Persona 5 Royal is the return of one of the best JRPGs of this generation, with new characters, new activities, new challenges, and most importantly, with the Spanish translation. Will it be worth it? The new semester at Shujin Academy has just started.
There are titles that can be valued in a matter of a few hours, and others that require half a life to delve into them. Persona 5 Royal is from the second. Still, and to my own surprise, the preview event I attended in “person” has allowed me to try a few of the new features that this review of the Atlus game brings , which has been available in Japan since last fall. However, I could not try the novelty that I most expected: Kasumi Yoshizawa, the new playable character . But, even with its absence, there has been enough news that I did not have time to see it all in one session, and that is the best sign that this is a worthwhile review.
Those of you who come from Persona 5 will find yourself at home from minute 1. The gameplay keeps its core intact, although with small tweaks here and there. The palaces, for example, have new paths and hidden treasures thanks to the Grapple , which allows you to hang from high points as if you were Batman himself, as well as three Seeds of Desire per palace, which recover your SP (the “mana” of the game) and help to complete the dungeons in one go. The bosses of each palace have also been modified with new powerful attacks, and there are new people and some new musical song like Take Over . Small changes that give some diversity to each level and combat.
Outside the palaces, there is a whole new neighborhood that can be explored on foot, the Kichijoji neighborhood , which has various shops and activities, such as the second-hand shop or the incense shop , which is one of the new objects of Person 5 Royal. There is also a jazz club to meet up with confidants, and what I liked most of all, the Penguin Sniper, a pool bar that also includes a Yakuza-style darts minigame . Not only is it entertaining, but with it the characters’ relief level is improved , another novelty that now makes the characters recover life and SP when giving a relief if their level of it is high.
Although one of the things that attracts the most attention is the den of thieves . This is a personal hub outside of the game, where you can watch all the cinematics and videos of the game, listen to the full soundtrack, review the art images or even play a new card game called Tycoon as a minigame. An area just for you , that you can decorate to taste, and that also allows you to use Ann, Ryuji, Morgana and others as your avatar while you are in it.
You will have to get used to the Velvet Room instead of the Velvet RoomOf course, what many of you expect is the Spanish translation , and this is one that has left me quite happy. The dialogues and expressions keep the personality of the characters well, and there has been nothing that has shocked me too much, so this may be the ideal opportunity to fully enter the saga if you have avoided it because of the language. Now, it will be time to get used to the ” Velvet Room “, instead of the Velvet Room, although “phantom thieves of hearts” is a name that the more days go by, the more I like it.
There are also more subtle details, and other more notable changes, for those who return from the previous version. For example, you can now give gifts to any confidante in the game, not just female confidants , and there are pair attacks called “Showtime” that are triggered by meeting specific requirements. In Mementos there are also little things, like a new character, José, who gives us rewards for collecting flowers and stamps through the tunnels. And most importantly, Atlus promises us, there are an additional thirty hours of gameplay , including a new semester beyond the events of Persona 5 to culminate its plots. If P5 was already a scandal, with Persona 5 Royal they will steal your heart.
What we liked about Persona 5 Royal
- The new neighborhood is full of things to do, and even has a mini-game of darts.
- The songs added to the soundtrack, with the stamp of Shoji Meguro.
- The den of thieves allows you to rest from the game and enjoy the game materials.
- The changes in the palaces, while subtle, make you return to them with enthusiasm.
- They promise more than 30 hours of additional history, which is no small thing.
- Translation removes the language barrier for many players.
