Persona 5: Rebel With A Cause
Breaks the mold, pushes it into the meat grinder and gives you something you haven’t played before.
BY JOSEPH ARELLANO
Remember your high school days? Those long dreary, boring days in class waiting for the clock to strike 3 or 4 to live your life. The angst of people not understanding you, the freedom and right to choose what you do and where you want to be.. but are held captive. As a kid I remember being in this loop and at times it was fun and at other times, it was was just downright fucking awful.
Persona 5, however, takes all the best assets of your high school days and injects them with dark forces, rebellious thieves, zany characters, and personal, intimate questions about doing the right thing and making the right decisions that could lead to life or death.
The main character starts out as a young teen rebel who’s stands up for injustice but society works against him and is falsely accused for domestic violence. He is then sent to Tokyo to start a new year, under strict probation, by attending a new school filled with the awesome troublemaker Ryu and your beautiful classmate Ann. It isn’t long before you start realizing that your gym teacher is a abusive asshat and an famous artist is enslaving his pupils, that things start to get a little weird…..
OH! Did I mention you meet a cat thief?…who is actually a CAT?……..Yea….. Deal with it. From there on you foil dirty assholes and expose criminals by using your Persona or (demon) to fight evil forces in another dimension by stealing their heart to expose their crimes.
Yes… it is as crazy as it sounds and you are just getting started…
STYLE
Everything. I mean everything, from the menus to the music, the art design, the battle system, is all stylish, sleek, beautiful, and just outright badass. Even if you don’t like high school stories, kids, and cats. Even if you hate Japanese role playing games, Persona 5 breaks the mold and pushes it into the meat grinder and gives you something you haven’t played before.
LET’S GET NUTS
The battle system is oozing with depth and strategy. What separates the turn base battle system usually seen in Japanese RPG’s is the fact that it is fast and animated. You have Persona abilities, items, guard, melee weapons, guns (range weapon) and Orders to instruct your teammates to do certain commands automatically. All of these things have amazing features, cutscenes, and style. It is truly a sight to behold. I have to say the coolest thing is that you can put demons at gun point and interrogate them, persuade them, or rob them….just brilliant.
But even when you are not fighting, you have to pay attention to your personas and your daily life.
By living your life as a student you create stronger bonds with your friends and allies. Your character can be eating a meal or seeing a movie. They both increase the power and level of your team. But also, you have to go to school and actually study to increase INTELLIGENCE. You have to do courageous stuff to increase your GUTS. You even have to work on your charm when talking to Ladies OR Guys. Atlus spared no creative juice outside this entry into the series and it shows. By the end of the first three hours, I was hooked and wanting more. I kept asking myself, why can’t my life be like this????
LAST CALL
Aside from the battle system and artwork, the story is what truly makes it. A game worth playing to the end. The writing, voice acting, and general nuances of the characters are what drive the game home to a safe spot in your heart. The game asks tough questions about finding yourself, standing your ground, and doing the right thing even if it stands against the status quo. I can’t help but feel that it is Harry Potter directed by Quentin Tarantino…it is that good. But also, the friendships of the characters and story keep you coming back.
If you are an action fan—or just a general gamer—buy it now at WORLD 8—located at 1057 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006. Phone: (213) 389-5212.
Of course, all these titles are available at WORLD 8. So take a drive and see the lovely crew and they will help you with your video game needs. World 8 is located at 1057 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006.
THIS PAGE IS SPONSORED BY
