Bear with me here
I’m going to put myself out there a bit. I know next to nothing about Persona. You see, we all have our beats around here. I leave Persona and the like to the ilk of Kyle and Steven. They’re much more excited to write about it than I’ll ever be.
Because I wasn’t exposed to the series early on and because others have a virtual monopoly on writing about the subject, I’m stuck in a perpetual state of willful ignorance. It doesn’t help that every time I turn around, it seems like there’s a new film/fighting game/dancing game adding yet another layer of barrier to entry. The most exposure I’ve had is when traveling with Dale (RIP), and he’d breathlessly try to explain it and all the anime he loved. My eyes glazed over like his did when I talked about baseball.
But I understand the appeal. Several times now I’ve been places with co-workers when they’ve bought up any Persona figurines they could find. I usually just hang out in the corner looking for food made of matcha or ginger. They come back with a new Teddy, and my eyes do that whole glazing routine they’ve perfected by now.
So, now that a Persona 5 trailer has set the world on fire, how about we take a look at five things that almost a complete layman notices? And, then you can lose a modicum of respect for me.
Wow, this is colorful
Is Persona always this radiant, or is this new to Persona 5? I’m absolutely in love with the way that the city looks in the opening shot as the helicopter zooms across the bay. That doesn’t really seem to slow down as the trailer goes on. Even when it’s not an obvious centerpiece (like the giant stained-glass window), there’s always some sort of external lighting source adding a tinge of color.
Oh, god. Have all these years surrounded by dirt brown/gun-metal grey really altered my perspective on aesthetics this much?
I am down with this music
Okay, technically I already knew this one. I was aware that Persona music was pretty much universally loved. Maybe I’d even heard a tune or two before. Still, for as much that’s going on in this trailer, it’s the music that’s the backbone.
That being said, I have to wonder if the games interact with the music anywhere near the degree that’s happening here. I mean, there’s basically a dance number in the middle of the trailer. Kind of weird, but I’m totally for it.
I love the menus (and probably not in the same way you do)
These menus basically look like the posters that I would’ve hung on my wall as a teenager. They have “Vans Warped Tour” written all over them. Actually, the font reminds me a lot of the CD case for Blink-182’s self-titled album, just a tad more cartoonish.
But the graphic overlays are definitely badass in their own right. They’re like Persona Fatheads adorning the virtual walls of your videogame.
More JRPGs should take place in malls
One of the biggest roadblocks for me with a lot of role-playing games is the overtly fantasy settings. I’m usually just not into them. I’d rather observe social settings than track down the next dragon to slay.
The one thing that I have always known about Persona (besides the aforesaid music) is that it follows adolescents around through everyday life. That’s an angle that’s interesting to me. I’m actually enamored by the idea of bustling city centers, high-school classes, and bumming around a mall.
Let’s talk about cats for a minute
I’m such an idiot for cats. Anytime I see one, I turn into a child in his mid-twenties who falls to the floor and shrieks “KITTTT-EEEEE” in an affectionate, drawn-out manner. It’d be embarrassing if I gave a damn.
Persona 5 plays into that love by featuring a playable cat, making it a front-runner for any “Game of Forever” award I might hand out. I don’t know if you can change party members (ed. note from Kyle: You eventually can), but anyone who doesn’t keep the kitty in the party AND make sure it stays alive and healthy at all times is simply dead to me. DEAD.
