Persona5: The Phantom X Review in Progress 

I’ve ever been skeptical of Persona spin-offs. How tin you twist specified affluent games into caller shapes portion maintaining the intricate details that marque the bid truthful beloved? Well, erstwhile it comes to the astir caller summation to the family, Persona5: The Phantom X, the squad astatine Perfect World look to person done conscionable that – or, astatine least, that’s however it seems connected the surface. With beautifully animated cutscenes and a goosebump-inducing soundtrack, The Phantom X makes it wide aboriginal connected that it isn’t keen to shingle up the Persona formula. What it does do, however, is infuse that already fantabulous basal with the each excessively acquainted premium currencies of a mobile-focused gacha game. I person a much to play earlier my last review, but nary substance however adjacent it comes to recapturing the magic, there’s already a creeping sensation that this locomotion down representation lane is going to marque mode for endless grinding eventually.

Despite being a Persona 5 spin-off, The Phantom X doesn’t centre astir Joker and his unit – instead, you’ll beryllium playing arsenic a caller protagonist, Nagisa Kamisiro (though you tin inactive prime your ain name), successful an alternate timeline mentation of that story. A seemingly mean student, Kamasiro’s beingness changes erstwhile an adorable owl called Lufel calls connected them to combat backmost against the misery and hopelessness enveloping the world, and to crook the tables against the large despair that clouds the hearts of the public. Unable to refuse, Kamasiro learns to wield their interior Persona and travels to the shadiness satellite to assistance wide retired the corporate unconscious, 1 monster astatine a time. If you’ve played Persona 5, you’ll rapidly announcement that The Phantom X is pursuing its look bushed by beat.

To combat disconnected the aforementioned evil, you’ll bounce betwixt beautifully recreated Tokyo neighborhoods and the monster-filled Metaverse, seeking retired misbehaving fiends and infiltrating their minds portion learning to maestro the series’ trademark turn-based combat that centers astir elemental weaknesses. And due to the fact that Kamisiro is simply a teen, you’ll besides person to equilibrium studying, part-time work, and location life, too. With each of its evident derivations, The Phantom X struggles to conjure caller ideas oregon contiguous excitement successful the shadiness of a astir decade-old modus operandi, but it astatine slightest manages to successfully clone the Persona formula, and that volition beryllium capable for some.

Thankfully, wherever the gameplay itself feels overfamiliar, the surrounding formed of characters provides capable enigma and warmth to support things interesting. Alongside Kamisiro, you’ll conscionable the baseball-loving Motoha Arai, your husband-obsessed neighbour Kayo Tomiyama, and adorable schoolmate Tomoko Noge, to sanction a few. With energetic dependable acting to backmost up their emotive and often humorous dialogue, it’s wide there’s been an effort to springiness the NPCs a consciousness of self, oregon astatine slightest the ones I’ve met truthful far. It didn’t instrumentality maine agelong to forge an affectional attachment to them. Morgana’s anthropomorphic owl counterpart, Lufel, is simply a peculiar standout, and I americium thoroughly enjoying a moving gag astir their somewhat archaic vocabulary confusing the school-aged NPCs.

You’ll walk astir of your days successful Kamisiro’s shoes doing time-progressing tasks similar studying for schoolhouse successful section cafes, moving astatine the Konbini for cash, and buying groceries that you tin usage to navigator backmost astatine your home. I’m inactive scratching the aboveground connected however integral these broadside tasks consciousness successful the scope of redeeming the world, though I’ve been enjoying making buying lists and gawking astatine iconic Tokyo landmarks each the same. Particularly, wandering done the bustle of Shibuya Scramble and spotting its celebrated puppy mascot amongst the beaming physics signs felt similar a fantastic ode to a metropolis I’ve travel to emotion successful some existent beingness and games.

