Amateur Recommendation Hour: Persona 5

Today’s recommendation is one I’m extremely thankful to have experienced, one of my favorite games of all-time for multiple reasons. It’s quality, it’s staying power, but above all else it is the time of my life in which I experienced it. Without this game I would not have made it through one of the darkest eras of my existence. Needless to say this game means a very great deal to me. While it’s barrier of entry is large as it is a Japanese role playing game that can take upwards of 100 hours, it is that time that one puts into it that makes each interaction with it’s systems, it’s character bonds, and it’s narrative that much more worthwhile.

Art is inherently imperfect as it is created by humans who themselves are inherently imperfect. That being said this is one of the few works that I would ever give a perfect score to as all of my criticisms are nothing more than very minor nitpicks. Cowboy Bebop comes to mind when thinking of the rare 10/10 masterclasses of artistic creation. And I would absolutely put Persona 5 side by side with it on my so-called “committee of ‘perfection.’”

Persona 5, developed by Japanese titans Atlus, directed by Katsura Hashino, is the JRPG perfected. Remarkable battle system, fabulous art style, an engrossing narrative that is far more complex than initially meets the eye, possibly the best characterizations I’ve ever seen in a game, A M A Z I N G soundtrack by Shoji Meguro, OOZING with style, personality, and moral ambiguity, all wrapped into a 100+ hour work that (for me at least) uses every single minute of it’s runtime effectively and purposefully. Your time and faith will be repaid and then some. I think that is ultimately the reason it resonates so strongly with me. It backs up its gargantuan length with quality at every turn.

As is the case with Persona games (each being it’s own standalone entry, so knowledge of the previous installments storylines are not required, as this is how I first experienced it) the story revolves around a group of uber-trendy-contemporary-Japanese-teenagers who discover an alternate reality, in this case through an app on their smartphones, and with this particular world, the ability to dive into the warped perception of society’s most corrupted and powerful individuals with the ability to “steal their hearts” a representation of their most contorted desires. The main character, known by the pseudonym “Joker” after being falsely accused of assault and the friends he meets at his new high school, take it upon themselves to force their targets to confess their crimes and lose their status along the way. All the while awakening to their “other self” granting them the ability of persona powers to aid them in their carefully planned heists.

Being that the story is inspired by picaresque fiction, each of its major characters have a somewhat roguish and outcasted reality, which is followed up by their personas being incarnations of outlaws and rebels from fiction and reality. And it is through the confidant system that you are able to establish and deepen bonds with these characters in their own focused micro-narrative which is often comprised of introspective reflection as to how they feel outcasted and isolated from society based on their own experiences. As humanized and well-realized as teenaged characters could possibly be set against the backdrop of our modern world and all of it’s conveniences and setbacks. For my money, some of the best characterization you will ever see in a video game, period. They’re imperfect, formative, a little naive, and doe-eyed optimism of making change in a way that feels true to their own lives while also being ripe for empathy is impressive. Especially with how their growth naturally fits into the wider narrative as you progress through the story and each confidant story simultaneously.

It’s turn-based battle system is a thing of wonder. Snappy, stylish, over-the-top and remarkably fluid. Very few turn based battle systems I’ve ever interacted with have had such ease, readability without bombarding the player with its stylish UI is beyond immaculate. Such systems have always had difficulty making the party feel like a cohesive group while retaining their own individual fighting styles and quirks, often feeling like each character acts independently of each other. The synergy and flexibility, each made easier as you level up your confidant’s, an excellent interweave of gameplay and story, is done with such panache it’s a loop that becomes addictive. Combined with it’s dungeon (or I suppose “palace”) traversal of stealth, verticality, and spectacle it’s gamefeel is head of its class.

This is another thematically deep work (it’s almost as if I like those or something), touching on many different mutual intelligible themes. The generational divide between the Japanese youth and the adult population which far outnumbers them, the value of the profit over the humane. But ultimately I believe this work to be about the benefits and consequences of social revolution, where rose-colored idealism comes to a head and is taken over by the aftermath of reality. Actually putting these newfound ideas into practice in society at large requires an awful lot of work. Not least of which presenting it in such a manner that nonbelievers might be willing to buy into supporting it. All the while those in power do everything they can to shift perception towards a “violent overthrow” of established norms.

The barrier of entry for this game is particularly high precisely because of the aforementioned run time. It goes without saying, it is a massive time investment. For a lot of people, that right there will be too long and keep them away from ever even considering. There’s no shame in that either with how quickly life moves forward in the information age. Believe me when I say that this game absolutely pays you back and then some if you are willing to engross yourself in all it has to offer. Personally speaking, it offered me salvation and sanctuary in a time where nothing much did, and I would not have made it this far in my life without this work of genius.