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Katelin Tran

Michael Sinck

English 1B

5 March 2019

The Rising Success of Persona 5

The increasing popularity of video games has opened the floodgates to various of genres

and gameplay mechanics. Persona 5 is an example of a RPG (Role Playing Game), and is one of

the most beloved games of 2017. Being nominated for 15 awards, ranging from “Game of the

Year”, “Best Art Direction”, “Best Story”, and “Best Score/Music,” Persona 5 shows that its

critical acclaim exceeds the player base by also gaining recognition from the gaming industry. In

regards to the plotline, Persona 5 puts the player in the shoes of a new student transferring to

Shujin Academy in the middle of the year. The protagonist was involved in an incident where,

“[he] witnessed a woman being sexually harassed by a man and stopped [that man]. In his

drunken stupor, the man accidentally fell without the protagonist touching him and injured his

head. He blamed it on the protagonist and forced the woman to testify [in court] that it was the

protagonist's fault” (Protagonist).The main protagonist, Joker, soon learns he has powers to enter

people’s hearts and change individual’s distorted sense of reality, also known as “distortions.”

Through battling “shadows” (monsters within a person’s distortions) with “personas” (a

manifestation of a person’s true self), solving puzzles, and leading a group called The Phantom

Thieves along the way, the player participates in a storyline that becomes growingly complex

and intertwined. With Persona 5’s unconventional storytelling elements, complex plotline, and

numerous character development, it become clear why this game has gained mass popularity.
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A key gameplay element in Persona 5 is its unique employment of memories, which

create suspension and work to draw the audience in. When first starting the game, Joker is

thrown into a casino-like setting and is told to evacuate the premise. Joker then gets caught by

the police, taken to prison, beaten, drugged, and locked in an interrogation room. Players are told

they must retell the past and how they have gotten into this situation. Then, they are greeted with

an on-screen text that reads, “The key to reversing your fate is the bonds from your

memory…please, recall your memories…for the future of the world…and for yourself” (Persona

5). This kind of storytelling leaves the player in the dark because they are already supposed to

know how the story goes. However, that is not the case. By placing the bulk of the plot in the

past, Persona 5 creates a mysterious atmosphere that leaves players questioning what is going to

happen. It also creates a sense of dread and helplessness within the player, since no matter how

the player goes through the game, they will ultimately end up in prison. The use of memory

allows the creators to create “memory gaps,” which leaves the player even more confused and

wanting more answers.

When playing through the plot of the game, the objectives may seem extremely far

fetched from each other, but the creator of Persona 5, Atlus, is able to intricately place pieces

that beautifully bring the story together in an amazing way. The main plot of the game pertains to

Joker and his friends changing the hearts of people by entering a person’s distortions. Their first

target was a teacher from their school who abused and took advantage of his students. From then

on, the group continued to change the hearts of bigger and more influential people such as a

famous painter who claimed his students’ work as his own, an underground gang boss, a suicidal

girl that believed she was the reason for her mother’s death, the owner of a enormous fast food

chain who works his employees to the ground, and a powerful politician. When first playing the
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game, it is common for players to believe they are playing a series of short stories. However, as

the plot continues, players learn that all of the perpetrators have a connection to the person that

locked Joker in his cell. The plot escalates to the point where The Phantom Thieves have to face

off against God to stop his abuse of powers over the people. As players see the intricately woven

plot come together right before their eyes, they become more interested and excited. To be able

to bring all of the stories together creates feelings of astonishment and amazement for the game;

these feelings are similar to when a person watches an outstanding movie. As seen, the plot

become extremely heavy and leaves the player on the edge of their seats as more is to be

unfolded.

Persona 5 dives deep into character development by enabling players to create social

links, called confidants, with 20 other non-playable characters, which, “incorporates an in-game

component that expounds on each character’s backstory” (The Otakucrat). These non-playable

characters range from other members of The Phantom Thieves to characters that ultimately

supports Joker in his palace raids. In the game, “as [the player] level[s] up these bonds you’ll

earn relevant stat increases and gameplay advantage” (Goldfarb). Not only do these confidants

assist in gameplay, but players also get a storyline for each person. For example, there is a

teacher blamed for her student’s death and now must compensate money to his parents or an ex-

mafia dad trying to protect his son. Persona 5 has an interesting story for all the 20 confidants,

giving they would usually be static characters. Players are given a chance to explore other

storylines that do not revolve around Joker. This is not common in video games, since most

games leave players questioning about other side characters. Persona 5 does not ignore the

helping characters, thus demonstrating how detail-oriented Atlus was when creating this game.
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One major aspect of Persona 5 that plays a role with gameplay, plot, and character

development is its utilization of a time management system. Players are given a certain amount

of “free time” where they can choose to either do two activities or go into people’s distortions

per day. However, there are deadlines to complete each palace and they need to be accomplished

or players lose the game. This forces players to choose how they want to spend their time, thus

creating small, stressful situations for the player everyday. Since it is close to impossible for

players to be able to go through every plot line available in their first play of the game, the time

system would make the player curious about alternate endings, and it keeps them captivated.

Also, most players cannot max out their bonds with their confidants in the first run through. This

limits the character development. Players are forced to leave some of their confidants’ storyline

in favor for not losing the game. This creates dissatisfaction in the player, and if they want to

know the full story then they have to go through a second run through to get all of it. Time

management is extremely important when playing Persona 5 and must always be kept in mind.

Overall, time management is another aspect used in the game to keep players enthralled.

Although Persona 5 is a massively successful game, there are some critics who detest it

due to the plot twist; however, this prove incorrect as it was well-thought out and explained. One

of the most common complaint over the game is that the plot twist was too intricate. Players had

to watch a small animation explaining how the Phantom Thieves were able to execute their plan

to fully understand it. They believe this takes away from the “wow” moment that a plot twist

would usually bring. On the other hand, the way the plot twist was thought out and was planned

does not take any excitement away from the twist. The small animations used to explain did

exactly so. They explained the plan, dispelling all theories that would have arised, which allows

players to fully understand how the story is going. The way the animations appear was also
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brillant. They show up when the Phantom Thieves were explaining their plan to in-game

characters that wondered how they did it. By explaining the plot twist, players are able to fully

appreciate the detailed plotline. It does not take away from any exhilaration but actually increase

it since the animation ensures no one is left confused.

Persona 5 is an amazing game that truly did deserve the praise given to it. Its unorthodox

gameplay, intricate plot line, and character developments all propels this game to the next level.

All the detail and thought put into Persona 5 allows the game to stand out as an extraordinary

memorable experience. Gamers of all genres will be able to enjoy this game. Persona 5 has set

the bar for any future RPGs and is by far one of the best games out there.

Works Cited

Goldfarb, Andrew. “Persona 5 Review.” IGN Boards, IGN, 29 Mar. 2017,

www.ign.com/articles/

2017/03/29/persona-5-review.

Persona 5. Atlus. P-Studio. Playstation 3,4. 2017

“Protagonist (Persona 5).” Megami Tensei Wiki, megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/

Protagonist_(Persona_5).

The Otakucrat. “An Extended Analysis of Persona 5.” The Otakucrat, 28 July 2017, theotakucrat

.wordpress.com/2017/07/28/persona5/.