One of the best gimmicks that thePersonaseries could use was recently shown off byFire Emblem Engage.Engageput a new twist on theFire Emblemseries that gave it a unique edge while also calling back to past games from the series. WithPersonabeing an eclectic series with a long history of its own, it would be able to benefit well from the same gimmick in the style ofShin Megami Tenseitradition. The approach thatEngagetook would make a surprising amount of sense in aPersonatitle.
The main gimmick ofFire Emblem Engageis its Emblem Rings, and even thoughEngagemisses some opportunities for returning characters, their ability to give users the powers of past characters is a cool mechanic. This mechanic on its own essentially makesFire Emblem Engagesomething of a celebration of the series, with the player effectively playing as several heroes from the series' past. WhileEngagehas its own extensive cast of original characters, the Emblems are a major story element, not to mention a draw for series fans to pick up the game. It is a nostalgia trip that manages to double as an effective game mechanic.
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Fire Emblem Engage Could Inspire A New Kind Of Persona Game
One reason whyPersonacould benefit from a system similar to the Emblem Rings is because theEmblems ofFire Emblem Engageare already reminiscent ofPersona’s main shtick. InPersonagames, every playable character has a Persona that they use to fight, with the main character able to switch their Persona at will. The correlations continue as Personas and Emblems each have their own set of skills that they bequeath to the equipped character. In fact, it could reasonably be argued thatFire Emblem Engagemade that series closer toPersonaalready. It wouldn’t take many tweaks to make something similar to Emblems inPersonaproper.
AlthoughPersonainvolves giving characters the abilities of figures from mythology or folklore rather than people,Persona 6will need a new theme, and giving the characters the powers of past protagonists would work effectively. Since past main characters are closely tied to their Persona, a mechanic similar toFire Emblem Engage’s Emblems could see them granting abilities similar to their respective Personas to the user. Not only would it be a simple way to go about the issue, but those powers are as iconic to the characters themselves as they are to their Persona. It wouldn’t be too unusual to depict these characters wielding the powers of their Personas.
WhileEngage’s Emblem system worked becauseFire Emblemhas no shortage of memorable characters,Personahas a similarly impressive history.Persona 6could break a series trendby looking beyond the casts ofPersona 3,Persona 4, andPersona 5, as while they are the most well-known games in the series, past titles had intriguing characters as well. Of course, that doesn’t mean that more famous characters like Mitsuru or Kanji should be excluded. Rather, a game celebratingPersona’s history should reach as far back as possible. There’s even the possibility to include characters from otherShin Megami Tenseiproperties as well.
Taking some hints fromFire Emblem Engagecould lead to aPersonagame with a unique flavor compared to past titles. By applying the usualPersonaformula tofan favorites from pastPersonagamesrather than the usual sources, there is potential to tell an interesting story. Similar to the Emblem Rings, the game would need a reason for why these past characters are returning in spirit. However, with the supernatural elements that are already present in everyShin Megami Tenseititle, it wouldn’t be too hard to justify such a phenomenon.Fire Emblem Engagemay have hinted at the next good gimmick for thePersonagames.
Persona 6has been confirmed.
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