Persona 5 Trailer of Awesomeness

[TheLastCandle]

[video=youtube]

 

I'm extremely pumped about this, even if I have several questions about it. Namely regarding what appears to be a stealth game aspect to the "dungeon" exploration. How big of a role does that play in the game? Is it a major part of the experience, or are there just a few stealth lite segments a la Zelda: The Wind Waker? Is it just an added dimension to the traditional system of "approach the enemy from behind for a combat advantage" or something more? Hopefully we'll get a little more information from Atlus sooner than later.

 

Also, the last few seconds make me wonder if we're going to see the MC embrace his Hollow Shadow self for extra power.

 

Anyway, discuss. I know I'm not the only SMT/Persona fan up in here.

 

Edit: So, the latest issue of Famitsu dropped a few tidbits about the upcoming Persona game. Some takeaways courtesy of "Persona Fan Channel" on Tumblr:

 

PROTAGONIST

- The protagonist is a second year high school student who has recently moved to the big city, and lives with his parents’ friends at a coffee shop named SUMIKON.

- The protagonist’s unique Persona is called “Arsene”, presumably derived from the fictional gentleman thief “Arsène Lupin.”

 

STORY

- Unlike the heroes of Persona 3 and Persona 4, the protagonist of Persona 5 has a problem of some sort that, if not faced down, could spell big trouble in the future. The sequence in which he looks like a prisoner takes place in what could be called a Mental Prison.

- The protagonist meets other two characters and cat creature in the trailer at the beginning of the game. The other two have their own life problems as well, and cat creature is mysterious, can transform, and is key to storyline.

- There are reasons behind why Personas appear as the enemies the cast are facing, however Hashino is remaining silent on that point, as well as where the protagonist’s fights take place.

 

THEME

- Instead of the “カッ”(flash) seen in previous Persona summon sequences, it looks like it’ll be “ブチッ”(snap) instead. The latter is the sound used to refer to something snapping. Like someone’s patience is running thin and hitting the breaking point.

 

ANIMATION STUDIO

- The animation studio that is handling Persona 5‘s anime scenes is Production I.G, and that studio’s anime director is the one who suggested the character figure skating scenes in the trailer.

 

PRODUCTION

- Because it is the first time Personas are being made for high-definition platforms, the development process was particularly arduous on that front.

 

COMBAT AND EXPLORATION

- The game starts in Shibuya, but takes place in various parts of Tokyo as well.

- The battle system will be turn-based, with improvements to previous Persona games.

- There will be randomly generated elements in the game, however major places in the story will be structured to emphasize the burglary theme.

- Each character has their own distinct firearm for long distance weapons, however they aren’t actual guns, yet are still effective in combat.

 

SOCIAL LINKS

- A “Cooperation” aspect of the game will involve helping sympathizers around the town, which will somehow be beneficial in battles.

- Social Links or a mechanic like them will have new twists, while also pertaining to their traditional elements of increasing various strengths/abilities.

 

CHARACTER DESIGNS (Shigenori Soejima)

- The protagonist’s seemingly docile nature is a profound ruse.

- Persona 5‘s logo is meant to emphasize the youthful nature of the plot and characters; “conveying a sense of speed and dynamism.”

- The protagonist’s Persona, “Arsene” is designed to be a little more old-school, including his name, though making the whole thing come together and look stylish with that sort of constraint wasn’t without its share of challenges. Its cape/wings are meant to portray the image of a thief who lurks around places where normal people don’t belong.

 

MUSIC

- The song heard in the Persona 5 trailer is the instrumental version of the main theme, according to series composer Shoji Meguro. He also stated that he wanted to give the music an acid jazz-like feel elements to bring out the game’s mood, including in the main theme. Direcotr Hashino was glad hearing the music since the jazz music goes hand-in-hand with the story of Lupin in its phantom thief motif.

[Kage]

CAT

 

That mask tho!

 

I am really digging it, though I haven't finish P3 or P4Golden... because.. of... ARR...

