Persona 5 Tactica Hands-On Preview – A Beloved Franchise Explores a Different RPG Genre

Persona 5 is undeniably the most successful Persona game thus far. After a fantastic expansion with Persona 5 Royal, and spin-offs such as Persona 5 Strikers, they’ve returned to the RPG genre with Persona 5 Tactica. Just as the name implies, Persona 5 Tactica is a tactical RPG that takes place in the world of Persona 5. We were lucky enough to check it out before its official launch on Nov. 17, and those interested can find out thoughts below.

Without giving away too much, Persona 5 Tactica takes place after the events of Persona 5. Joker and the rest of the Phantom Thieves find themselves stuck in a familiar Metaverse under the control of oppressive ruler, Marie. She has the unique ability to brainwash any of the Phantom Thieves, except for Joker and Morgana. Due to this, they must team up with revolutionary leader Erina to find a way to rescue their friends and find their way back home. As players progress the narrative expands through a series of familiar faces, and exciting twists.

Since Persona 5 Tactica is a tactical RPG, it does not have a city, or dungeons to explore. Instead, Persona 5 Tactica is divided into stages accessible through menus that start and/or end with a cutscene. The Metaverse version of Le Blanc acts as the main hub that players can interact with their party members, initiate missions, choose quests, and more.

As for combat, players will have time to check objectives, bonus missions, and edit characters before entering the battlefield. Upon starting a mission, players can move within a set area, and potentially attack.

Similar to Persona 5, characters can attack with a gun, or with their Persona. Fans of the previous entries will see a number Personas return as well. To help differentiate it from other tactical RPGs, and to maintain the Persona style, players have the opportunity to perform iconic attacks, such as all-out attack, albeit under a different name. Unfortunately, only three characters can join a battle, but they can be easily swapped out as more characters become available.

Regarding progression, Persona 5 Tactica does not offer experience points to individual characters; opting for the whole group to level together. As the Phantom Thieves gain levels through stages, and meeting objectives, they will earn a resource called GP. These can be used on the character’s skill tree to increase the number of attacks available, or unlock passive abilities to make them stronger.

In terms of Personas, the Velvet Room returns without Igor. Players can still fuse Personas, but characters are not able to change their main Persona. Instead, they can equip them as a secondary Persona for additional combat skills.

Within the first hour I gained a good understanding of the gameplay mechanics. Persona 5 Tactica ‘s narrative starts strong, and I’m looking forward seeing it through. Along with that, I can’t wait to see how combat evolves to encourage players to divisive tactics that both win, and complete objectives. For those interested in those answers, make sure to return for our full review in the coming weeks.