This weekend, Atlus revealed Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, a 3DS game featuring chibi-style characters; a dancing rhythm game in Persona 4: Dancing All Night; and the long-awaited Persona 5. The event was followed by a talk show, hosted by voice actress Tomomi Isomura and a freelance writer named Mafia Kajita, who shared some of their thoughts on Persona 5.
The above is a look at the teaser of the Persona 5 reveal from this weekend, which was replayed during the talk show.
“It’s finally here, a main-numbered title,” starts Mafia Kajita on the Persona 5 discussion. “I was really expecting it, with the red background. After blue and yellow, we now have red, as I’m sure many of you also expected. However, we can’t really tell what kind of game it will be. Visually speaking, there’s the phrase ‘You are a slave. Want emancipation?’ along with what appears to be chairs from school, so we can get an idea from that.”
Kajita mentions that he always felt like a prisoner back in his school days, so he feels that the teaser could be a symbol for something similar to that, but on a whole other level. Meanwhile, Tomomi Isomura also adds that the number of chairs could mean that the story might revolve around five characters who are the “slaves” or it could simply just be for the number “5” in the title.
According to Kajita, whenever he plays Persona games, they always take him back to his school days, and bring back a lot of emotion from that phase of his life. When he first played Persona 3, it was as if he was facing his very own Persona, as he personally feels that the series brings out a form of self-projection in those who play the games. With the hints given from the teaser, Kajita believes that Persona 5 might bring out a whole other feeling of being “free” when all is said and done.
Next, the two hosts talk about what appears to be the new color of the upcoming game.
“Wouldn’t you consider the color red to be one of a violent or fierce nature?” asks Kajita. “Up until now, we’ve had Persona 3, which had somewhat of a deathly vibe to it, then Persona 4’s bright and cheerful ‘pop’ vibe. Perhaps Persona 5 may reflect something along the lines of an angrier vibe?”
“Persona 4 was a very cheerful game, so I don’t think they will make it any more cheerful than that, so I agree, it might not necessarily be too dark, but I believe it’ll be something with an overall darker tone,” agrees Isomura.
“One more thing, about the time setting,” says Kajita. “Since the world of Persona 3 and Persona 4 are connected, it makes you wonder if Persona 5’s story takes place before or after the events of the previous games.”
Kajita also talks about the overall setting of the game, as he mentions that Persona 3 had a more urban setting, similar to that of Odaiba in Tokyo, while Persona 4 had a much more rural setting. While he believes that Atlus won’t be going back to another rural setting after the previous title, he wonders what could be next, and amuses himself at the thought of it possibly taking place overseas.
So, what kind of setting would you like to see in Persona 5? The game is slated for release in winter 2014 for PlayStation 3.
