First of all, no, information on Persona 6 has not leaked. The expanded edition for Persona 5 hasn’t even come out yet. Based on the last game’s timetable, fans probably won’t even get a sniff of Persona 6 until after the new consoles launch. For example, Persona 4 launched in 2008 on PS2 and was then ported to PS Vita in 2012.
A year later Persona 5 was announced, which was delayed numerous times before eventually arriving in 2017. So let’s do some adjusted math here. This enhanced edition is coming out three years after the debut, in North America at least, so it is possible Persona 6 will get teased in 2021 and launch in 2024. Even though it is probably a long way off, let’s go ahead and make some wishes anyway.
10 Do: Small Party
This is vaguely related, but the idea that Final Fantasy XV brought forth with the brotherhood of the traveling leather pants was fantastic. Jokes aside, having just four characters made them resonate more with players. Adding in guest characters was a nice way to spice it up too so it would be great if Persona 6 focused on a small party. At the very least please don’t introduce characters as slowly as the last game.
9 Don’t: Set It In High School
On the subject of characters, let’s not set the game in high school again. The first, third, fourth, and fifth entries all featured high school hijinks. By the time Persona 5 came out, as much as one loves that genre of anime school kids, well, it felt old. Both versions of Persona 2 had a mix of both adults and younger party members. It’s time to freshen things up. Having a small party of adults would make for a nice change of pace.
8 Do: Action Combat
Yes, more and more turn-based RPGs are going away. That style fits better on a handheld rather than on a TV nowadays. Playing something turn-based on a 4K TV just seems silly. That’s why the idea of Final Fantasy VII Remake is so interesting.
It’s not just a remake, but more like a reimagining and putting in action combat is a great fit for modern times. Even with that example though Square Enix still has a turn-based option. Options are always good. At least Atlus is experimenting with this idea via Persona 5 Scramble.
7 Don’t: Constrain Time
One of the most common nightmares for adults is dreaming about being back in school be it high school, or college. It’s a shared dream by many because almost everyone attends at least one of these institutions. People also have the shared stress of fitting life into their busy schedules. So it’s not like managing one’s time in the Persona games isn’t fun, but it adds a lot of mental strain to players too. Time restraints for games in general just need to go.
6 Do: Bring Back The Style
Graphically Persona 5 was not a looker. Work started just for the PS3 at first, which is to say the PS4 version is just a nicer rendition of the PS3 game. It was constrained by that console essentially. With that said the one thing it did have was style. Menus are generally pretty stale in games, but Persona 5 jazzed them up to the nth degree putting other modern RPGs to shame. This might be an obvious piece of advice, but do that again Atlus.
5 Don’t: Take Forever To Start
One of the staples in every Persona game is that they take forever to get going. While Persona 5 did have battles right away, it was just a tease before ushering players into 1/20 of the games many tutorials.
That sounds like a joke, but it isn’t. On top of getting things started right away, let’s also eliminate all of the needless complexity when it comes to those tutorials. Sometimes less is better.
4 Do: Bring Back Random Mementos
The crafted story dungeons in Persona 5 were great, but along with that Atlus brought back the randomness via Mementos. In here were randomly generated floors with tons of loot. This request is simple then. Do that exact same thing. Create some crazy dungeons for the story, but also have somewhere that is easier to grind that is mostly unrelated to the story. On top of that it would be great if this existed in an alternate dimension that didn’t effect time.
3 Don’t: Restrict Streaming
YouTube and streaming culture is still relatively new to the video game scene in the larger aspect if its history. However, it is an inevitable evolution for the industry and one that cannot be avoided. When Atlus and Sega announced extremely strict streaming guidelines for Persona 5, the Internet exploded. Okay so the companies didn’t want anything spoiled. That is admirable, but even by blocking content natively with the PS4’s capture mechanics, they had to know there were other ways to stream and record, right?
2 Do: Let Us Talk
The idea of a silent protagonist is understandable. Creators want players to feel like their choices and actions more represent their wishes. By taking out the player character’s voice, this is supposed to make one more engaged. This is true maybe for some people, but it’s also incredibly jarring for others. Let’s take a look at Commander Shepherd from the Mass Effect series. He/She talked, but it was still an immersive experience. The Persona series has had their characters sometimes talk, but mostly not. It’s very confusing. Just give the main character a voice already!
1 Don’t: Make Complex Puzzles
This might just be a personal gripe, but when it comes to puzzles, this one wants them as far away from RPGs as possible. Nothing is more deflating after an action packed series of battles to then be stuck in a cave because a set of mirrors have to be turned just so. Sowing down the momentum is taxing and can even lead to players just right up and quitting. Strong puzzles must have had everyone quit a game at least once, right? Get them out of Persona, or at least have a skippable option. Please!