Persona5: The Phantom X Review

As acold arsenic crippled pitches go, an endless Persona 5 spin-off sounds similar a beauteous coagulated idea. What’s not to emotion astir turn-based RPG battles, analyzable villains, and a plethora of sumptuous societal links? Enter Atlus’s latest genre-flipping summation to the series, Persona5: The Phantom X, a gacha-fied escapade that boasts each the hallmarks of its iconic root material, from beautifully animated cutscenes to goosebump-inducing needle drops. What’s the catch? Oh, conscionable a boatload of confusing currencies to juggle and a grind-heavy gameplay loop erstwhile you flight its inviting aboriginal game. It’s a shame, due to the fact that if you look past the persistently lurking gacha baggage, The Phantom X is simply a peachy pastiche. But aft 35 hours, its charms person much than worn bladed arsenic a effect of this framework, leaving down a flattering but profoundly compromised imitation of Persona 5.

The Phantom X mightiness beryllium a Persona 5 spin-off, but that doesn’t mean you’ll beryllium playing arsenic Joker and the crew. Instead, you embody a Nagisa Kamisiro (though you tin inactive prime your ain name) successful an alternate timeline mentation of Persona 5’s story. A seemingly mean student, Kamasiro’s beingness changes erstwhile an adorable owl called Lufel calls connected them to combat backmost against the misery and hopelessness enveloping the world, and to crook the tables against the large despair that clouds the hearts of the public. Unable to refuse, Kamasiro learns to wield their interior Persona and travels to the shadiness satellite to assistance wide retired the corporate unconscious, 1 monster astatine a time. As with Kamisiro, determination are much Tokyoites to conscionable and awaken arsenic you progress, with each caller character’s arc nestled nicely into the overarching story. If you’ve played Persona 5, you’ll rapidly announcement that The Phantom X is pursuing its look to a tee.

To combat disconnected the aforementioned evil, you’ll bounce betwixt a fistful of beautifully recreated Tokyo neighborhoods and the monster-filled Metaverse – though what you bash successful either spot is present constricted by assorted time- oregon money-gated resources alternatively than a rigid calendar marching ever forward. As The Phantom Thieves, you’ll eek retired misbehaving fiends and infiltrate their minds portion learning to maestro the series’ trademark turn-based combat that centres astir elemental weaknesses. And due to the fact that Kamisiro is simply a teen, you’ll besides person to equilibrium studying, part-time work, and a societal life, too. With each of its evident derivations, The Phantom X struggles to conjure caller ideas oregon contiguous excitement successful the shadiness of a astir decade-old masterpiece, but it astatine slightest manages to clone the Persona look reasonably well, and that volition beryllium capable for some.

No substance however acquainted the halfway gameplay mechanics feel, a divers formed of supporting characters provides much-needed levity and bosom to the world. I’ve fallen successful emotion with Anderson, a gym rat with a bosom of gold, Yaoling Li, an energetic overseas speech pupil struggling with her studies, a cautious nurse-to-be named Minami Mitashita, and plentifulness more. With energetic dependable acting to backmost up their emotive and often humorous dialogue, it’s wide there’s been an effort to springiness the NPCs a consciousness of self, and, akin to Persona 5, the much clip you put successful them, the much you tin unravel their heartfelt stories.

Helping retired the locals doesn’t conscionable reward you with immoderate juicy plotlines to propulsion at, it tin pb to benefits successful combat and day-to-day tasks, too. For example, if you take to support helping Yaoling Li acclimate to her caller beingness successful Japan, you’ll larn cardinal recipes that you tin navigator to buff your stats successful battle. Alternatively, completing tiny broadside missions for characters similar Minami volition reward you with upgrade currencies and peculiar items for your home. These societal interactions besides grow the assortment of Kamisiro’s day-to-day tasks and supply bespoke options similar moving retired astatine the gym alongside the carousel of regular activities, specified arsenic studying for schoolhouse successful section cafes, moving astatine the Konbini for cash, oregon buying seeds that you tin works successful your plot astatine home. How you walk your clip volition besides provender into your Social Stats (Guts, Knowledge, Proficiency, Kindness, and Charm), which tin interaction however affable you tin get with definite NPCs, arsenic good arsenic what items are disposable to bargain astatine the section stores. The steadfast operation of societal endeavours and solo tasks provender into each different nicely and creates an approachable strategy that enriches Kamasiro’s initially quiescent beingness (while buffing their skills successful the process).

Unlike Persona 5, however you take to walk your clip successful The Phantom X is governed by recoupable Action Points alternatively of a constricted regular schedule. This means you don’t truly person to fret implicit spending clip with 1 NPC oregon different due to the fact that you tin conscionable hold for those points to adhd backmost up people and not miss retired connected either. I tin admit that this strategy is overmuch much forgiving than the rigid operation the Persona bid is known for. However, without that all-important clip pressure, The Phantom X fails to deed connected however profound these decisions could and should feel. It makes consciousness successful the discourse of the Gacha setting, but this free-for-all attack makes it a small excessively casual to flit betwixt NPCs without afloat investing successful their well-written backstory and considering however they mightiness assistance you if you take them alternatively of immoderate different character.

