Unlike its predecessors, "Persona 5" is set in Tokyo, a breath of fresh air for long-time fans. In the previous two iterations, developer Atlus built fictional cities as settings.
"I hope that by playing P5, the fans can get a taste of what living in Tokyo is like. It is more average than the country side," character designer Shigenori Soejima said (via RPGsite).
"Persona 5" comes eight years after "Persona 4," and Soejima admits that there's pressure to deliver in the expectations of gamers who have been waiting for the title.
Eight years also made for a change in culture in real life. Soejima says that his team did his best to mirror this change in "Persona 5" as well.
"Teenagers haven't changed as much as other people. The change of stage still effects how these teenagers act, though. It's different in how they communicate in the country versus the city," the artist explained.
"Persona 5" will introduce a slew of new characters. There's a new party member named Goro Akechi, a high school student who also happens to be a detective. Atlus did not provide further information about the newcomer.
Apart from Akechi, "Persona 5" will also introduce "Cooperative Characters," who, as their name implies, will help "Persona 5" players as they move about the game.
The first character to meet is a man named Munehisa Iwai, a weapons shop owner. Another newbie is Tae Takemi, the owner of the medical wing in the game.
The third character coming to "Persona 5" is Sojiro Sakura, a friend of the protagonist's parents who happens to own the Sumikon Coffee Shop. It remains to be seen how this character will factor in the game.
"Persona 5" is the second game (first one is "Persona 4 Golden) in the series to get C rating from the Japanese entertainment rating organization Computer Entertainment Rating Organization or CERO.
The rating simply means that only gamers 15 years old and older will get to play "Persona 5" as opposed to the B rating, which allows players as young as 12 years old to try the game.
"Persona 5" will be released on Sept. 15, 2016 in Japan and Feb. 14, 2017 in North America. The final form of the event will be shown at the Tokyo National Museum on July 19.
