After a Persona 5 released in 2016 in Japan and in 2017 in Europe, and a Persona 5 Royal released in 2019 in Japan and in 2020 in Europe, we suspected that the spin-off Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers would also take its time to get to our place. But fans of the series who have been impatient since February 20, their eyes turned to the rising sun, can finally begin to relax. In just over two months, they will be sure to get their hands on the object of their lust.
While waiting for this blessed day, we have already had the chance to attend for an hour at a (remote) presentation of the game. Among the first factual information that we can bring you is the western title, which can be seen simplified in “Persona 5 Strikers” and that many players are also likely to shorten in P5S. If this acronym inevitably recalls that of a famous console, the game will actually be released on PS4, Nintendo Switch and Steam. This should please a lot of people, since Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal were PlayStation exclusives. Let’s continue with the good news, specifying that voices will be available in English and Japanese, while subtitles can be displayed in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. The Steam version will even add Japanese, Korean and Chinese to the text menu. As for the exact release date, know that it is February 23. The most fanatical will even be able to access the adventure from February 19, provided they have pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe Edition. With this raw information now transmitted, it’s time to take a look at the game itself.
From a storytelling point of view, it is a direct sequel to Persona 5. Daisuke Kanada, the director of the game, still wishes to clarify that all players are welcome. Fans will have the pleasure of discovering events that extend those they have previously enjoyed, anime and manga lovers will find a world that is familiar to them, while “average” players will be able to jump on the bandwagon because history is self-sufficient. The latter takes place during the summer vacation of our heroes, who can finally recover from their past adventures. But as everyone knows, after the calm comes the storm! A new threat falls on the country and corruption spreads over various Japanese cities. Tokyo will not be the only theater of operations this time, since we are told six cities to explore. The game sequence that we were able to see began all the same in the district of Yongen-Jaya, Café Leblanc once again serving as a meeting point for the heroes. The team available in what appears to be the adventure’s first mission consists of Ren (codenamed Joker), Ryuji, Morgana, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Haru, Futaba, and Sophia.
WHAT’S NEW, STRIKER?
Regulars of the saga will have noticed that this last protagonist is new to the cast. This is a very cute artificial intelligence, which will be joined later by a second “beginner” character: Inspector Zenkichi. We have seen that the dialogues are always as important, the characters do not hesitate to be regularly very talkative, whether during the cutscenes or even in full mission. On the other hand, the fights stand out singularly with those of Persona 5. For this spin-off, the turn-based approach has been abandoned for a system that favors real-time action. With the game being developed by Omega Force (the studio behind the Dynasty Warriors), Persona 5 Strikers is often referred to as musō. To tell the truth, the confrontations which we attended rather reminded us of the “classic” action / adventure genre, since we face groups of enemies in reasonable numbers. This does not prevent the fights from seeming a little confused, drowned as they are under special effects, graphic onomatopoeias, damage figures and various interface elements.
As a simple spectator it is not easy to navigate. It will therefore be necessary to check what it is once the controller in hand. What is certain is that it will be necessary to use the different skills of the characters in order to make the most of the weaknesses of the enemies. Note that this new combat system remains compatible with the concept of ambushes, which surprise an enemy and gain the advantage over him. We can also notice that the exploration plays with the camera angles, since the third person camera is sometimes placed sideways during certain passages, which then resemble a platform game.
