Summary
ThePersonaseries has come a long way since it made its debut back in 1996. While many of the core components of the gameplay loop featured in thePersonaseries became firmly established in the third game, there are some traditions that have been present within the series even before, that which help thePersonatitles stand out in the competitive RPG genre.
Being able to retain so many traditional features and mechanics allows Atlus to direct most of their focus towards the story and characters, which are often seen as the shining aspects of each newPersonaentry. Simply put, it’s easy to recognize aPersonagame thanks to these particular trends that have helped forge the identity of this beloved JRPG franchise.
7Bro Party Member
Always Has The Player’s Back, But Also Embarks On A Personal Journey
While eachPersonaparty features a diverse cast of ragtag characters from all walks of life, one archetype who’s always guaranteed to be there isthe bro. This is usually the first major party member that players will run into. He will quickly become their best pal along the journey, with each of them embarking on their own compelling character arcs.
Whether it’s Junpei discovering the meaning and purpose of his own life, or Ryuji overcoming his trauma due to the malicious Kamoshida, each of the bros has their own stories to tell. At the same time, they also all share the characteristics of being loud and brash, and tending to speak out loud before thinking, which can get them into trouble easily.
6Personas
Grant The Characters Magical Abilities And Powers
The title of the series refers to the monsters that players can summon in battle in order to give them some assistance when the going gets tough. When they showed up in the first two games, they were awakened through the use of a cursed magic game. In the third entry, characters could summontheir Personaby aiming an evoker at their head and pulling the trigger.
Personas help spice up the turn-based battle system by providing characters with strengths, weaknesses, and unique magical abilities that can be used to crush a group of opponents when used effectively. In many of the games, the protagonist is also able to possess multiple Personas to give players a little bit of variety in terms of how they approach an enemy in combat.
5Mythical And Legendary Beings
Many Enemies Are References To Ancient Mythologies
Monsters inPersonagames will first appear as Shadows or Demons on the maps. These initially look like small messy blobs, but when entering combat, they will assume their true form, which is usually a reference to a being seen in legends and mythology. Egyptian gods like Anubis or Japanese deities such as Izanami are common sights in thePersonagames, for example.
At the same time, some monsters will simply take the form of historical beings who have made their marks on history. A couple of examples include Zorro and Captain Kidd, who are the Personas of Ryuji andMorganarespectively inPersona 5. As a result, it makes thePersonagames a real treat to play through for history and mythology buffs who can see their favorite beings in action.
4Conifdants & Social Links
Hang Out With Allies, Friends, & Colleagues For Handy Rewards
When players aren’t spending their days taking tests at school or working a job for some extra cash, they’ll be encouraged to contribute toSocial Links, which can act as measurements of a relationship. While all social links will start at 1, the more time players spend with one of their friends, the more they will learn about them, while also potentially earning a few bonuses along the way.
These social links are also tied to cards which are connected to specific types of Persona. This creates a system where higher bonds will allow players to create new and unique Personas within those specific groups. Needless to say, social links play a huge part in thePersonagameplay loop, and are well worth building in-game to reap the benefits.
3The Velvet Room
A Mysterious Space Where Players Can Tinker With Their Personas
The Velvet Roomis a kind of mystical and mysterious space that only the protagonist can enter. The head of the room is always Igor, who often speaks in riddles in an attempt to hide his true identity and motives. What does become clear, though, is that the Velvet Room is an area that players will return to many times along the journey to create and tinker with their Personas.
While players are eventually granted the freedom to enter the Velvet Room whenever they please, they will also be forcibly teleported to the room every now and again to hear some wise words from Igor. Sometimes he will give a warning before a boss fight. Other times, he’ll just remind the protagonist to continue hanging out with friends and building social bonds. Nevertheless, the Velvet Room has become an iconic staple of the series that fans can expect to see show up once again inPersona 6.
2High School Setting
Persona Rarely Strays From Its High-School Roots
The first game in the series featured a school setting where the players would spend a lot of their time, essentially acting as a social hub for players to meet and join up with their classmates. The high school setting would then make a re-appearance in almost every game that followed it. Because the player is in school, studying, taking exams, and trying to stay awake while listening to a monologue from the science teacher are necessary in order to be a good student.
The only game which wouldn’t feature the high school setting would bePersona 2: Eternal Punishment, due to the characters from the originalPersona 2being a little older. For every other entry though, players experience the joys and spoils of high school life as part of the adventure.
1Time Mechanic
Study For Exams By Day, Grind EXP In A Dungeon By Night
Ever since the third game in the series, eachPersonaentry has featured a time mechanic which adds to the immersion of the core gameplay loop. Rather than navigating around agiant overworldto encounter enemies, the party will instead enter a giant structure of sorts when the sun goes down, where they can then do battle with horrific monsters and beasts to level up and earn EXP.
On the flipside, each character also needs to go to school the day after a long night grinding out EXP in the dungeon. This is in addition to spending the afternoon doing part-time jobs and hanging out with friends. This contrast allows players to feel as though they are really living the wild life of a demon-fighting high-school student, and has become a mechanic synonymous with the series.
