Persona 5 was first released on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in 2016. Since then, we have gotten Persona 5: Dancing In Starlight, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, Persona 5 Royal, Persona 5 Strikers, and now Persona 5 Tactica. Needless to say, we have spent a lot of time with the cast of Persona 5, and each game has had its own unique story, mechanics, and remixes of the absolute banger of a soundtrack that was present in Persona 5. But, with Persona 5 Tactica, it all begins to feel a little long in the tooth.
The story of Persona 5 Tactica takes place during the timeline of Persona 5, in which our cast is transported to an alternate world in the middle of a civil war. After Marie captures the majority of the Phantom Thieves, we quickly learn that the enemy group known as the Legionnaires is invincible except for when attacked by Personas. But this is all for naught because very quickly, we free all our comrades, and the singular focus of Persona 5 Tactica becomes to take the Legionnaires down and free this alternative reality from war and oppression.
Ultimately, the story in Persona 5 Tactica just feels somewhat rushed and, more importantly, lacks the heart that past entries in the Persona series, including spin-offs, have had. The new characters introduced come across as bland and forgettable, but this was a risk of adding someone else into the fray after getting to know and love the older characters for so long. This includes the villain as well. Because we have had such great villains in the Persona 5 spin-offs, this one just seems kind of there. It’s a shame because medieval European aesthetics are such a cool backdrop. It just doesn’t suit the mediocre story being told.
“Persona 5 Tactica is the game that made me realize that it’s time for a new mainline entry.”
The chibi art style, while cute, doesn’t really hit the same way when trying to tell a story of revolution in a world where we have seen what these characters look like in great detail. It’s hindered mainly by the story beats that have long conversations happening with static 2D models of the characters just talking to each other. Even with the chibi models standing and moving around in real-time during these events would have helped. Conversations and relationships are at the core of every Persona game, but in Persona 5 Tactica, it feels like the part that was considered the least.
The gameplay in Persona 5 Tactica is a vast departure from anything in the Persona series. It is a turn-based tactical RPG. Think XCOM but with Personas. Although, unlike other games in this genre, it feels very bare bones. Turns take place on a grid-based map, with the player freely moving in their movement zone, and once they take an action like attacking or summoning their Persona, that signifies the end of their turn.
I have a few issues with the gameplay of Persona 5 Tactica. While behind the cover, every attack is either resistant, dealing less damage, or just blocked outright. You can knock enemies out of cover by walking up to them using a melee attack and knocking the enemies away. The blocking makes sense, but the resistance makes it so that every time you go to attack an enemy, it does minimal damage. It makes every fight feel padded out, and for no reason other than to make each mission take longer.
“While it does try some new things, none of them seem to mesh well together or land.”
The weirdest addition to Persona 5 Tactica is that Joker was a unique character, being able to hold and change into almost any Persona save for Personas held by his fellow Phantom Thieves. This isn’t the case in Persona 5 Tactica. You gain Personas as items after each battle and can equip them to any teammate you want. This ultimately leaves some teammates unneeded and makes each character interchangeable.
The music in the Persona series has always been outstanding, and even in the spin-offs, they have managed to maintain the high bar set by the series. Persona 5 Tactica is the first of the spin-offs to drop the ball. While it does keep the Acid Jazz structure to its soundtrack, it feels a little more hollow, with seemingly fewer Lyn vocal tracks involved. Nothing ever hit the highs of Rivers in the Desert, Life Will Change, or the penultimate Last Surprise.
Persona 5 Tactica is a departure, even in the spin-off world of Persona, which itself is a spin-off of Shin Megami Tensai. And while it does try some new things, none of them seem to mesh well together or land. The relationships are non-existent, the music is subpar, and even the gameplay feels bland and padded out. Persona 5 Tactica is the game that made me realize that it’s time for a new mainline entry. We have spent enough time with Joker and the crew. It’s time we move on.
