Persona 5 Royal

Persona 5 Royal is an expanded, polished version of one of the generation's most distinctive Japanese RPGs, in which the player leads a group of Tokyo students who transform by night into the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and infiltrate grotesquely stylized "Palaces" - the subconscious of corrupt adults who harbor a warped version of their own desire for power. By day, the protagonist attends school, works part-time jobs, and builds relationships (so-called Confidants) with people around him, which gradually unlock new Persona abilities used by the heroes in turn-based battles built around enemies' weaknesses and resistances. The Royal edition adds a new playable character, an entire third act of story set after the original ending, reworked dungeons, and fresh animations and musical arrangements, so even players familiar with the original Persona 5 get a significantly enriched and longer experience.

On PS4 the game runs smoothly even in more complex battle sequences and visually remains one of the most stylish titles of the generation - the red-and-black menus, Shoji Meguro's jazz-acid music, and the constantly animated interface turn every menu and purchase into an experience full of character. The combat system remains accessible to newcomers but offers considerable depth thanks to Persona fusions, building a personal arsenal of abilities, and tactically exploiting elemental weaknesses and so-called baton touch combos. This time the dungeons are largely hand-designed rather than procedurally generated as in previous entries in the series, which noticeably improves the game's pacing and the feeling of exploration, and rewards attentive players with hidden treasures.

Critically, the Royal edition was received as one of the best versions of the game ever made and cemented Persona's position as the genre's flagship for mainstream audiences outside Japan, reflected in the meteoric rise in the series' popularity in the West. It is still cited today as an example of how to elegantly combine a social simulation of everyday life with a deep turn-based RPG, and it remains the recommended entry point into the entire series for new players and for those who want to experience the definitive version of the story.

Why play it: For new players and fans wanting the definitive version of the story, the Royal edition is an elegant blend of social simulation and deep turn-based RPG, and the recommended entry point into the whole series.