After releasing in Japan last year, Persona 5 Strikers is coming soon to the rest of the world. Since gamers in Japan have been playing it for a while now, games worldwide who are just jumping into the Phantom Thieves of Hearts' next story this month can find plenty of helpful info and tips.
Set six months after the events of Persona 5, Joker and his friends, the Phantom Thieves, embark on a summer road trip across Japan. However, they soon discover that, in many of the towns and cities they come across, the people's hearts are being corrupted as part of a new conspiracy. This causes them to reform their vigilante group and take on the threat. Along with the original group of friends, the Phantom Thieves have a new character joining their party: Sophia, a sentient AI.
The game does its best to properly give context to series newcomers of the series, but with so many references, characters and plot points coming from Persona 5, it's a good idea to play that before diving into this title. Even if you played it a while ago, you may want to remind yourself of that game's major plot points and character mechanics, as these have been incorporated into Striker's gameplay. It should also be noted that Strikers is a follow-up to the original Persona 5, ignoring Royal and its additional content.
While published by Atlus, the game was codeveloped by Omega Force and P-Studio. So, unlike the original turn-based combat of Persona 5, Strikers' combat focuses on real-time, hack and slash gameplay akin to the Dynasty Warriors series. The only time a battle can be paused is when selecting Persona skills from the player menu, allowing for tactical positioning and switching between characters. Players can only control Joker in the real world but are able to control any party member freely when exploring the story dungeons.
However, while combat may be real-time, Strikers is simplified through the removal of the calendar system, meaning that you don't have to be as efficient as possible to meet in-game deadlines in time. Additionally, leaving a dungeon does not progress time and generally won't incur any negative effects. While the turn-based combat made Persona 5 a test of long-term endurance like a 10-mile run, Strikers is more along the lines of a 50-yard sprint.
Another big change is the removal of the Confidant system, which is replaced by the BOND system. Obtaining BOND points can be done passively by progressing the story, cooking and hitting various milestones, or actively by engaging in combat. The points can then be spent on new skills and battle rewards. It's important to plan out which of these BOND skills you want early, as they can offer a significant edge.
Stocking up on supplies is an obvious way of doing better in the game, as you never know when you might need a health potion or consumable. This can be done by visiting Sophia's Shop, which takes over the role of both the Takemi Medical Clinic and Untouchable stores from Persona 5. It is always available, and will add new and better items as the story progresses. Some of the best supplies to stock up on include Takemedic, Regen Patch, SP Adhesive, Reviv-All and more.
However, most of these items will be too expensive to afford when you're starting out. Early on, you should save your money and cook up your own consumables instead of purchasing them.
Each of your characters' elemental loadouts can give a significant edge when used against the right enemy. The protagonist can manage and collect new Personas for new loadouts from defeated enemies, fusing them back in the Velvet Room with the help of Lavenza. Most regular enemies you encounter in the Jails can be easily defeated, but even some optional mini-bosses will be a challenge, requiring planning and preparation beforehand. Players can make use of the Third Eye, a feature of the vanilla game that can highlight enemies' strengths and weaknesses.
Developed by Omega Force and P-Studio and published by Atlus, Persona 5 Strikers will release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Steam on February 23, 2021.
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