
Palace rulers have lucratively mislead the public and are now paying for it. Revisiting the memorable battles against palace rulers is made even more fun as they now have additional forms that play off the themes of their sins. I was initially worried that the addition of a new final boss wouldn’t add anything to the original ending, but once I finished it, I realized that this new final boss delivers a climactic and cinematic endcap to your journey as the Phantom Thieff. While the new palace and its surrounding areas seem a bit different from the other Arc dungeons in terms of mechanics, it’s still got new puzzles and dungeon elements that are fun to play with. I was a little bit disappointed she wasn’t in your party for most of the game, but her constant presence in the story makes it so that you’re already familiar with her when the time comes. Kasumi and Maruki offer humorous and heartfelt interactions, and while Kasumi eventually joins your party as a full-fledged Phantom Thief, that doesn’t happen until the new post-game palace.

If you haven’t played Persona 5 before, this is the perfect place to start. Your character development will be greatly bolstered as you work through these storylines and deepen your relationships. There are many benefits to making connections with people from different walks of life, whether it’s learning their stories, or seeing perks flow your way down the line. The gameplay loop of the original remains intact: You hunt for corrupt individuals, infiltrate dungeons based on their personalities, and battle through tons of enemies – all while attending school and developing relationships with various confidants. In addition to new convenience items and story arcs, there’s a post-game dungeon that goes even further than the main game. The story twists and turns in this game, so it goes deeper into the lore of Persona. The gameplay elements were refined and its complex systems increased for an even better game. Persona 5 released in 2017 and was the successor Persona games that has been ever since.