It’s not each errands and acquaintances, though, and erstwhile you’re finished playing supra ground, you’ll yet determination connected to combat expeditions, which you tin motorboat immoderate clip from the Metaverse app located connected Kamisiro’s phone. Similar to the strategy utilized to govern societal activities, your clip successful combat is partially ruled by an auto-refreshing currency, this clip called Stamina. And arsenic you battle, you’ll request to walk it to reap the rewards. The Phantom X bases its combat strategy connected Persona 5, meaning it's turn-based with engaging reactive elements similar chaining unneurotic One Mores to beryllium arsenic businesslike arsenic possible. When you rotation up connected a baddie, you’ll rhythm done your enactment 1 subordinate astatine a time, choosing betwixt melee attacks, ranged attacks, and peculiar Persona abilities. Similar to Pokémon, the enemies you’ll look and the Personas you deploy, each person elemental strengths and weaknesses (like occurrence oregon ice) that tin beryllium exploited for other damage.

It’s a tried-and-tested strategy with capable diverseness successful its moveset to support battles fresh, and adjacent if you are starting to tyre of it, the imagination-stoking force designs propulsion a bully magnitude of value throughout. What makes Persona combat genuinely unique, though, is the series’ bold interface plan and legendary conflict themes, which person been lovingly recreated here. I promise, nary substance however galore times you’ve already heard Persona 5’s Last Surprise, it conscionable doesn’t get old.

Sadly, nary magnitude of vocal flair from vocalist Lyn Inaizumi oregon introspective dialog makes up for the sizable array of gacha systems and currencies you request to equilibrium successful The Phantom X. Within the archetypal 20 hours oregon so, determination aren’t galore barriers successful the mode of progression, letting you wide retired baddies and leap betwixt main and broadside stories with comparative ease. Inevitably, though, arsenic you get deeper in, level barriers overgarment a clearer representation of what progression really feels similar agelong term. Once you tally retired of broadside quests and main communicative contented to substance your ascent (which tin hap reasonably quickly), the adjacent champion mode to gain the XP needed to unlock much is doing random fights successful the Metaverse… but successful bid to bash that, you request to walk Stamina. If you’re retired of Stamina, you person 2 choices: acquisition boosting supplements with existent currency oregon hold a painstaking magnitude of clip for it to reload connected its own. I’m not opposed to grinding retired materials, particularly erstwhile The Phantom X’s combat is truthful moreish and the stories attached are compelling. It’s alternatively that this recognition card-shaped decision was a wholly expected but utterly disappointing roadblock to smash into. It was peculiarly achy to beryllium reminded that I could simply wage via the in-game store pop-ups each fewer minutes, too.

Thankfully, not each the Gacha systems successful The Phantom X are truthful frustrating. While determination are characters and Personas you tin unlock done the story, the quickest mode to bolster your squad is to prosecute successful the fortunate dip Contracts menu. In enactment with astir different Gacha games connected the market, you tin gain the currencies you request to propulsion by grinding, oregon chopped to the pursuit and wage to get an instant boost. Thankfully, it didn’t instrumentality maine excessively agelong to put my hard-earned Gacha currency and unlock my beloved Persona 5 fave Ann Takamaki without having to scope for my wallet. A ton of caller characters are introduced via this system, and Shigenori Soejima’s striking quality designs conscionable don’t quit, which sweetens the cookware somewhat. While I emotion each my Gacha children equally, I was peculiarly enamoured with the icy-haired Kotone Montagne, whose ocular benignant landed determination betwixt Joan of Arc and Swan Lake.

Outside of the inclusion of the premium currencies, possibly my biggest gripe with The Phantom X truthful acold is that it feels much similar an uncanny reflection of Persona 5, alternatively than a unsocial instrumentality connected its established lore. Other spin-offs similar Persona 5 Tactica oregon Persona 5 Strikers consciousness similar beardown additions to the bid that travel astatine oregon grow upon it from a antithetic angle, whereas The Phantom X is much of a well-executed imitation. It’s not that I’m bored, arsenic I’ve thoroughly enjoyed some its combat and getting to cognize the wide array of quirky characters I’ve met. Plus, the 35 hours of missions I’ve played truthful acold are well-written, appropriately shocking, and bash good to framework the villains arsenic complex, fractured souls. But The Phantom X’s “do-over” instrumentality connected the communicative of The Phantom Thieves, isn’t a caller capable acquisition to warrant the magnitude of clip (or perchance money) I’ll request to put if I privation to spot it done to its lengthy extremity (the circumstantial details of which are yet to adjacent beryllium revealed) – particularly erstwhile Persona 5 and its predecessors are readily disposable and consciousness acold much curated and engaging.