WHERE’S MY MASK?!

My Persona 5 Royal review was contentious. It garnered plenty of criticism as I unashamedly fondled the praises of it – that initial cringeworthy paragraph didn’t help. Regardless, I stand behind giving it a score of 10. Despite my fanboyism, however, I recognize that as a mainline entry, Persona 5 has been milked for every drop. The udders have shrivelled up, and people are sick and tired, but I’m not.

See, I like my calcium, not to mention that the concept still entices me. There are several directions to explore before redundancy becomes an issue. Until that day comes, I’m enjoying the hell out of what’s on offer. I’m so in love with this world and the way that stories are told, but will an ever-so-slight jump to a different genre cause me to undergo a change of heart?

A FREAK PERSPECTIVE!

For those worried that Persona 5 Tactica might dredge through identical narrative waters as Royal, that won’t be occurring. Sure, the premise of cognition is intact, but the approach is where the freshness saunters in. It also retains that same wonderful literary prowess of its older brother, introducing a mystery that gripped me.

Of course, to avoid spoilers, I must be ambiguous, but I’ll clearly state that I was fully engrossed. Look, I said it before, and I’ll say it again: the writing is bloody fantastic, and that’s a sentiment that never waned across my session. That said, I’ll note that I did foresee two reveals, but those same predictions would be taken and enhanced by dramatic twist after twist, progressively escalating to an unexpected degree.

Furthermore, being an SPRG spin-off of Persona means the fluffball and gumdrop aura isn’t destined to last. No, dark subject matter will play a dominant part in the plot. Prepare yourself for a hefty amount of chatter of abuse of various types – no punches were pulled. Be wary that due to the realistic portrayal, it could prove triggering.

Thankfully, what impressed me the most with Royal continues with Tactica – everything is handled tastefully and with the utmost respect. I never felt it was descriptive solely to nail shock value. There’s a reverence and care in how traumatic events are wielded, and it never seems amateurish as a result. It’s thanks to this masterful execution that I could readily immerse myself into the narrative once again.

You know, If I’m completely honest, I suppose a more apt definition of Persona 5 Tactica is that the strategy portion only accounts for 50%. The other half is littered with text-heavy exchanges – think visual novel. Essentially, there will be a ton of reading that’s accompanied by static backgrounds, and I’m chuffed by this notion. Exposition is why I’m over the moon with this franchise in the first place.

Everyone has their personality and mannerisms from Royal, too, and despite this game being on a smaller scale, that passion and attention to detail is as thorough as it has ever been. There’s a sense of charm that reaches out from the screen, swinging violently at my cheek. It’s an in-your-face goodness that brought me warmth, making my lips contort into The Joker’s grin.

I GET THAT REFERENCE!

Upon finishing Royal, I mentioned how it felt like I said goodbye to a bunch of my closest friends. What can I say but that these coded husks left a big impression on me. I was left with a giant void in the pits of my tum tum. Hearing that familiar banter was such a joyous event, and I’m sure you can surmise how pleased I was. Without exaggeration, it felt like a reunion.

Experiencing their quirks helped revitalize my enthusiasm, as well as ease me into this journey and its tribulations. I couldn’t stop the soft laughter that resulted from the often silly antics of Futaba or whenever Ryuji would sling insults at Morgana while Ann reprimanded him. I was surrounded by the same happiness I felt many moons ago, but a glaring misstep might deter some.

Persona 5 Tactica assumes you’ve already played and beaten Royal. It doesn’t formally introduce the core cast, and it’ll make constant references that, without prior knowledge, can confuse a person. In fact, I’ve seen it happen, and when it did, there were sighs. They found it dumb, and sure, it can be, but without the added context, they didn’t feel the charismatic energy that I did. It was nothing but stupid anime tropes to them – whereas my smile was genuine, they rolled their eyes.

While I applaud P-Studio’s determination to maintain continuity, it’s a double-edged sword. Yeah, it’s admirable for fans who crave it, but casual audiences won’t appreciate the effort. Even if they’re open to the balls-to-the-wall lunacy, there will still be the issue of a portion of Royal being spoiled.

IS SOMEONE CUTTING ONIONS!?

Persona 5 Tactica has a specific story it wants to tell, and due to the unique direction it takes to tell it, character growth isn’t prominent. As I’ve established, Ryuji, Ann, and the gang aren’t adequately explained. The only actual development concerns the two, never before-seen, additions.

Naturally, they’re written sublimely, and they had me on the edge of my seat. The pair are exceptionally robust, evoking strong emotions within my heart. What ails them toys with real-life fears that I have and, by proxy, that elicits raw reactions. I may not have wept like a baby, but it hit every sympathetic bone in my body. By the finish, I sat there actively rooting for a happy ending. Needless to say, I spent 50+ hours in this playthrough, and I have no regrets.

ONE YEAR LATER…!

Okay, the burning question I’m sure y’all have is if Tactica is a sequel to the vanilla version of Persona 5 or if it follows Royal, and the answer is yes. In other words, this seems to resume the plot of both. For disclosure, I haven’t had a chance to dive into Strikers, so I can’t say where that positions in the timeline. All I can say for certain is that it occurs a year later. I also got to talk to my favorite and not-so-favorite, Phantom Thieves, as they came back.

Nostalgia is a strong drug, and as a person who rated the original highly and was lambasted for that opinion, I was thrilled to be able to revisit an old frenemy and friend. Here’s the thing: those two are locked behind a paywall, and if you thought that was bad, well, it gets worse.

