Persona 5 Royal guide: What’s new in Royal

Persona 5 Royal is an even bigger version of an already gigantic game. There is tons of stuff to do, and plenty of new activities, features, and characters for new and existing Persona 5 fans to enjoy.

Here’s a quick list of some of the biggest changes in Persona 5 Royal.

[Warning: The following contains spoilers for Persona 5 Royal.]

There are two major new characters in Persona 5 Royal: Kasumi Yoshizawa and Takuto Maruki.

Both of these characters have their own Confidant ranks and offer Joker special abilities. Kasumi is the new party member who starts to appear in the story very early on but won’t join the player party until close to the end of Royal. Maruki is a school counselor who shows up just after players clear the first Palace.

While not a Confidant, there’s also a small boy named Jose who players meet inside the Metaverse. He offers a special shop and a new collectible hunt inside Mementos.

In Persona 5 Royal, players will also need to manually increase their relationship with Goro Akechi by spending time with him.

Much of Persona 5 Royal new content appears right after the final dungeon in the original Persona 5. Where the game normally ended in December, players now stay through the end of January. This includes another, albeit short, semester of school.

This semester includes everything you’d expect from the rest of the school year, but with a weird twist on the world around the Phantom Thieves. Players will need to answer another month’s worth of classroom answers and crossword puzzles.

In Persona 5 Royal, players can visit a new area of Tokyo: Kichijoji. This new area has several new activities, like the ability to play darts to improve your combat Baton Pass ability with certain allies.

Players also have more time at home to improve their Social Stats by watching movies or playing retro games on the TV — freeing them up during the day to hang out with friends. Players can also invite Caroline and Justine to hang out at various places around Tokyo — although this will not increase the Strength Confidant.

Palaces — Persona 5’s version of dungeons — have a few new elements in Persona 5 Royal. The bosses are slightly harder, Joker has a new grappling hook to zip him up and around, and players can find three Will Seeds hidden in each location.

Will Seeds are collectible items scattered throughout a Palace. Players will need to hunt them down as they go. Collecting all three creates a powerful accessory often with unique effects for party members. Players can upgrade these Will Seed accessories by visiting Jose in Mementos.

There are also powerful new duo moves between characters. These Showtime attacks appear when an enemy or party member is low health. The move takes the place of an action and calls upon the friendship of your party members for a super powerful duo move. And the animations for these moves are some of the best in the game.

Royal also offers a new Palace in January.

Early on in Royal, players will unlock the Thieves Den. This is a new location where players can hang out and display their in-game achievements. It’s a unique way for players to customize their Persona 5 Royal experience.

Players can buy statues of bosses and ally personas as well as decorate their Thieves Den.

The Thieves Den also has a new card minigame to play with party members. There are unique art and moves to purchase with coins — earned from completing challenges — which players can hang on their walls.