 

Cant wait to see it though... I do have an insy beety little question.

 

I know P3 and P4 are sorta connected in a way through P4 Arena etc. (With mentions of _____ from P3 into P4). Any chance we'll get some more stuff in connection?

 

IGOR. Question? Cause Im at work and can't hear. The VA for Igor died before P4Animation but they used his assets. Different VA now? Unknown?

[Warren Castille]

Persona trailer!

 

I'm eagerly awaiting the inevitable remake for a Sony handheld in five to eight years!

[TheLastCandle]

CAT

 

That mask tho!

 

I am really digging it, though I haven't finish P3 or P4Golden... because.. of... ARR...

 

Cant wait to see it though... I do have an insy beety little question.

 

I know P3 and P4 are sorta connected in a way through P4 Arena etc. (With mentions of _____ from P3 into P4). Any chance we'll get some more stuff in connection?

 

IGOR. Question? Cause Im at work and can't hear. The VA for Igor died before P4Animation but they used his assets. Different VA now? Unknown?

 

There are mentions of the events of Persona 1 and 2 in P3 as well. They're all connected in some way. In Persona 4, you even visit

Gekkoukan High School from Persona 3.

They haven't announced a replacement, but Igor himself was absent from the Velvet Room in Persona Q. Still, I think it's likely that the VA will be replaced, since he does appear in the P5 trailer. Using the old assets worked for P4Anime because they only had Igor speak the same lines he spoke in P4 the game.

 

Persona trailer!

 

I'm eagerly awaiting the inevitable remake for a Sony handheld in five to eight years!

 

Whoa whoa whoa, no Persona 5 Ruby until I get my Persona 3 Velvet!

[Mae]

In the FeMC storyline in P3P

 

The Chariot link brings you to Yasogami High for a few days for a sports exchange-thingy, and you meet a young Yukiko and Chie is mentioned. Also, when you play the P3 side of Persona Q, it takes place during the typhoon that hits in September, and you eventually meet up with the P4 cast. Haven't played the P4 side of Q yet, so I can't comment about that story. Depending on who you ask, though, Q may or may not be canon (FeMC from P3P isn't canon, either... *grumble*)

 

 

But OMGSOOOEXCITED..!

 

Cat-burglar-y theme? That's what I got from the trailer. And is it just me or do the characters seem older -- like highschool seniors or maybe first-year college students?

[TheLastCandle]

I noticed the MC has two pins on his jacket, so.. second year, maybe? They do seem more mature, but that might just be our perceptions. The catburglar/vigilante superhero(?) theme kind of presents a slightly darker tone than P4, which I think factors into it.

 

I keep wishing for a Persona game, or spinoff, that retains the Social Links aspect with an adult cast and a story that tackles adult problems and themes. Not that I don't like the high school setting -- I do, but Catherine (to me) showed that Atlus could do it if they wanted to.

[Jig]

*hypes like crazy*

 

OHMANOHMANOHMAN!

 

[TheLastCandle]

*hypes like crazy*

 

OHMANOHMANOHMAN!

 

 

[Gegenji]

I noticed the MC has two pins on his jacket, so.. second year, maybe? They do seem more mature, but that might just be our perceptions.  The catburglar/vigilante superhero(?) theme kind of presents a slightly darker tone than P4, which I think factors into it.

 

I think it's playing more on the theme of a persona being a "mask" you show to the world around you. It's just being taken to a more literal degree here in the design choice by having the protagonists solving whatever world-ending case will be occurring by wearing masks.

 

And I wonder if the stealth thing is going to be more about Shadows being more... aggressive? Dangerous? So that sneaking up on them will be more important than ever.

 

I've actually been a fan of the Persona series for while, mostly due to my love of mythology... but I've never actually gotten around to PLAYING on. I usually end up watching someone else do it so I can enjoy the story. :blush:

[TheLastCandle]

I noticed the MC has two pins on his jacket, so.. second year, maybe? They do seem more mature, but that might just be our perceptions.  The catburglar/vigilante superhero(?) theme kind of presents a slightly darker tone than P4, which I think factors into it.

