Why Persona 6 Must Learn From P4G's Lush Greenery for a Game-Changing Mechanic

Building on its tradition, Persona games have a tendency to incorporate mechanics from previous games rather than abandoning them for new ones. For instance, Persona 3's Social Link system was enhanced in Persona 4 and 5, while the early Persona games experimented with the fusion system from the Shin Megami Tensei franchise. Persona 6 is expected to follow suit by leveraging new features from Persona 5, such as the Baton Pass mechanic, to revitalize mechanics from earlier games. One such mechanic that can benefit from this approach is the gardening system, which can be restored to its former glory in Persona 6.

Atlus has a talent for transforming mundane activities into character development opportunities in their RPGs. In Persona 4, gardening was one such activity that rewarded players with Diligence, strengthened bonds with the Dojima family, and provided harvestable food with healing and protective properties. Persona 5 also included gardening but with a different approach that was less user-friendly. Hence, Persona 6 can reintroduce gardening in a manner that benefits from the lessons learned from Persona 4 rather than Persona 5.

Persona 5's Garden is a Lesson in Convenience for Persona 6

In Persona 4 Golden, the garden feature is a major highlight as it offers players a wide range of benefits. It becomes available after just one month of in-game time, and players can use it to create items that can restore health, cover ally weaknesses, and much more. In addition, players can devote their evenings to the garden and reap a variety of bonuses, such as a bigger harvest. The garden's location at home is also convenient and ensures that players don't forget about it.

However, the garden feature in Persona 5 is a far cry from its predecessor. It only becomes available once players start Haru Okumura's Confidant, and it's located on the Shujin Academy rooftop instead of at home. Moreover, players only have a short window of about three in-game months to utilize the garden as Haru's Confidant isn't available until the end of October. Additionally, players must have maximum Proficiency to unlock the garden's full potential, and its out-of-the-way location makes it easy to overlook. Although some of the vegetables in Persona 5 are more potent than those in Persona 4 Golden, the garden's overall weakness due to its obscurity and inaccessibility is a letdown.

The ideal garden feature in Persona 6 should take inspiration from Persona 4 Golden rather than Persona 5 Royal. It is important that the garden is conveniently located where the protagonist frequents, such as their home or classroom, to ensure players remember to utilize it effectively. Unlike P5's garden, which is unlocked late in the game, the Persona 6 garden should be accessible earlier. P4G's wider variety of vegetables and the ability to tend the garden for bonuses would also be a valuable addition. While P5's garden had its strengths, such as tying it to a character's backstory and lower maintenance vegetables with stronger effects, it was unfortunate that it was tucked away in the game and not easily accessible. Therefore, Persona 4 Golden should serve as the main influence for Persona 6's garden feature.

Persona 6 is in development.