Cool for Cats
Your favourite bubble-domed kitty, Morgana, is back with another edition of Morgana’s Report, taking a look at some of the new features, mechanics, locations and characters that feature in Atlus upcoming Persona 5 Royal.
First up, we now have an official name for the double-team moves featured in recent character trailers. “Show Time” maneuvers are unlocked once confidant bonds have been deepened, and allow the Phantom Thieves to team up for stylish and cinematic attacks. “Baton Pass” has also received a boost, and playing darts in the real world can add extra bonuses to your Baton Pass attacks in battle, including the ability to cause extra damage or regain SP.
In fact, all of the activities in new area Kichijoji – including the aforementioned darts, as well as playing billiards and lounging in other areas will have have a positive effect on your future wars in Mementos and Palaces, including raising base stats, adding XP to your equipped personas or reducing the cost of attacks. Elsewhere in Kichijoji, The Phantom Thieves can visit a jazz bar, a temple, or an antiques store, where armour can be sold or traded for new goodies. Just don’t use it to pull a prank.
One of the more curious concerns of Persona 5 Royal’s new story elements is the worrying addition of “new surprises” that seem at risk of upsetting the dramatic drive of the original narrative. Morgana addresses this in the video, noting that although “a new chapter will unfold” in Persona 5 Royal, care has been taken to preserve the original Persona 5 story. Hmm… we shall see.
Persona 5 Royal launches on PS4 in Japan October 31, before heading west in 2020.