In the wake of the game’s steady burn to massive success,Persona 5has easily had the most staying power compared to any other entry previously. The Phantom Thieves' initial journey was incredibly impactful to players and longtime fans, even in the packed year of game releases that was 2017. Since then,Persona 5and the franchise as a wholehas only grown in popularity worldwide. Thanks to the expanded definitive edition inPersona 5 Royal, paired with the pseudo-sequelWarriorsspin-off gamePersona 5 Strikers, the adventures of the Phantom Thieves continue even further, despite how different these games are.
Obviously from a gameplay standpoint, these games couldn’t be any more different, but the narrative differences are the most interesting. At the risk of being reductive, the easiest way to describePersona 5 Royalis a deeply enhanced version of the original JRPGPersona 5, even though it’s arguably more than that.Persona 5 Strikers, on the other hand, is clearly a spin-off in a different genre that meldsPersona 5elements into a Musou-style action RPG. However, from a story perspective,Persona 5 RoyalandPersona 5 Strikersiterate off one another in genuinely interesting ways, even if the moment-to-moment action inStrikerscan be a bit repetitive.
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Surprising Similarities, but Obvious Gameplay Differences
While 2017 was a particularly packed year for video game releases,Persona 5 Royalhad a lot more breathing room for success when it released in 2020, free from the spotlight next to games likeBreath of the WildandHorizon Zero Dawn.Persona 5 Strikerssaw a similar avenue success on a micro-level, even with it being largely considered a sequel tothe originalPersona 5and being marketed as a spin-off title. The two games couldn’t be any more different in action, but functionally speaking, the two games are actually surprisingly similar.
On a surface level, both games don’t play anything alike: Enemy encounters inPersona 5 Royalare traditional turn-based battles emphasizing methodical uses of targeting enemy weaknesses and pushing advantage, whilePersona 5 Strikersmelds lighter versions of these gameplay elements into an action RPG style battle system.
However, despite the game’s clear musou/Dynasty Warriorsfoundation, players fight in microcosmic in-world encounters instead of massive maps and battles. There’s still plenty of enemies on screen, just not like a typicalWarriorsgame or spin-off. Players are still utilizing certain magic and elemental affinities to target weaknesses, stagger enemies, and inflict tons of bonus damage. Combat is moment-to-moment action that requires reaction time, but utilizing magic still “pauses” gameplay like a turn inPersona 5 Royal, allowing players to implement a strategy. There’s certainlya lot ofPersona 5 Royal"DNA" inStrikers, even without certain characters or story beats.
Subtle Differences In the Phantom Thieves' Dynamic
That being said, the narrative differences are much more subtle and interesting moving fromPersona 5 RoyaltoPersona 5 Strikers. Obviously as a “sequel” toPersona 5proper,Persona 5 Strikersdoesn’t spend too much time reacclimating longtime fansto the cast ofPersona 5before beginning its own story. That’s because the Phantom Thieves are a seasoned group of heroes by this point, and have grown substantially in the past year ofPersona 5/Royal’s events. In the beginning ofPersona 5 Royal, this fledgling group of teens have discovered an unusual power that they’re only just beginning to use effectively.Persona 5 Strikersis the inverse of that character dynamic.
This confidence is evidenced throughoutPersona 5 Strikers' story, moreso than most of the story arcs inPersona 5 Royal. Whereas the Thieves are often humbled by their trials throughoutRoyal, especially in theRoyal-specific dungeon, the Phantom Thieves inStrikersare a wholly different beast. Players can hear it in the character’s performances, their actions in-game, as well as how they react to certain story revelations. Every battle inPersona 5 Strikersshowcases how confident and strong the Phantom Thieves are.TheWarriors-style gameplay mechanics, investigating the Jails across Japan, everything aboutStrikersemphasizes a group of seasoned heroes.
Persona 5 Royal is Different, Persona 5 Strikers is Familiar
A lot about what makesPersona 5 Strikersgreat is the fact that it leans into being a “sequel” toPersona 5, even though it’s more accurately considered a spin-off. Given the timeframe (a few months afterPersona 5’s ending specifically, notPersona 5 Royal), it’s the closest thing to aPersona 5-2that will ever exist, at least for now. Some could make the same argument to the additional semester added inPersona 5 Royal, but that’s more of a difference compared toPersona 5 Strikers, which is more accurately described as familiar.Persona 5 Royal’s additional dungeon, story content spliced into the main game, and itstrue ending subverted expectations compared toPersona 5.
Of course, at the end of the day,Persona 5 Royalreally can be quantified as a definitive edition of the base game, even though it’s arguably the superior game.Persona 5 Strikerswill always be considered a spin-off, even if it does function well as a sequel to the original game. However, putting aside obvious gameplay differences, the two are pretty similar in terms of gameplay and narrative structure. It’s really in execution where bothPersona 5 RoyalandPersona 5 Strikersdiffer greatly.Persona 5 Strikersfulfills an early gameplay concept thatcould’ve madePersona 5an action RPG, whereasPersona 5 Royalemphasizes and perfectsPersona 5’s JRPG impact.
Persona 5 Royalis available now on PS4.Persona 5 Strikersis available now on PC, PS4, and Switch.
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