A gameplay livestream for Persona 5 Royal revealed lots of information on the new edition of the popular Japanese RPG Persona 5, which is set to launch in Japan on October 31.
The livestream started with the second full-length trailer for Persona 5 Royal, which showcased some of the new story elements and features. The trailer and the livestream contain spoilers for those who have not yet finished Persona 5.
Persona 5 Royal adds a third semester to the Persona 5 storyline, from January to April, and introduces a new Phantom Thief named Kasumi, who producer Kazuhisa Wada said will appear very early in the game.
Wada also said that the development team selected Kichijoji as one of the additional areas because it is an interesting town that combines an old-school feel with new things, and also because it appeared in the first Megami Tensei games. Kichijoji is a large, explorable area that includes a bar where players can play darts and pool, a vintage shop that sells new items, and an incense shop that can boost the stats of Joker’s personas.
A portion of the gameplay livestream focused on the changes to Mementos, including new character Jose, a puppet-like boy that players can meet there. Players will be able to gather flowers and give them to Jose in exchange for items. There are also stamps that, when given to Jose, improve the experience points, money, and item drops that players gain in Mementos.
Players will find new enemies and missions in Mementos, including some bosses that will require players to “hold up” and choose the correct answers instead of beating them.
All the Phantom Thieves will be able to unlock a new, third persona, which will help them conquer the new palace in Persona 5 Royal. The new palace, which is also seen in the new trailer, will become accessible in the third semester, but Wada did not reveal who owns the palace.
One interesting tidbit is that Goro Akechi is shown as a playable character in the new palace with Loki as his persona, even after the events that transpired in the endgame of Persona 5. In the final scene of the trailer, Goro tells Joker “we’ll meet up again next week, unless you decide to keep living in this reality, where we all get along,” further fueling speculation that the third semester is a dream.
Persona 5 Royal will launch in the West sometime in 2020, so players in the United States will have to wait at least a few months more after the game’s release in Japan. This is probably why Atlus will be bringing back the streaming restrictions from Persona 5 to apply to the new semester.
