Persona 5 Royalhas a strong start for a number of reasons. Building from its in-media-res introduction to Sae’s palace, the title is able to show off its stylish aesthetics and tease the full extent of thieves that Joker will come to ally with. Returning to the beginning of its story soon after,Royalcenters its party through Kamoshida’s palace, serving as the jumping off point for the player’s adventure.Ann Takamaki and Ryuji Sakamotohave clear ties toRoyal’s starting villain, while Morgana acts as both a navigator and an active participant in combat, helping to keep the party in the know about the intricacies of the Metaverse. The game’s introduction is well-rounded, though it also leavesPersona 6with a few choices to make.
The central theme of time is a recurring motif inPersona 5 Royal, much like its predecessors, with its first palace being an example of “taking its time” to build up proper tension. This results in a palace that takes longer to get through, but is able to establish the party’s motivations quite well from a storytelling perspective. While the team starts off as a trio, with Joker and Ryuji effectively learning the ins and outs of palace exploration by Morgana, the party grows with the inclusion of Ann before the palace infiltration truly begins. This leads to a party of four, rather than the starting group of three in past games.
Persona 6’s Starting Party Has a Few Decisions to Make in its Numbers
The Starting Party’s Focus
Joker, Ryuji, and Ann are arguably the party’s focus in this case, with Morgana being an outlier both in his elusive past and his greater knowledge of palace infiltration. WithotherPersonatitles likePersona 3focusing on a starting trio formula, Morgana makes an interesting change in how active he is as a participant both in and outside battle from the start. Having him work to introduce Joker and Ryuji to the Metaverse gives the chance to build up the mystery surrounding his character, while having the palace later introduce Ann helps to round out the team from both a gameplay and story perspective. The four-person approach to the starting party setup in this case works well, while still giving the central trio of Joker, Ryuji, and Ann a chance to shine.
Given the time it takes forPersona 5 Royalto get through its first palace, having a four-person starting party also helps to establish the general conventions of its combat. Because of the mixed reception to the title’s runtime, however,Persona 6’s storymight not spend as much time in its beginning area as its predecessor did. The same applies to how quickly it might introduce its main characters, or how ‘in the know’ the party will be at first. There’s something to be said for having the protagonist learn as they go along, which would be an interesting approach if the title began without a character like Morgana to tutorialize the player from both a story and combat perspective.
Changing the Starting Party Setup
Persona 6could always go with a starting party comprised of three active participants and a navigator acting from afar, similar to Mitsuru’s role as a stand-in navi at the beginning ofPersona 3. Alternatively, it could follow thePersona 5route by starting with three active participants and adding a fourth member during its first area, ifP6continues with having elaborate, individualized dungeons likeP5. With rumors of adual protagonist approach toPersona 6, it could even be interesting to consider a two-person party with a smaller starting dungeon, which would give Atlus the opportunity to have one of them act as a guide/navigator figure, or even to have them both be ‘fish-out-of-the-water’ characters.
Ultimately, thedirections thatPersona 6will takeare still up in the air, with little known about the title besides rumors over its potential color theme. How quickly it will introduce its party members remains to be seen, though it has the opportunity to shake up the conventions of its starting party in a number of ways. The number of party members in its beginning setup will undoubtedly impact its narrative introduction, which could up the stakes with having fewer teammates from the get-go. Regardless, whateverPersona 6ends up landing on, it’s likely to be effective given the series' track record.
Persona 5 Royal
WHERE TO PLAY
Don the mask and join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as they stage grand heists, infiltrate the minds of the corrupt, and make them change their ways! Prepare for the award-winning RPG experience in this definitive edition of Persona 5 Royal, featuring a treasure trove of downloadable content included!Forced to transfer to a high school in Tokyo, the protagonist has a strange dream. “You truly are a prisoner of fate. In the near future, ruin awaits you.” With the goal of “rehabilitation” looming overhead, he must save others from distorted desires by donning the mask of a Phantom Thief.Explore Tokyo, unlock Personas, customize your own personal Thieves Den, experience alternate endings, and more. Become the ultimate Phantom Thief and defy conventions, discover the power within, and fight for justice in the definitive version of Persona 5 Royal.
