The last week feels like it has been filled with Persona 5 news, discussion and speculation. Not only did Joker make his Smash Bros Ultimate debut but two heavily teased “new” Persona 5 games were finally unveiled – to a mixed reception. The biggest disappointment was the news that ‘Persona 5 S’ is not a Nintendo Switch port of the game. Its not all bad news; the spin-off is a Dynasty Warriors-esque action-RPG. It’s also heading to the Switch as well as the PS4. So why is this such a let down for many fans? It makes Atlus seem out of touch with what fans want, and it could easily have been avoided.
With the surprising reveal of Joker for Smash many fans immediately leapt to a single conclusion: Persona must be heading to the Switch in some form. Why promote a character that doesn’t even appear on a Nintendo system? It wasn’t a wild assumption to make. For starters the Switch has become the platform of choice for many RPG players thanks to its portable nature. The ‘tease’ of a game called Persona 5 S further fuelled this speculation. To top it all off the news was gonna break around the same time Joker’s Smash fighter is out? You can’t blame anyone for connecting those dots. And that’s without the persistent rumours that such a port is going to be announced. Its a situation that was entirely predictable by Atlus, and could have been easily avoided. One tweet to slow the hype train would have done wonders in managing fans’ expectations. From the brief trailer the spin-off looks like it could be highly enjoyable. The issue is that between Smash and Scramble that’s two games trading on a love for a game Switch owners can’t even play. Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers currently has no release date.
The first new game revealed was met with a much more positive reception. Persona 5 Royal is an expanded version of the original release, again heading to the PS4. Despite Persona 5 already being a lengthy undertaking, with completion spending up to 100 hours on the game, this new version has had a surprisingly warm reception. Not only will the new version boast expanded areas and remixed dungeons but the biggest appeal will come from the new party member, heavily featured in the teasers and trailers. With just over two years since the game’s worldwide release it seems fans are eager to get back in and re-experience this much-lauded JRPG. For those still intending to try Persona 5 for themselves this promises to be the definitive edition, even if it does involve a little waiting before you can get your hands on it. The game will be out this October in Japan. A Western release for next year has been announced, but with no specific timing.
