2020-05-01_Official_PlayStation_Magazine_-_UK_Edition

085

REVIEW

palaces.They’revaried,each
onelinkedtoanArcana,with
a varietyofmoves.
Theturn-basedcombathas
beenoverhauledforRoyal,
makingit evenslickerthanit
wasbefore.Hittinganenemy
witha typeofattackthey’re
weakto(suchasgunfirefora
Pixie)knocksthemdownas
always,allowingyoutousea
batonpasstothrowtheturn
overtoa partymemberfor
extrahits,butnowyoucan
performtechnicalattacksto
knockthemdown,suchas
puttingthemtosleepwitha
debuffskillandthenwhacking
themonthehead.Performing
a batonpasshasextrabenefits
inRoyal,asyoucanhealHP
andSPaswellasboostattack
strength(providingyourbond
is a highenoughlevel).
A newgrappleattackmeans
youcanstartfightswithan
immediatedebuff.Youmight
encounterDisasterShadows,
strongfoesthatcanunleash
devastatingcounterattacks,but

if killedoffquicklyexplodeand

insteaddealhugeamountsof

damagetotheotherenemies.

Mostofthebossfights

beengivena freshdo-over,

withinterestingnewphases

andtwiststhatmakethem

feela littlemorespecialbeing

introduced.Thesechallenge

youtothinkabouta fightin

waysbeyonddoingthemost

damagetoyouropponent.

Morethanever,Persona5’s

mechanicsareusedtofurther

thenarrative,whetherthat’sa

highartplagiaristmakingfake

copiesofhimselftofightyou,

orsmart-aleckAkechialways

throwingthreebullseyesina

rowatthenewdartsspotin

town.It’sbigger,better,more.

VERDICT

THE OPM BREAKDOWN

Right Ambush
enemies and
use baton pass
to chain skills
to end fights
end quickly.

Below The
grappling hook
breathes new
life into Persona
5’s dungeons.

Above left Akechi fans get plenty of new content in the revamped game.

While there’s a lot new to love,

you still need to be a devoted

Persona-head to go through it

all again. But if you are prepared

to put in the time, the Phantom

Thieves will steal your heart

once more. Oscar Taylor-Kent

8%Making

coffee to

restore SP in

thecafe you

livein.

27% Blowing

offadventuring

tohang with

friends getting

fashionable in

Harajuku.

20%Spending

agesfusingyour

personatogetthe

perfectteam.

5%Planning

theperfectdate

foranyfriends

who become

extra-special.

WHAT YOU DO IN... PERSONA 5 ROYAL

30%

Running through

some of the best

RPG dungeons

ever made.

10% Finally

understanding

why Akechi has

so many fans.

Sittingin frontoftheTVtoplay

a 100-hour-long JRPG is quite

the commitment. Thanks to PS4

Remote Play, you can do that from

a larger selection of positions. Royal

looks great on the handheld, and controls

with minimal delay – perfect for some bedtime grinding.

ALSO ON PLAYSTATION VITA

HOW TO... STAY IN PALACES LONGER

All the Phantom Thieves’

targets now have three

Will seeds hidden inside

them. Once collected,

these fuse together to

form a skill-granting

accessory. They also

give you an SP boost

when collected, meaning

you can spend more

time in the palace.

FRIENDS FOREVER

Our in-game calendars feel busier

than ever as we try to get close to

our favourite characters and find

out more about the new ones.

NO BROMANCE

New scenes with Akechi flesh him

out, and many play up the near-

romance between him and the main

character. But we can’t date him!

LOVING/HATING

EG

TT

NI

G

TH

EV

APO

RS

TROPHYCABINET

HT

E

PA

TH

CH

OSEN

OM (^) A
TS
S
UT
DI
OU
S^
DIS
GUIS
E
BRONZE
Hit up the local
bathhouse at the same
time as a steam-loving
old man to see if you
withstand the heat.
SILVER
Take the number one
spot in the schools’
exams by answering
trivia questions.
How charismatic.
GOLD
Just beat the game for
this one. With playtime
clocking in at around
100 hours, you’ve really
got to earn it.