The Persona franchise has put out gems in its lifetime. From the very first game which was Revelations, Persona has been engaging, fun, and exciting to play and one of the best anime-like games to play. It does many aspects right even though most of the time, it has silent protagonists, and the players control everything they say. This makes it an immersive experience unlike any other, almost like a visual novel. Persona 3 Reload is due to release in a couple of weeks at the time of writing. To celebrate that, we will list the best Persona games to play before the release of Persona 3 Reload.
Contents
- The Best Persona Games You Should Play Before Persona 3 Reload Drops
- 5. Persona 5 Tactica
- 4. Persona 5: Strikers
- 3. Persona 4 Golden
- 2. Persona 3
- 1. Persona 5 Royal
The Best Persona Games You Should Play Before Persona 3 Reload Drops
Persona has tons of good games you can try it before you experience the nostalgia of Persona 3 Reload again. The concept of the JRPG is quite old but the Persona franchise combined it into one. It managed to turn it into a role-playing game, a visual novel, and a friendship simulator along with a strategy game. There are tons of intricacies in each game and it has a little bit of everything for everyone.
(Note: This list reflects the writer’s opinion and should not be considered as the final list)
5. Persona 5 Tactica
- Developers: P-Studio
- Publishers: Atlus
The newest Persona game before Persona 3 Reload comes out, Persona 5 Tactica follows the story of Joker and the gang when they get transported to a meta verse-like world. They still retain their powers of the Persona but fall under the mind control of the ruler, Tyrant Marie. Joker and Mona escape and are soon recruited by the rebellion fighting against the tyranny, Rebel Corps.
Joker and Mona, team up with Erina to rescue the Phantom Thieves i.e. their friends, and help Erina overthrow the tyranny. The game has strategy-based elements. Players take turns attacking, moving, or defending from enemies, there is a lot more planning involved in each move and the map is a grid-based system. The cover system, previously unutilized by Persona games is present and players can avoid damage using it.
With SP, players can use the skills of the particular character selected and there are skill trees present for each character instead of the usual levels. There is a collective level for the Phantom Thieves which one can raise by completing missions and talking with your team at the Hideout. All in all, Persona 5 Tactica is a fresh spin on the Personas games that is equally as fun.
4. Persona 5: Strikers
- Developers: Omega Force, P-Studio
- Publishers: Sega
Persona 5 Strikers is a new twist on the old formula. This time, players are free to move around properly as P-Studio ditches the XCOM-like combat system to a more action-adventure style. An effective crossover of the Dynasty Warriors and Persona combat style, players can still use their Persona skill in the heat of battle to get an advantage.
There are a lot more waves of enemies in comparison to other games and the combat is fast-paced. The affinity system is still present and each Phantom Thief has a different fighting style. Players can unlock new moves and passive abilities by honing those particular skills to advance the specific character and make them stronger.
The combat is the most appealing part of the game and players of action-adventure/hack-and-slash titles will love this one. It also has visual novel elements and popular characters that fans like. The graphics are beautiful and the pacing is steady providing a treat to perfectionists as they spend hours running around the levels fighting and exploring.
3. Persona 4 Golden
- Developers: P-Studio
- Publishers: Atlus
Persona 4 Golden is where things start getting good. Atlus had to somehow follow the success of Persona 3 and they managed to deliver big time with this game. Persona 4 Golden is everything good about the franchise packed into one. The mystery of the story, intriguing and three-dimensional characters with depth, a semi-open world where you could design your day according to your liking and addictive strategy-based combat.
As the protagonist, you get to enjoy the powers of a Wildcard who can harness multiple Personas. You will spend hours dungeon crawling and fighting, when you are not doing those, you will explore the city, do jobs, or spend time with your friends. You can even date the girls you make friends within this game. It has all the elements anime fans would like. It has visual novel-like sequences, romance, strategy-based combat, a social link system that lets you strengthen friendships with NPCs and so much more.
There are tons of other things you can do like studying, watching movies, and more. The game is designed in such a way that all of your days of the year are eventful and they will be once you know how to manage activities.
2. Persona 3
- Developers: Atlus
- Publishers: Atlus
Persona 3 is one of the best games you can play in general because of its versatility and appeal. Now that this beauty is getting a remaster, its value is sure to double. Most Persona fans will play this game because of the nostalgia but it is much more than that. The dungeon crawling at the Dark Hour lets you party up with a team of four and fight hordes of enemies on each floor. When you are outside of Tartarus, you get to attend school, study, hang out with friends, and chill at the dorm.
Just like Persona 4 and 5, you can enhance your friendship with the people you meet and date the girls. This game has a silent protagonist just like the other Persona games and you can upgrade various skills to make interactions easier. Making those interactions easier gives you passive abilities with your team in Tartarus. Not to mention, going through these scenarios and maxing out the Social Links is lots of fun.
Persona 3 does a lot of things right and we cannot wait to play the remastered version which looks like an upgraded version.
1. Persona 5 Royal
- Developers: P-Studio
- Publishers: Sega
This is the first Persona game anyone should get their hands on if they are new to the franchise. The art style is funky, it does quite well in terms of story and all the elements from the previous Persona games are present. This game is the definite Persona experience since it has everything from Social Link building, romance, side quests, dungeon crawling, strategic battles, and the story to back up the gameplay.
P-Studio put in tons of effort in designing the characters and giving them a unique look. The pacing is steady and allows the players to adjust to environments and characters without shoe-horning them in the story. The art style is funky and suits the visual novel side of the game and the amount of activities you can do in this game will keep you occupied for hours. Persona 5 Royal also adds two characters that weren’t available upon release.
This game keeps the fans hooked throughout to the point where you cannot shut down your console/system. It is an avid combination of experimentation and implementing fundamental aspects of the franchise that make it good in the first place. The score of the game is also catchy and you will find yourself humming it even off the game.
