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Every now and then, the gaming world is graced by a title that evokes the nostalgia of games whose only objective is to deliver a proper amount of fun without any other agenda.
Certainly, it wouldn't be accurate to label Persona 5: Tactica as a new game, as it is part of the established Persona series that players have already experienced. However, it is praiseworthy that among so many games that use extensive microtransactions and live services in the gaming industry, Sega decided to stay true to the original approach.
Persona 5: Tactica is an enjoyable throwback that invokes nostalgia for somewhat overlooked titles and genres of the past. Whether this alone is sufficient to captivate a broad gaming audience, find out in our review.
Story
The narrative in Persona 5: Tactica is one of the two elements tightly woven throughout the game until its conclusion. The entire game is structured with a specific storytelling sequence and a series of battle stages, emphasising the significance of the story within Persona 5: Tactica.
While Persona 5: Tactica may not deliver a mind-blowing narrative with significant twists and turns, the story it presents is quite compelling. Even amid the occasional tedium and repetition in the combat, the narrative remains a primary motivator that will likely keep you engaged and eager to continue playing.
The narrative revolves around the familiar group of teenage Phantom Thieves, who find themselves pulled into an alternate dimension known as the Metaverse. In a bid to rescue their friends, captured and manipulated by the primary antagonist, the Thieves join forces with a local resistance movement. They leverage their renowned persona powers in battles against a new set of enemies once again.
While the story's premise in Persona 5: Tactica isn't notably original, patience is key. The narrative begins to unfold its intriguing aspects only after the initial twenty missions, particularly when the team transitions to another kingdom. To avoid spoilers, I'll leave it to you to discover the true nature of the unfolding events.
The entire storyline is portrayed in an anime style, employing text bubbles and impressive voice acting. However, a notable drawback is that approximately 60 per cent of the dialogue and general conversation is voiced, leaving the remaining 40 per cent conveyed solely through text bubbles. This choice appears perplexing, given that the voice acting is undeniably one of the story's highlights. Considering the extensive coverage of voice acting throughout most of the game, the absence of it in certain parts creates a sense of incompleteness and underdevelopment.
Gameplay
Persona 5: Tactica adopts a turn-based RPG format with cover mechanics, and in the realm of combat, Sega decided not to reinvent the wheel. Instead, they adhered to the tried-and-true combat system, which, frankly, proved to be very effective.
The gameplay centres around a turn-based combat system where battles are segmented into stages, allowing you to bring three participants into each encounter. In Persona 5: Tactics, strategic positioning is crucial during combat. Placing your character behind cover provides protection from enemy fire, emphasising the significance of tactical choices in battles.
During your turn to attack, each combatant has the option to use either a weapon or a persona—a special attack that necessitates the corresponding persona points. The positioning of characters after an attack is crucial, as it determines their vulnerability when it becomes their turn to defend.
Alongside ranged and persona attacks, each character possesses a unique persona attack, usable once or twice depending on the encounter's duration. These persona attacks are not static; they can be upgraded and combined to create more potent and versatile offensive manoeuvres.
While the battlefield allows for only three participants at a time, if one of them is knocked out, you have the flexibility to substitute them with another character from the roster. The number of times you can make such changes is contingent on the difficulty level you've chosen, and it's worth noting that there are five difficulty levels available.
Losing a battle occurs if all your characters are knocked out, necessitating a replay of the encounter. Prior to each battle, you can review additional objectives, which remain relatively consistent across battles. Fulfilling these objectives grants extra XP and typically involves completing the battle within a specified number of turns, ensuring none of your characters are knocked out, and so forth.
Accumulating XP grants you the capacity to enhance special skills for each character. XP is gathered both through engagements and by engaging in conversations with comrades within the hub area.
Character weapons, unfortunately, cannot be upgraded, but you have the option to purchase new ones from a designated shop. The old weapons can be sold, albeit at a diminished value—a common economic dynamic in many games.
However, not everything in the gameplay of Persona 5: Tactica is as positive, so let's delve into its drawbacks. With approximately 60 missions encompassing both optional and main content, the constant repetition of gameplay can quickly become monotonous, lacking the freshness of new elements.
Always anticipate a familiar scenario: a predetermined battlefield full of cover boxes, where you'll consistently engage in battles against a limited variety of enemies. The monotonous level design doesn't help either, making each encounter feel like a near replication of the previous one with only slight alterations.
A notable drawback is the persistent inclusion of tutorials throughout the game. In the first kingdom, constituting the first half of the game, hardly a mission or break in the café, the designated hub area, transpires without encountering at least one tutorial—a trend that becomes increasingly tiresome over time. Initially reading through the tutorials in the first half, I eventually resorted to skipping them and learning the mechanics as the game unfolded.
Graphics and sounds
Persona 5: Tactica is undeniably a visually stunning game. It boasts a remarkably beautiful art style featuring exquisitely designed anime characters. Whether in static storytelling scenes or dynamic fight sequences, the visuals are truly exceptional.
Let's be honest, the charm of Persona 5: Tactica doesn't come from extravagant visual effects but from its simplicity and excellent artistic design. In battles, the screen is adorned with charmingly presented, hand-drawn messages that add a delightful touch. Every attack or defence effect exudes a cute and fitting aesthetic, seamlessly blending into the overall anime presentation and atmosphere.
Regarding the sound presentation, as mentioned earlier, the voice acting reaches a Hollywood movie or series standard. Meanwhile, the soundtrack, particularly during battles, is truly exceptional. The incorporation of rock and roll and punk music pieces seamlessly enhances the overall atmosphere, elevating the quality to a higher level.
The attack and weapon sounds, in general, are top-notch and leave no room for criticism. In terms of both visual and audio presentation, Persona 5: Tactica is sure to meet expectations.
Conclusion
Persona 5: Tactica stands out as a commendable turn-based RPG with intriguing and somewhat complex gameplay. However, it regrettably has the tendency to become monotonous due to repetitive elements over time.
Nonetheless, its excellent visual and sound presentation, coupled with a decent storyline, can certainly keep you engaged, especially if you're a fan of this genre and are willing to overlook, in my opinion, some notable flaws.
The Good
Engaging storyline- Great artistic visuals and design
- A phenomenal voice-acting and soundtrack
- Strategic gameplay
- Upgrade system
The Bad
Repetitive gameplay- Tutorial overload
- Limited enemy variety
- Monotonous level design
- Incomplete voice-acting coverage
