Summary
Persona 5 Royal’s dungeons are a huge improvement on the ones found inPersona 3andPersona4.They may lack the replayability of the procedurally-generated dungeons of the past, but the Palaces inPersona 5 Royalhave much more detailed designs, dramatically improved puzzles, great environmental storytelling, and much more. Perhaps the most important change is a mechanical one;Persona 5started giving players the options to hide in place before dashing to and ambushing a Shadow. This is a start contrast to the days ofP3andP4, where players have to run up to enemies and attack them by hand.
While the aesthetic of the stealth and ambush mechanics in thePersona 5suite of games was distinctly tailored to its thief aesthetic, the mechanical structure needs to return inPersona 6. It’s too good of an upgrade to let go of. Even if the lore and theming behindPersona 6’s list of dungeonschanges, odds are good that they’ll keep the highly elaborate, premade design principle fromP5rather than reverting to randomly generated hallways. That means thatPersona 6would have ample opportunity to build on the cover and ambush systems fromP5, ideally polishing them while maintaining a proper level of challenge.
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Persona 5’s Ambush Structure is a Leap Forward
Personagames have given players opportunities to ambush enemies for generations, but they used to be much more rudimentary. InPersona 3andPersona 4, players have to walk directly behind a Shadow and attack it before it reacts; that can be much easier said than done, given how slow Shadows often are to reposition, and the occasional difficulty of gauging how close the player needs to be to hit with their weapon. Not only doesPersona 5introduce a convenient prompt when Joker is close enough to pick a fight, but cover lets him control the angle and window for stealth attacks while vastly increasing the distance from which players can jump into combat.
Going back toP3andP4’s model would risk slowing down the pace of gameplay.Previous generations' narrow dungeon hallways and small rooms sometimes forced players to just sit and wait for a Shadow to turn around at a snail’s pace if they wanted to get an ambush. In contrast,Persona 5 Royal’s Palacesallowed players to cross rooms quickly and get an advantage in a fight immediately as long as they could identify the proper path between spots of cover.P5’s approach is much snappier and more engaging, and the emphasis on cover encourages more creative dungeon design on Atlus' part too.
Persona 6may not have the trappings to perfectly copyPersona 5’s ambush mechanics, but it can still use them all in its own way. For instance, instead of leaping between cover at lightning speed like Joker,Persona 6’s protagonistmight move more slowly when changing locations, but get more creative when choosing cover. Players might hide inside boxes, interact with objects to create distractions, or even disguise themselves as Shadows somehow.
Perosna 6could also reward players for taking a more methodical approach to stealth. For example, if the player sits in cover and observes a Shadow for a few seconds, they might divine what exact enemies they’ll face if they start combat; that would be a great ability for aConfidant inPersona 6to upgrade.
Combat inPersonamay mostly be known for its rich tradition of elemental affinities, but by now, ambushing enemies is a staple of the franchise’s design too.Persona 6’s combatwill probably include ambushes too, and if so, it needsPersona 5’s mechanics.Persona 6can identify its unique identity in all kinds of ways, but in doing so, it shouldn’t abandon rich mechanics likePersona 5 Royal’s approach to cover and stealth.
Persona 5 Royalis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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