‘Persona 5,’ I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down
As one of the most beloved modern games, I went into Persona 5 hoping I’d enjoy the 2016 RPG just as much as seemingly everyone else does. And nearly 100 hours later, I will definitely say that it’s been an unforgettable, impressionable experience. The catch is, those 100 hours have a yearlong gap in between them, because good god, this game has given me burnout.
There’s so much to do within the game that I found myself quickly overloaded. By the time I got to the casino palace, I was getting sick of hearing “Last Surprise” every two minutes, and I was starting to find myself feeling increasingly bored with a cast of characters I’d previously enjoyed. So, when life started getting in the way, I was content to put P5 aside and focus on other things.
More than a year passed, in which I did end up completing a fair amount of other games, including similarly lengthy ones, such as Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and the Mass Effect trilogy. Yet I always felt this nagging feeling that I probably should finish Persona 5.
Now, here I am, finally about to beat the “first” final boss, and while I’m determined to see this through, I wish I cared more. I fully understand why people love this game so much and am not writing to disparage it. I’m writing it because I wish I could love it that much since its best moments really do shine! The characters are, for the most part, really well-written, the story is compelling, and even the absurd world-building comes together in a way that makes me super curious to play previous Persona games once I finish this one. Unfortunately, it just struggles to tip the scales for me.
So I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the things I wish this game had: things other long games have that help me feel more invested in what I’m doing, so the gameplay doesn’t feel so tedious. As always, you’re welcome to disagree and leave your thoughts in the comments, but just remember, I’m not saying this game is bad. It’s worthy of all its praise and then some! It just might not be my thing.
The gender issue
A very ambitious mod just released on PC that allows you to play Persona 5 as a female protagonist, which made me wonder: why can’t you just do this in the first place? I’m new to the world of Persona, so it’s become apparent to me that this has been a strong desire amongst fans for a long time, yet the devs have been reluctant to commit to a narrative outside that of a teenage boy.
And it’s honestly a shame because the world of P5 is a world that’d be cool to experience as a girl. The game is all about how justice and righteousness are lost concepts amongst most people in power, and as the leader of the Phantom Thieves, you feel compelled to literally change hearts and minds and make things right in society. Very cool! I really enjoyed the commentary on power and class in this game, but I would have felt more connected to it if I had the chance to play as a girl, especially since teen girls are some of the most preyed-upon characters in the game.
It especially felt a little annoying considering most RPGs of this scale and nature allow you to pick between genders these days. I get the argument that gender “shouldn’t” matter as long as you get to play a fully fleshed-out character, but while Joker had some spunk to him, I wouldn’t necessarily put him on the level of characters like Geralt, or Arthur Morgan. This could have easily been a game where you could play as any gender and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference, beyond romance options.
Speaking of…
You’re telling me these boys are straight???
There ain’t no way. Ain’t no way.
One of the recurring jokes I’ve seen amongst P5 is that Yusuke Kitagawa should have been romanceable, and I, for one, agree wholeheartedly. The connection and tension between him and the protagonist was, in my opinion, very obvious and well-written, and they would have made more sense than at least half of the other romance options. You’ll let a teen boy date his twenty-something teacher, but you won’t let him hold his buddy’s hand? Please.
As well as this, JRPGs have started becoming more inclusive of same-sex couplings, and while it’s a relatively recent thing, it’s not so recent that P5 couldn’t have gotten more experimental. I mean, the Royal edition came out in 2019, the same year that Fire Emblem: Three Houses released. In Three Houses, we had multiple same-sex romance options—not as many as fans would have liked, sure, especially considering some of the writing between characters, but it was still a great step for the genre.
I was especially peeved about Joker’s bond with Goro Akechi. Yes, yes, not every deep relationship has to be a relationship, save your breath, I get it. You still cannot convince me that these boys weren’t making eyes at each other. Even though Akechi had a pretty major plot twist that flipped their relationship on its head, it was still clear that the two had a strong bond, and a genuine one at that. I believed their relationship more than I did with the one I actually pursued in the game.
And oh, brother, that whole thing?
Ann sweetie, I’m so sorry
For a variety of reasons, I decided to romance Ann Takamaki. Her character arc was incredibly heavy, one that centered around sexual abuse, harassment, and assault. When she becomes part of the group, she starts feeling more empowered and determined to own her sexuality and her bodily autonomy. It was a pretty compelling conclusion to what I found to be an unusually mature plotline in a game such as this.
… And yet, the game insists on reminding us that, at its core, it only sees Ann as a “sexy, exotic blonde girl.” Which I quickly got immensely tired of. I genuinely liked her character and thought there was so much potential in her, because when the writing decided to be consistent, you could see her complexities. She was quirky and jovial, great at reading other people, and had a lot of passion and heart that made her want to be a better person. Yet she was constantly reduced to just being the “babe” of the group, with dwindling characterization as the game went on. Even her “Showtime!” fights, moments when characters can collaborate with other teammates to do a powerful move, centered solely on her beauty and sex appeal. Makoto and Haru got to do a fun, friendly showtime with each other—why couldn’t Ann?
And look, I know this is largely just a problem with anime in general. That’s a big reason why I dislike most anime, and why I don’t tend to play JRPGs: Too often, girls (especially teen girls) are just written so dumbly. Another example is Haru Okumura, who gets introduced later in the game, and who the game gives very little incentive for you to get to know. Initially, I didn’t really care about Haru at all, because she just seemed like yet another “soft sweet yet secretly murderous” girl. But the more I made Joker spend time with her, the more I realized I regretted romancing Ann. Haru was surprisingly cool and actually had character development as the game went on. Ann, unfortunately, got left in the “Act 1” bucket.
Where credit’s due is, the other two female members of the team, Futaba and Makoto, were actually executed pretty well. Both grow a lot throughout the game and get to establish themselves beyond A) their sex appeal, and B) their relationships to others, especially men. I just wish all the girls got that treatment.
So. Do I like Persona 5?
Here’s the thing: I am taking another break from this game because I’m annoyed at it. I wish Haru had been introduced earlier so I wasn’t cramming her confidants into one or two months. I wish there was more time to do everything, so I don’t have to sink another 100 or so hours into a second playthrough. I wish I was more excited to play the game’s third semester, instead of passively dreading how much more combat I have ahead of me.
Yet all the same, I can still honestly say that I have really enjoyed this game. I love Ryuji and his banter with everyone, I love this group of scrappy kids trying to do right, and yes, I even love Morgana. It’s a great game with a lot of soul to it, and the things I raise above are not deal-breakers for me. They just would have been things that helped me tip the game over from “good” to “great,” and made me feel more invested in finishing it overall. I’d love to say that I had it in me to play the game a second time and round out the things I missed out on, but to be honest, I don’t see the point.
I wish I did! But I guess, as far as JRPGs go, Fire Emblem is just more my speed.
(Featured Image: Atlus/20th Century Fox)
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
