REVIEW: ‘Persona 5 Tactica’ Brilliantly Melds Strategy And Heart (XSX)

The Persona series has a long track record of producing well-done spin-offs and Persona 5 Tactica is the latest in that line. Developed by Atlus, Persona 5 Tactica is a tactical role-playing game that meshes excellent storytelling with fun and interesting combat in a way befitting the storied Persona franchise.

Persona 5 Tactica takes place during the events of Persona 5 when the Phantom Thieves of Hearts are transported from their base at Cafe Leblanc to a medieval world. There they encounter Lady Marie, whose Kiss of Love allows her to control the minds of those it hits. Joker and Morgana dodge her dangerous attack, but the rest of the crew falls victim to her control. It is up to Joker and Morgana to rescue their friends and help the Rebel Corps’ leader Erina save the innocent people caught under Lady Marie.

As far as storytelling goes, Persona 5 Tactica is a seamless transition from the main Persona 5 story. It starts off naturally and feels like a continuation instead of a complete spin-off. The only downside is that it makes things less approachable for new players. It can be hard to care about losing the Phantom Thieves to Marie’s control if players don’t already have previous knowledge of them. It would have been nice to see a bit more exposition at the start to help onboard new players, but thankfully, as the story progresses, it does a good enough job of filling in the gaps.

The story and setting of Persona 5 Tactica are both great, but the real standout is how it approaches the tactical battle system. Combat takes place on maps with squares marking where players can move, a standard approach to the genre that makes it quite easy to pick up. Every battle has various objects that provide cover players and enemies alike can and should hide behind to win. Cover helps prevent attacks from doing as much damage, but since enemies can hide as well it adds another layer of complexity to planning your moves.

Persona 5 Tactica also heavily emphasizes teamwork. Setting up your team in a triangle position, for example, activates a Triple Threat attack, unleashing a torrent of damage on unsuspecting foes. It is really important to think about what movement and attack ranges your team has when setting up for the next attack. Get spread too thin and you won’t be able to combine for devastating damage, but gather too close and you’re at risk of everyone getting wiped out at once.

Fighting is either done by using the melee or gun options for close and long-range battles respectively, and the Persona system plays a vital role as well. Like in Persona 5, players can find different Personas for Joker to use in combat that have different unique skills. Using these Personas takes skill points, so choose carefully when to use them, but they are the most important tool in your arsenal. They are also just cool to look at in action.

What Persona 5 Tactica does slightly differently from other tactical games is that various difficulty settings can help keep things from overwhelming players. Lowering the difficulty changes how intelligent the enemies are, making them easier to take on if you are having trouble outsmarting them. Enemy movements can be pretty easy to figure out on any difficulty, but the option to lower the challenge for newer or younger players makes it more approachable without cheapening the experience. Battles feel just as rewarding on the lower difficulties as they do on the harder ones, avoiding the pitfall of making the hard difficulty the “best” option for players.

Persona 5 Tactica takes away some of the overt complexity expected from a tactics game in favor of more approachable gameplay and a deeper focus on the story. The combination works well since the core of any Persona game is always its storytelling, world, and character-building. Sometimes, the simplicity can lead to battles feeling a bit too boring or repetitive but it is never egregious enough to ruin the experience.

Visually is another area where Persona 5 Tactica unsurprisingly shines. Atlus knows how to deliver an exciting visual experience from start to finish and this game is dripping with style. Characters all have distinct and vibrant appearances and the backdrops are stunning as you dive deeper into the mystery. It helps to have Toshiki Konishi back composing another banger soundtrack for your head to bop along with almost the entire time. It is a brilliant presentational package that helps make up for some of the more simplistic gameplay or rote story beats.

Persona 5 Tactica is a great example of how to do a spin-off game right by balancing familiar components with a new approach. There is plenty to enjoy for new and old fans alike and everything is tied together in a package that is equal parts approachable and fulfilling.

Persona 5 Tactica is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on Xbox Game Pass.