 

I think it's playing more on the theme of a persona being a "mask" you show to the world around you. It's just being taken to a more literal degree here in the design choice by having the protagonists solving whatever world-ending case will be occurring by wearing masks.

And I wonder if the stealth thing is going to be more about Shadows being more... aggressive? Dangerous? So that sneaking up on them will be more important than ever.

 

I've actually been a fan of the Persona series for while, mostly due to my love of mythology... but I've never actually gotten around to PLAYING on. I usually end up watching someone else do it so I can enjoy the story. :blush:

 

Agreed. P4 touched on this a little; accepting one's inner darkness / "shadow" self, "reaching out to the truth," people obfuscating the truth around them and so on. Once again hailing back to the Jungian roots of the premise.

[Dat Oni]

Anybody else notice the graphics are on par with the art style of Catherine?

[Desu Nee]

I'm really glad Persona is moving towards a more mystique, Catharine style game like SMT. I mean, I loved Persona 4 and everything, but I really missed the Mystic and Mysterious mood from Persona 3 and 2. And it always disheartened me how blatantly uncreative P4 spin offs were.

 

Not that I hate P4, I love it, I just missed the mood that made me fall in love in Persona for starters.

[TheLastCandle]

Yeah, it seems obvious to me that the design team got a lot of practice from their work on Catherine. But apparently, unlike Catherine, they're not using Gamebryo for P5 but a proprietary engine.

 

Another thing I saw in the trailer is that we're apparently fighting actual demons and not shadows now. That and at least two characters using guns kind of hearkens back to SMT. (Speaking of which, I still need to finish SMT4, argh.)

[allgivenover]

I am max hype for this. Let's just say a P5 MC cosplay may be in the future for me.

[Briggs]

I flipping hated persona 4. I despised it from the start.

 

But this? I adore it. Everything about it. It's got a lot of SMT vibes (the main series).

 

Definitely looking forward to it.

[Kismet]

I'll just repeat what I said on another forum:

 

Persona: Saint Tail + Magic Kaito + Sly Cooper Edition.

 

Which I am TOTALLY okay with. Unfortunately, I won't have the console to even play P5. So I must sadly watch from afar. =/

[TheLastCandle]

It's set to come out for both PS3 and PS4, so there's that. I'm guessing Fall for P5's release, and I bet PS3 at the very least will get another price drop by then. Heck, it's worth it right now for the back catalog, especially if you've never owned one.

[Enla]

It's set to come out for both PS3 and PS4, so there's that. I'm guessing Fall for P5's release, and I bet PS3 at the very least will get another price drop by then. Heck, it's worth it right now for the back catalog, especially if you've never owned one.

 

That's my gut feeling as well. I'll probably wait awhile longer though, just so that it does have more of an affordable price drop so I can get a few more of the games I've been eyeing.

 

Still... *GRABBY HANDS* I fell in love with this series with P3P and Golden. MUST.HAVE.NAO.

[Caspar]

I'm surprised so many people disliked 4. I think the colorful aesthetic and more grounded character development was a huge improvement in uniqueness over 3, which was already excellent. I always felt to some extent this was backlash due to how much 4 has been milked, which makes me rather sick too.

 

This game has its own look. I'm glad that it doesn't simply ride on the coattails of 4 which is virulently overexposed now. Back when I played 3, I felt it was a uniquely fun experience, even if it had little in common with 2, one of my more favorite RPGs. When I played 4, I felt like they'd really struck a good balance between dark and relateable themes that 3 lacked overall. I am hoping 5 can upstage its predecessors once more, so that is a high bar to jump.

[Enla]

I'm surprised so many people disliked 4. I think the colorful aesthetic and more grounded character development was a huge improvement in uniqueness over 3, which was already excellent. I always felt to some extent this was backlash due to how much 4 has been milked, which makes me rather sick too.