Aside from being a emblematic teen, overmuch of your clip successful The Phantom X is spent successful battle, and your combat expeditions motorboat from the Metaverse app located connected Kamisiro’s phone. You tin entree these challenges anytime from the overworld, but you’ll request to usage a people refreshing currency called Stamina to reap the rewards. Focusing connected the mainline communicative missions volition assistance support you connected way successful presumption of difficulty, though you tin besides research a assortment of combat challenges arsenic you delight to stockpile loot and gain experience, too. This is wherever the archetypal hints of grinding travel into absorption but, mercifully, the combat successful The Phantom X is precise moreish and casual to descend clip into.

The Phantom X bases its combat strategy connected Persona 5, meaning it's turn-based with engaging reactive elements. When you rotation up connected a baddie, you’ll rhythm done your enactment 1 subordinate astatine a time, choosing betwixt melee attacks, ranged attacks, and peculiar Persona abilities. Similar to Pokémon, the enemies you’ll face, arsenic good arsenic the Personas you deploy, each person elemental strengths and weaknesses (like occurrence oregon ice) that tin beryllium exploited for other damage. It’s a tried-and-tested strategy with capable diverseness successful its moveset to support battles fresh, and adjacent if you are starting to tyre of it, the imagination-stoking force designs propulsion a bully magnitude of value throughout. What makes Persona combat genuinely unique, though, is the series’ bold interface plan and legendary conflict themes. I promise, nary substance however galore times you’ve already heard Persona 5’s Last Surprise, it conscionable doesn’t get old.

Sadly, nary magnitude of vocal flair from vocalist Lyn Inaizumi tin marque up for the sizable array of gacha systems and currencies you request to equilibrium successful The Phantom X. While determination are characters and Personas you tin unlock done the story, the quickest mode to bolster your squad is to prosecute successful the fortunate dip Contracts menu. In enactment with astir different Gacha games connected the market, you tin gain the currencies you request to propulsion by grinding, oregon chopped to the pursuit and popular successful your recognition paper details to get an instant boost. I’m inactive lone astir 10 hours into my playthrough, and I’ve not deed immoderate evident roadblocks, but I tin spot them coming. At my existent level, I person capable currency to bargain wellness items, arsenic good arsenic a plethora of unsocial currencies to upgrade my Personas, weapons and more. Plus, erstwhile it comes to really engaging with the gacha spins, I don’t consciousness similar the boost they supply are hugely indispensable to my occurrence yet. Inevitably, this won’t last, though, and I tin spot cash-shaped hurdles connected the horizon.

Outside of the inclusion of premium currencies, possibly my biggest contented with The Phantom X truthful acold is that it feels much similar an uncanny reflection of Persona 5, alternatively than a unsocial instrumentality connected its established lore. Other spin-offs similar Persona 5 Tactica oregon Persona 5 Strikers consciousness similar beardown additions to the bid that travel astatine it from a wholly antithetic angle, whereas The Phantom X is much of a well-executed imitation. It’s not to accidental that I’m bored, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed some its combat and getting to cognize the characters truthful far. The archetypal fewer chapters of its communicative are well-written, appropriately shocking, and bash good to hook you into the world. But The Phantom X’s “do-over” instrumentality connected the communicative The Phantom Thieves conscionable isn’t providing a caller capable acquisition to warrant the magnitude of clip (or perchance money) I’ll request to put to spot it done erstwhile Persona 5 and its predecessors are readily disposable and consciousness acold much curated and engaging.

While I’m mostly enjoying my clip with Persona5: The Phantom X truthful far, there’s inactive truthful overmuch to research earlier delivering my last review, similar investigating the extent of the upgrade systems and the semipermanent interaction of premium currencies arsenic you progress. As a instrumentality of the series, it’s hard to look a acquisition equine successful the rima erstwhile it comes to caller Persona 5-related content. But arsenic of close now, I’m conscionable unsure astir however The Phantom X tin deviate capable from the halfway worldly to compel maine to put successful it agelong word – lone clip volition tell.