'Persona 5' Demo Reviews: What Japanese Fans Are Saying About Its Gameplay And Story

“Persona 5” fans in Japan were able to play a demo of the game at the end of July, and now we have some preliminary reviews. The title’s official website and Persona Central come together to offer new gameplay and story insight.

“Persona 5’s” development team at Atlus recently published a survey on the demo as conducted in Tokyo, Osaka and Sendai. In all three locations over 90 percent of players were interested in purchasing the game after their hands-on trial. Some of the universally praised aspects were its characters, music and story elements.

As far as specific comments are concerned, Tokyo’s testimony said “the story, the music and the graphics are incredible.” It was also added that the general atmosphere of the gameplay was closer to the series’ first three titles rather than the massively popular “Persona 4.” “‘Persona 5’ feels like the logical evolution of the MegaTen series and also like the evolution of Atlus as a company,” said the Central-translated source.

It was also made apparent by other reviews that “Persona 5” seems to be a relatively smooth experience for those that haven’t played the franchise’s other games. “The game is easy to play even when you didn’t play other ‘Persona’ games before.” said one Sendai tester. Osaka’s audience also referred to the title as “a good way to break into the series.”

So is there anything from these impressions that could be construed as a possible negative? Not really, and that’s somewhat expected from sources that are predisposed to like the series already. The only possible downside is that, while very stylish, the battle interface was said to be “intimidating at first.” Once familiarity is established, however, combat is supposedly “a lot more fun than before.”

In the absence of hands-on reports from U.S. press, these fan reports from Japan are currently our best analysis for how “Persona 5” might be received once it finally releases stateside. While these accounts certainly carry some degree of bias, it seems as though Atlus is poised to deliver a solid JRPG for those that want one.

“Persona 5” comes to PS4 and PS3 on Feb. 14, 2017.

What do you think of these demo reviews? Do they make you more excited for the final game? Tell us in the comments section!