'Persona 5' release date: Recent Japanese launch reveals plot, gets positive reviews

Screen capture from "Persona 5" trailer Youtube/AtlusUSA

"Persona 5" was recently released in Japan last week, revealing the plot for Atlus' highly awaited role-playing game (RPG), and gaining a near perfect score from its first official review conducted by the Japanese game publication Famitsu.

With its near perfect score of 39/40, "Persona 5" surpassed the last two installments of the game, "Persona 3" and "Persona 4," that earned a 33/40 at the time of their release.

The "Persona 5" storyline surrounds a band of high school student misfits, frowned upon by their peers, joining forces to stop corrupt entities. Each character from the "Persona 5" possesses an alter ego that would make them known as the Phantom Thieves. Together, the Phantom Thieves "steal the hearts" of several bad guys to make the world a better place.

Moreover, the recent "Persona 5" trailer released by Atlus introduces a new face in the scene, Futuba Sakura, a phantom thief who will possess a Necronimicon persona. She is a skilled hacker who has superb programming and above average computational skills.

Aside from the new character, the "Persona 5" trailer also boasted a vivid and colorful design that is starting to make gamers outside Japan impatient in waiting for the English version release in 2017.

Furthermore, the current release of "Persona 5" in Japan has led privileged gamers to conclude that the entire game would take approximately 80 hours to end. Reports also show that the game's plot brought back the need to conquer demons in gaining Personas.

On another note, it has become more difficult to obtain weapons in the game as they have become more expensive, requiring more effort from gamers. The game was also said to contain plenty of optional content, such as traveling to maid cafes and public bathhouses, that fans can spend a lot of time on.

The English version of "Persona 5" will be officially released in North America and Europe on Feb. 14, 2017, and will be available on both PlayStation 4 (PS4) and PS3 consoles.

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