of this. There’s no sense of time passing, and how could there be? In order to make sense it must ignore the fact it cannot be squeezed into the existing timeline, and so it’s just a TRPG with Persona 5 characters rather than enriching the world of Persona 5 itself. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a total bust.
It’s difficult to judge a game’s quality from the opening, but the Persona 5 vibes are there, even with the change in art style. Personas continue to have use in battle (how much variation is unknown at this point), while guns are a bigger part of combat, and all in all it feels like Persona distilled into TRPG form. The All-Out Attack also occurs when three Phantom Thieves surround an enemy, mixing together something so core to Persona 5 in a way that feels connected to the conventions of a TRPG as well. It’s stylish and powerful, fits the game’s lore, and relies on connections between characters. I just hope the rest of the game can match its energy.
As for that opening boss and Erina, both seemed at home in Persona’s world. But for Erina, she still has a little way to go to ensure she feels like a true part of the Phantom Thieves, especially with the additions in both Royal and Strikers being overlooked. It’s a lot of pressure to join a team this close knit, and how well received Tactica is by the hardcore fanbase will likely depend a lot on the reception offered to Erina. Kasumi could do it, butErina needs to make me forget that Kasumi isn’t there.
Before I played Persona 5 Tactica atGamescom, I thought it was likely to be a good TRPG and unlikely to merge as well with Persona’s world-building as Strikers. Now that I’ve played it, I’m more convinced of both sides of that. Hopefully I’m right about the first and wrong about the second.
