Persona 5 instantly charmed fans and newcomers alike with its fluid, turn-based combat, stylish aesthetics, jazzy tunes, and memorable characters. The game was an instant success and has gone on to have an anime adaptation, a dancing game spin-off, tons of merchandise featuring the Phantom Thieves, and much more.
Most recent is the release of Persona 5 Strikers, another spin-off of the original game. Touted as a "Warriors" style action game where players hack and slash through hordes of Shadow enemies, Strikers takes the combat a step further by adding Persona abilities and mechanics from the original game. In doing so, Strikers creates a unique, hack and slash RPG hybrid with some big gameplay changes compared to the original Persona 5.
10 Negotiating With Shadows Is Gone
In Persona 5, when players fought Shadows, they could strategically target their weaknesses to stun them and then perform an All-Out Attack or initiate negotiations.
In negotiations, players could demand the Shadows to give them money, items, or convince them to join Joker's arsenal as a Persona. This was the main mechanic used to gather Personas. However, this is not the case in Strikers. Instead, defeated Shadows may drop masks that the player can pick up to acquire the Persona.
9 Strikers' Story Takes Players To New Places
The original Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal enhancement took place in Tokyo, with players taking the train to different parts of the city. Things are a bit different in Persona 5 Strikers, as the Phantom Thieves go on a road trip that takes them all across Japan.
The exploration of Strikers is more linear than the original, so there isn't much open-world exploring to do, but there are different environments to see and explore. Still, there are some familiar locations, such as Cafe Leblanc, where the Phantom Thieves often hang out.
8 There's No Grappling Hook, But Players Can Leap
Fans of Persona 5 who haven't played the Royal edition will find this mechanism to be newer to them. In Persona 5 Royal, players could use a grappling hook to traverse Palaces and reach higher, hidden areas. The grappling hook doesn't return in Strikers, but the basic mechanism stays.
In Persona 5 Strikers, players can press an on-screen button prompt to leap onto high areas and adjust their combat strategy using the high ground. It's the same mechanic as the grappling hook in everything but the name, and, well, the actual grappling hook itself.
7 There Is No Time Management Aspect
The Persona series combines turn-based combat with a social simulation aspect, where players have to figure out how to best manage their time in the real world so that they get the most out of it and also use their social relationships to bolster their combat abilities. It's a fun cocktail of elements that makes the games unique.
In Strikers, there is no time management system because the game doesn't operate on a daily schedule. The story progression is more linear than the mainline Persona games, which makes sense since this is a spin-off title.
6 There Aren't Any Confidants
Another common aspect of the Persona games is the Confidant, or Social Link, system. During their daily activities, players could spend their time with different characters to deepen their bonds and even pursue romantic relationships. This system tied into the time management aspect because players would have to decide who to spend time with.
However, that doesn't mean players won't get to spend time with the Phantom Thieves. There's plenty of interaction between the main cast of characters, and combat skills can instead be improved by increasing your Bond Level.
5 Limited Exploration System
As mentioned earlier, the scope of Strikers' narrative isn't limited to Tokyo. Instead, the characters travel all over Japan. As a result of this as well as the game being a combat-focused spin-off title, there aren't many open areas to explore.
The progression of the story in Strikers is tied to the completion of side quests and main story dungeons. That's where most of the exploration is done, as players will need to find items and gather Personas. It's a different sort of exploration experience but it doesn't involve getting accustomed to any city or locale.
4 The Combat Is Action Focused
The combat in Persona games has always been turn-based, with players using their Personas to exploit enemy weaknesses. However, Persona 5 Strikers is a spin-off and a "Warriors" game crossover, meaning the combat will be rather different.
Strikers has combat that takes place in real-time, so it plays like an action RPG where movement and reflexes are key. However, players can pause time and open a menu to select Personas whenever they like, using their abilities on swaths of enemies to exploit weaknesses and stun them.
3 The Dungeons Don't Vanish When Completed
In Persona 5, there was a series of story-specific dungeons called Palaces that players had to explore and complete by defeating the boss within a certain timeframe. After the Palace was completed, it would disappear, meaning players would have to be sure they collected all the treasures and secrets before finishing it.
This is different in Strikers, and the differences begin with the name for this game's dungeons. They're called Jails, and they're conceptually different. Jails don't vanish when they're completed, and players are expected to return to them again for side quests and requests.
2 The Playable Cast Is A Bit Different
Make no mistake, all of the Phantom Thieves are here, so the characters that fans loved from the original Persona 5 are available to play as. Players can once again create a party of four characters, like the original game. However, there are some differences in the playable party.
For starters, it should be noted that Persona 5 Strikers is a sequel to the original game and not the Royal expansion, so Kasumi is not in Strikers. Furthermore, there are some other playable characters exclusive to Strikers who haven't appeared elsewhere, but this article won't spoil the surprise of who they are yet.
1 Fusion Is Done By Result
In Persona 5, after negotiating with demons and getting them to join you, players could take them to the Velvet Room and fuse them to create new Personas with different powers. This is essential to creating a varied and powerful arsenal of Personas.
In Strikers, there seems to be a different and simplified form of fusions. Personas can only be fused by the results, meaning players pick from a set of final products and then see the components, instead of picking out individual Personas to fuse. Also, your Personas must meet a minimum level requirement in order to be fused.