The Future of Persona: How Persona 5's Success Sets the Stage for Persona 6
Persona 5's impact on the franchise's future is evident, as its stunning visuals and compelling narrative may serve as the guiding force for Persona 6, shaping its aesthetics and storytelling
The recent announcements of Persona 5 Tactica and Persona 3 Reload have shed light on Atlus' direction for the future. Firstly, the trend of Persona 5 spin-off games continues, with Tactica exploring a new world and storyline separate from the original game. Secondly, the remake of Persona 3 draws inspiration from Persona 5's aesthetics, incorporating its visual style into the game's menus and battle interface. These presentations solidify Persona 5 as the current standard for the franchise, potentially impacting the approach to Persona 6.
Persona 5 has made a significant impact within the series, attracting a global audience and generating immense attention for the IP. The game's success is not surprising, given its engaging SMT gameplay, well-developed characters, and striking visual design. The influences behind Persona 5 are evident in the reveal of Persona 3 Reload and the trailer for Metaphor ReFantazio, which features renowned talents such as director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro. All three individuals have contributed their skills to the development of Persona 3 through 5.
Persona 5's Blueprint May Be the Next Mainline Title's Narrative and Aesthetic Inspiration
The visual style incorporated from Persona 5 into Persona 3 Reload is evident in various aspects of its reveal trailer, such as the 3D character models, battle HUD, and menu. This infusion of visual elements proves to be advantageous in modernizing the graphics and visual style of the original 2006 game. One particular highlight is the pause menu, which has garnered much praise for its combination of Persona 3's blue motif, a stunning water transition effect, and a portrait of the male protagonist. However, in the presentation of the battle HUD, some fans of the original may feel a slight loss, as the rotating battle menu has been replaced with button prompts and drop shadows.
Overall, the current visual design of Persona 3 Reload showcased in its reveal suggests a potential continuation of Persona 5's aesthetic in future installments of the series. This could potentially impact the presentation of Persona 6. Considering the widespread acclaim of Persona 5, not only for its art style but also for its character development and storytelling, it is possible that Persona 6 may draw inspiration from more than just its visual design. While there are those who hope for Persona 6 to explore new territory with an adult cast, similar to Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, the overwhelming success of Persona 5 may lead the series to continue with the high-school setting.
Persona 6's combat backdrops may draw inspiration from the individualized palaces in Persona 5, indicating a potential focus on the game's antagonists. This could bring back the cyclical storytelling approach of previous Persona titles, where the final boss encounter symbolizes humanity's struggles or desires in a new manifestation. While this formula has proven successful in the past, it raises the question of how Persona 6 will differentiate itself from its predecessors if it chooses to take a different direction.
The success of Persona 5 has undoubtedly contributed to the series' popularity among both new and long-time fans. However, if Persona 6 closely mirrors its predecessor's aesthetic, it runs the risk of lacking its own unique identity. It is possible that the game may deviate significantly from Persona 5, but how it will present its story, mechanics, and visual style remains to be seen. As the development of Persona 6 progresses, fans eagerly await a glimpse of the project in the near future.
Persona 6 is currently in development.
