Digital Media Concepts/Persona 5

Persona 5 is the sixth installment of the Persona series by Atlus, following after Persona 4 and a spin-off from Shin Megami Tensei. It is the last game of the series to be directed by Katsuhara Hashino. The game can be played on the PS3 or PS4. The game was announced in 2013 and was set to release in 2014 for U.S., however the production was stalled until 2017. As of December, Persona 5 has sold 2 million copies worldwide, making it the top selling game out of the whole series.

Plot
The story follows the protagonist of the game who has been transferred to Shujin academy after being falsely accused of assault when pushing a drunk man who was harassing a woman. Between being a full time student and being a phantom thief life is hectic. The game starts off with the protagonist in police custody, being interviewed by Public Prosecutor Sae Niijima. From there, the protagonist recalls their adventures with the "Phantom Thieves", a group who use their personas to "steal the hearts" of individuals that have warped visions of the world. The phantom thieves consists of teenagers who have been condemned by society, more specifically adults. They use their personas, which is a reflection of their true selves, to fight back against the injustices in society.

There is a total of five possible endings, three bad, one good, and a "true" ending.

Gameplay
The persona 5 mechanics follow the past Persona series games. The RPG style allows the player to live as a student by day and phantom thief by night. The theme of the game has the Phantom Thieves fight against oppression and injustice by having them fight in the metaverse using their "physical representations of people's personalities", A.K.A personas.

Social
The social aspect of Persona 5 allows the player to live the life of a student and do daily activities such as studying, working part-time jobs, crafting tools, etc. The actions that the player decides to take will build the protagonist's social stats which consist of knowledge, charm, proficiency, guts, and kindness. Enhancing these social stats help the player become closer with confidants. The higher the rank the protagonist achieves with these confidants, the more benefits they'll receive that will help them in the dungeons.

Dungeons
The dungeons in Persona 5 are known as "palaces", which serve as a the basis of people's warped desires. The Phantom Thieves infiltrate the palaces in order to steal the person's "treasure", which is a symbol of their corrupt heart. After stealing it, distorted desire will be vanquished. The Phantom Thieves' slogan, "Steal your heart", it coined from that action. The battle mechanics of the game is on a turn basis. After running into an enemy, the player is given an action menu for each character on their team. One of the new game mechanics that are introduced is the baton pass. With this, a when a character hits an enemy with a critical move, they have one more chance to act. However, with baton pass, they have the option to give the extra chance to a teammate. Another new introduction to the battling system is the ability to press a button (R1) and immediately be taken to the enemies' weakness once it is known. Finally, once the player has the enemy down, they have the choice of either doing an all out attack or negotiation with the enemy. With negotiation, the player is able to get money, items, or the enemy onto their team.

Music
There is a total of 110 songs on the soundtrack, all composed by Shoji Meguro. The main tracks which are heard most often are :
 * “Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There” - Lyn Inaizumi
 * “Life Will Change” - Lyn Inaizumi
 * “Hymn of the Soul” - Haruko Komiya
 * “Beneath the Mask” - Lyn Inaizumi
 * “Last Surprise” - Lyn Inaizumi
 * “Keeper of Lust”
 * “The Whims of Fate” - Lyn Inaizumi
 * “Nothingness...?”
 * “Rivers in the Desert” - Lyn Inaizumi
 * “Hoshi to Bokura to” - Lyn Inaizumi

Art
The art for Persona 5 was done by returning staff member Shigenori Soejima. The character designs were done by Ishikawa Tomomi while the demon design drafts were done by Kaneko Kazuma.

Main
Protagonist

Voiced: Jun Fukuyama; Xander Mobus

After an incident, his parents send him to live with a friend who owns a cafe. He goes to Shujin Academy as a second year and appears to be a well mannered boy... until he puts on his phantom thief mask. His code name is Joker and his persona is Arsene.

Morgana

Voiced: Ōtani Ikue; Cassandra Lee Morris

A sassy, mysterious, talking cat creature (it denies being a cat) who aids the protagonist and Ryuji from a palace in the beginning of the game. Morgana had the ability to alter its physical form. It lives with the protagonist. Its persona is Zorro and goes by the codename Mona.

Ryuji Sakamoto

Voiced: Mamoru Miyano; Max Mittelman

One of the early members to join the Phantom Thieves, Ryuji is considered to be a delinquent there the other students stay away from him. He is a second year in Shujin Academy. His persona is Captain Kidd and goes by the codename Skull.

Ann Takamaki

Voiced: Nana Mizuki; Erika Harlacher

She's 1/4 American and beautiful but it considered an outsider by her fellow Shujin Academy peers. Her persona is Carmen and her codename is Panther.

Yusuke Kitagawa

Voiced: Tomokazu Sugita; Matt Mercer

An odd artist who attends Kosei High School. He is dedicated to art and lives with a famous Japanese artists as his apprentice. He goes by the codename Fox and his persona is Goemon.

Makoto Niijima

Voiced: Rina Satō; Cherami Leigh

Shujin Academy's staff think highly of their Student Council President, Makoto Niijima. On top of being an honor student, she's a Phantom Thief! She has a strong sense of justice and unbending will. Her codename is Queen and her persona is Johanna.

Futaba Sakura

Voiced: Aoi Yūki; Erica Lindbeck

A fifteen year old prodigy whose great with exceptional programming skills. However, she has trouble with communication and shuts herself off in her room. Her codename is Oracle and her persona is Necronomicon.

Haru Okumura

Voiced: Haruka Tomatsu; Xanthe Huynh

Although she doesn't seem to have much friends, Haru is third year at Shujin Academy and loves planting. She goes by the codename Noir and her persona is Milady.

Goro Akechi

Voiced: Hoshi Sōichirō; Robbie Daymond

A High school detective whose good enough to rival an official investigator. He received the title "Charasmatic Detective".

Anime Adaptation
The original voice acting cast of Persona 5 returns for the anime adaptation: Persona 5: The Day Breakers. It is set to release in Japan April 2018. It will be produced by A-1 Pictures and Shinichi Inotsume will be the series composer. The protagonist will have a new canon name: Ren Amamiya.

Spin-Off
Persona 5: Dancing All Night was announced in August 2017. It is a dancing spin-off game that will launch May 24, 2018 in Japan on the PS4 and PS Vita.

Awards
The Game Awards 2017: Best RPG Game