Start Here
This game is rated PEGI 16
Our review includes potentially triggering words:
Death, Depression, Drug, Drugs, Gamble, Gambling, Nudity and Sex.
Continue
Back
Ignore All Content Warnings
Posted: 10 months ago, last updated 3 months ago.
Author: @GeekDadGamer and Jo Robertson.
Overview
Persona 5 (also known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona) is the latest game in a series of role-playing games that focus on a group of students. You explore the world and take on enemies like other role play games. Here though, you manage relationships between characters to help them overcome their personal barriers and unlock new abilities. The series has a dark edge as it explores the human psyche in extreme scenarios, drawing on Jungian psychology and psychological, religion, mythology, and literature.
The Persona series is set in modern-day Japan but with extraordinary events happening in otherwise normal locations. Along with social and psychological themes, the games focus on the collective unconscious. For example, a recurring location is the Velvet Room; a place between reality and unconsciousness. This eroding of the barrier between life and death is extended in the recurring motif of the Masks characters wear, that need to be dis-guarded to develop their abilities.
Because of this, the main cast are seen to live dual lives. As you progress there is a chance to become your true self in different ways. Sometimes through combatting the effect of rumours, sometimes understanding depression or sometimes even addressing gossip and the media's influence.
As you explore real and fantasy locations, you encounter enemies to battle. These fights take place in rounds. You and your party attack, then your opponents counter attack. This includes selecting which physical and magical abilities to use. As the series has developed, the system has evolved although the central play mechanic remains the same.
Personas extend these fights. They are physical manifestations of a characters psyche and subconscious and give you special powers. Your team start with an initial Persona, but this is evolved through story events and social interaction.
Establishing Social Links allows you to grow and develop. As well as offering a novel way to advance characters it also powerfully ties the narrative interactions and character stories to the battles in the game.
The main series of Persona games are:
The Persona series is set in modern-day Japan but with extraordinary events happening in otherwise normal locations. Along with social and psychological themes, the games focus on the collective unconscious. For example, a recurring location is the Velvet Room; a place between reality and unconsciousness. This eroding of the barrier between life and death is extended in the recurring motif of the Masks characters wear, that need to be dis-guarded to develop their abilities.
Because of this, the main cast are seen to live dual lives. As you progress there is a chance to become your true self in different ways. Sometimes through combatting the effect of rumours, sometimes understanding depression or sometimes even addressing gossip and the media's influence.
As you explore real and fantasy locations, you encounter enemies to battle. These fights take place in rounds. You and your party attack, then your opponents counter attack. This includes selecting which physical and magical abilities to use. As the series has developed, the system has evolved although the central play mechanic remains the same.
Personas extend these fights. They are physical manifestations of a characters psyche and subconscious and give you special powers. Your team start with an initial Persona, but this is evolved through story events and social interaction.
Establishing Social Links allows you to grow and develop. As well as offering a novel way to advance characters it also powerfully ties the narrative interactions and character stories to the battles in the game.
The main series of Persona games are:
- Revelations: Persona (1996) PlayStation, PlayStation Portable
- Persona 2: Innocent Sin (1999) PlayStation, PlayStation Portable
- Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (2000) PlayStation, PlayStation Portable
- Persona 3 (2006) PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
- Persona 4 (2008) PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita, PC
- Persona 5 (2016) PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Game Details
Content Rating: PEGI 16
Release Date: 20/09/1996, updated in 2017
Price: 80% off
Platforms: 3DS and 2DS, DS, PC, PS Vita, PS3, PS4 and PS5
Genres: Adventure, Narrative, Role-Playing and Turn-Based
Accessibility: 3 features
Lists
View our choice of games like Persona. This game is good if you want to:
Commitment
Costs
Persona usually costs £8.99 to £89.99.
Does not offer in-game purchases, 'loot boxes' or 'battle/season passes'.
Persona 2 / Persona 3 Portable Bundle
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 3 And 5 Bundle + Megaverse Costume Pack
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight
Persona 3: Dancing In Moonlight Demo
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Persona 4 Golden
Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Persona 5
Persona 5 Royal
Persona 5 Royal Deluxe Edition
Persona 5 Royal Ultimate Edition
Persona 5 Strikers
Persona 5 Strikers Digital Deluxe Edition
Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight
Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight Demo
Persona 5: Ultimate Edition
Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Persona Q: Shadow Of The Labyrinth
Personality And Psychology Premium
Persona
Does not offer in-game purchases, 'loot boxes' or 'battle/season passes'.
Age Ratings
Content Rating
The main games in the series are rated PEGI 16. For Persona 5 this is for depictions of realistic looking violence towards human-like characters, use of sexual expletives, and encouragement/teaching of gambling. Not suitable for persons under 16 years of age.This game features depictions of realistic looking violence towards human-like characters, this is primarily shown during cutscenes. In one scene a character is shot through the head, their head then slams down onto a desk in a pool of blood. This game also contains infrequent use of sexual expletives, variations of the word “*!@?*” are heard during dialogue and in text boxes. There is a section in this game that takes place in a casino and the characters are tasked with winning a certain amount of money from slot machines to progress. Characters can gamble at slot machines and at dice games. Both games encourage gambling and teach the rules of how to play these games.
There is a sub-plot in the game which is a topical look at student-teacher relationships. It features a teacher who confesses to having inappropriate relationships with students.
Accessibility
Our Persona Accessibility Report documents 3 accessibility features:
Games Like Persona
Our experts have hand-picked the following similar games for you. These offer a similar way to play to Persona or are games with a similar theme or topic. These are good alternative games to Persona, or are a younger rated alternative for players not ready for PEGI 16 or ESRB MATURE 17+ games.
