Persona 5 Royal (Switch) Review

The Phantom Thieves sure did make a name for themselves, storming into the public eye when Persona 5 launched to critical acclaim (has it really been almost six years?), only to be followed up by the superior update, Persona 5 Royal. Up until now the Persona 5 experience has been limited to PS4 owners, but that all changed when the Fire Nation Atlus finally decided to grace us with its stellar title across several other systems this year. Long story short, Persona 5 Royal is now on Nintendo Switch, and it does exactly what it says on the tin.

If somehow you’ve clicked on this review out of curiosity as to what Persona is, let me happily fill you in. Originally a spin-off from the Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona largely follows a group of students gifted with the ability to call upon powerful monsters to aid them in battle against dangerous and unusual foes. As the series has gone on, it’s explored the concepts of alternate dimensions, reality-altering rumours, murder mysteries and, in Persona 5, social corruption and subconscious desires warping the human mind. It’s more complex than that obviously, but you get the idea.

Persona 5 Royal tells the story of Joker, a high school student who arrives in Tokyo after a tragic series of events, where he quickly discovers the Metaverse, an alternate reality where the desires of mortal men have morphed into dangerous locations and monsters hell-bent on creating havoc. Joker eventually forms a bond with a number of other students from Shujin Academy and they become the fabled Phantom Thieves of Hearts, using their newfound abilities to reverse the corruptions caused by the Metaverse and save the hearts of those back home.

Kasumi’s story is both wonderful and tragic

There are two major ways the game plays out, the first and most obvious of which is the turn-based RPG mechanics. As you explore various Metaverse locations you’ll come across plenty of monsters to fight in largely traditional role-playing donnybrooks, where you’ll control a party of four and use various abilities both of the character and their chosen Persona. The other mode sets itself in the real world, where you’ll guide Joker through everyday activities in and out of high school, building friendships with the rest of the Phantom Thieves and various other characters, holding down a part-time job and doing chores around your home (coffee Dad will be pleased).

Royal is the definitive version of Persona 5, not only expanding the story and providing new content but revising areas the original tripped over, especially the storyline and interactions with fellow student Goro Akechi. Better yet, it doesn’t just lump its new content at the end of the story like any old DLC pack either, its plot thread set around new characters Kasumi and Takuto slowly unravels seamlessly during the events of the original game before culminating in a new final chapter.

Regular readers of WellPlayed will recall I recently reviewed another spinoff from Shin Megami Tensei, Soul Hackers 2, a title that had a surprisingly dull art direction. Maybe Atlus set the bar too high with Persona 5 Royal, its visuals popping with a style so unique and refreshing within the RPG space and all set to bouncing musical score only the previous games in the series could match. Everything about The Phantom Thieves, from the cut-scenes to the idle animations, had a genuine sense of quality to them that remain unmatched, so much so even Atlus seem to be struggling to recapture that magic in later titles.

Yes, Coffee Dad!

Thankfully, the transition to the Switch is on point, so anyone who had concerns that Nintendo’s handheld might struggle to run the game can be at ease. Similar to a fellow recent port in NieR:Automata, the only noticeable change is on the visual side, especially when on a handheld. The lower resolution means some of the little details might be lost in the shuffle, but P5R’s art style means any rough edges aren’t anywhere near as noticeable as they could be. If you’re lucky enough to own an OLED Switch, the colours and menus have a satisfactory pop to them compared to an older Switch model. When docked, the experience remains the same at a slightly higher resolution, but again there’s no noticeable downgrades here if you’re an existing fan looking to relive the experience in portable form.

The only unfortunate side effect of being a modern Switch port is the lack of unique features for the game; there are no touch screen functions, no real use of the haptics of the joy-cons, and no new pieces of content or unique costumes in the DLC packs. This is exactly the same game as it was on PS4 beforehand, but that’s hardly a complaint. For anyone playing this for the first time, it’s an incredibly meaty RPG that will take many a long play session to get through, so your investment will be well rewarded.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been waiting all this time to finally partake in the Phantom Thieves quest to save hearts, you won’t be disappointed. The transition to the Switch is bang on what it should be, clean and crisp despite the lower specs of the handheld, with the complete package available on the cartridge including all the DLC costume packs. If, however, you’re like me and are keen to pick it up again, the chance to take Joker and the gang on the road is a worthwhile one within a game that remains a pinnacle of the genre.

Reviewed on Switch // Review code supplied by publisher

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