 

This game has its own look. I'm glad that it doesn't simply ride on the coattails of 4 which is virulently overexposed now. Back when I played 3, I felt it was a uniquely fun experience, even if it had little in common with 2, one of my more favorite RPGs. When I played 4, I felt like they'd really struck a good balance between dark and relateable themes that 3 lacked overall. I am hoping 5 can upstage its predecessors once more, so that is a high bar to jump.

 

I think that's my issue with 4 honestly. The game has just been milked to death, and frankly I'm sick of seeing it already even though my first exposure to it was with the release of Golden. I can't even imagine how sick others might be of it now if they bought it back when it was originally released.

 

With that said however, I greatly prefer the story in 4 over 3, even though in most cases I prefer the characters from the latter.

[Kurt S.]

I aint gonna lie that trailer made me throw money at the screen. Wonder where the social links went though, didnt see the option at like the party menu thingy.

[TheLastCandle]

Yeah, a lot of people are wondering about that. I'm thinking it's buried under another menu, like maybe that oh-so-mysterious Cooperation option. I doubt they'd just get rid of S. Links; it's one of the series' trademarks. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time they shook up the formula.

 

Also, on the subject of 4: I loved it, personally. I think I enjoyed P3's atmosphere a bit more. It feels weird to call P4 lighthearted, because.. you know, it centers around a series of murders, but compared to P3 I think it is. Not that there's anything wrong with lightheartedness (*GLANCES OH SO SUBTLY AT HIS AVATAR*) but I came to Persona fresh from Nocturne, my first game in the Shin Megami Tensei series. Let's just say I really like the direction P5 is seeming to take. :3

[Loe]

It's the first PV, more will come. You can tell because they labelled it "1." 

 

I'm guessing the cast we just saw is only the beginning trio. We'll probably see the other characters you can add to your group in future PVs. This is double supported by the fact that we see five different designs in the scene where they're jumping around at a distance. So we have at least two more main characters that we've been yet to be introduced to, given the fact that there were also five chairs in the original teaser... Which would still make this one of the smaller casts of the Persona games. 

 

As for the story, if you look into all the games that are connecting, you'll notice that in the P4 Arena game, there was a mention of some items causing trouble and being capable of throwing people into the shadow world and causing distortions in the real world, with it heavily hinted that the events in Persona 4 being a drastic example of this. 

 

So, given the trailer, how the characters are all wearing burglar costumes and we see the main character partaking in a theft during the day, it's very possible that the plot of the game is going to involve them stealing items that have Shadow capabilities and properties. It's very likely the items warn and introduce shadows to the environments they're in as well, creating the 'dungeons' of this game. 

 

There's also the possibility that the main characters aren't necessarily the good guys but anti heroes of sorts, because in the universe we've been shown this to be set in, there is a group with government backing lead by some of the characters from P3 dealing with this kind of stuff. So it wouldn't be too out of the ball park if the characters are going against them to steal the items for some personal reason, which could mean that the men in black we saw were from the organization. 

 

I get this mostly because this vibe doesn't really paint them as edgey heroes or good guys, it mostly shows them as somewhat shady and plucky individuals with a lot of darker colors and imagery- which if you've been a fan of Persona for a while know this hints heavily to the general mood of the story.

 

As for the scene at the end with the evil smirk and  fire, I'm hoping this will mark the return of a subject in some of the earlier games of morality and corruption. 

 

Also, it looks like we're getting a jazz/soft rock type of sound for this, which between the hip hop/pop/rock and pop/rock from previous games, I'm so ready for.

[Caspar]

The theme of this game seems to be Phantom Thieves, or something to that extent. I'm pretty excited to pull an Arsene; I hope I'm right in thinking that's where the flamboyant costuming and chandelier-walking is going to head.

[Kurt S.]

I can't get enough of the musical score of the trailer. It reminds me of some of the jazzier tracks from the reincarnation tracks of the P4 and 3 OSTs, I always love the Jazzy and/or Lounge sounding tracks of Meguro really...so that might just be a personal thing.