Basically, I had no plans to rant about the DLC, despite thinking how bullshit it is to have a beefy story expansion on day one. What angered me is how the voice talent from said DLC is credited in the base game, and yet they don’t appear. That indicates that it was done way before the release date and could have easily been tacked on to the complete product, but instead, it was separated.

Persona 5 Tactica is priced at $79.99 Canadian, while the “Royal” content is $26.99, each before taxes. Look, I’ll gladly shill for this franchise, but I’ll never condone these practices, particularly in this economy. Yeah, the new features the DLC introduces are thrilling, but that won’t negate the fact that this decision is fueled by greed – it’s a middle finger to consumers.

1 + 1 = AN ODD AMALGAMATION!

Fusion is a returning mechanic in Tactica, but it functions differently. See, it’s been watered down. Each persona no longer learns eight moves as that has been relegated to two. The first is predetermined and based on the type of creature. The second is inherited after a combination, offering that spark of customization that captivated me in Royal.

At first glance, I thought I’d honestly hate the demotion, but in reality, I dig it. I like how it’s streamlined to complement the more intensive strategic gameplay. I’m not forced to mix and match to obtain the penultimate skill set. Sure, if there’s an attack I’ve got my eye on and want to carry toward a certain persona, it’ll take planning, but it’s simpler to find the synergy of a duo as opposed to a crowd.

Perhaps nobody wants to hear this next bit, but the dreaded “g” word is intrinsically linked to fusion. We will grind like mad in Tactica, but it isn’t exactly for levels. That wasn’t difficult since I was routinely pinging upwards after every battle. No, it’s money that happens to be the apple of my eye.

If you’ve conquered Royal, you know that after you’ve kidnapped a persona, they gain an info blurb in a book called the Compendium. With that, I’m able to directly summon any into my possession for a fee, and holy crap, it gets real expensive, real fast. I can’t help but feel there’s a slight unbalancing between cost and cash prize. The latter could use adjustments because, as it is, it’s a headache to earn nearly enough to afford them.

Other than spending, alternative methods do exist to add persona to your ranks, and it’s not by interrogation. Recruiting isn’t what it is in Royal, and it now consists of pistol-whipping my foes to see what prizes drop. The flaw here is a reliance on RNG when deciding what’s given. Sadly, the dice roll rarely lands, and I’m usually doubling up.

At least when that happens, it provides EXP to said persona. You probably think that’s handy, and it would be, but it’s so redundant as it is. Since new abilities won’t be taught, there’s no point. It’s a faux feature meant for the optics. From what I can tell, there’s no strength boost to be seen, either. Luckily, I reckon by shifting values around with a hotfix; it’ll right this ship.

Okay, let’s get blasphemous because, even by my standards, grinding can be tedious. Strangely, the main reason is how involved combat is. Given that Tactica is an SRPG, I must carefully formulate winning my tactics. Since I can’t shut off my brain and repeatedly tap buttons, the awareness can sometimes cause encounters to feel like they drag. I must be cognizant, devising ways to traverse the battlefield and slip behind enemies to hit them from the back for maximum damage.

It’s a conundrum – on the one hand, you want a game that draws your attention, but on the other hand, the time sink becomes known. After waffling over why it’s a complaint, the answer I settled on is that the rewards don’t feel worthwhile. Conversely, a patch can address this nitpick, which as you’ve noticed is becoming a pattern.

PLANT THEM TREES!

In Royal, learning techniques is linked to persona getting more powerful. After several levels, I’d see them gaining a brand-new move. Yea, Tactica takes that entire notion and upheaves it. There’s now a skill tree for everyone with buffs, healing spells, and their respective elements – fire for Ann, thunder for Ryuji, etc.

The points needed to fill these branches aren’t acquired by traditional means, however. I’ve got to mingle, and you’ll be pleased to know that the chatter never overstays its welcome. It keeps a delightful pace, and to no one’s surprise, I adore it. I got excited when I had an interaction waiting. It fleshes out the world while occasionally being humorous – it’s pleasant. 

If that isn’t your cup of tea, then take solace in knowing there’s a far better route to obtaining the, as Tactica calls it, GP. Periodically, through the story, side-quests will become available. These usually consist of battle scenarios, but not in the traditional sense. The objectives aren’t typically to eliminate all of your adversaries.

No, I’m tasked with a specific goal, such as reaching a target area within a single turn. I won’t lie about how intimidating it can be, but it made me carefully scan my surroundings. It’s like a puzzle waiting for the solution. I couldn’t even begin to articulate the concentration on my face as my eyes were glued to the screen. The challenge was invigorating, engagement was off-the-charts, and upon success, accomplishment washed over me.

WHAT A LOVELY DRAWING!

The following statement is going to ruffle the feathers of a whole fandom, but between the many hours I devoted to Tactica, the style falls ever-so-short. Considering the precedent set by previous entries, it’s a slight downgrade. That isn’t the disparaging claim it seems to be, though, because it’s still gorgeous.

The colors are dazzling and pop off the OLED. The 3D models are stunners, as long as we’re not referring to Morgana. His eyes have this lifeless gaze to them. It’s off-putting and like my soul is being stared into. Fortunately, that’s my only gripe. The character portraits are lively otherwise, and their faces are equally as expressive. I know the chibi-esque aesthetic won’t be for everyone, but I find it adorable, specifically these little dudes I meet.

IT’S A SMOOTH RIDE!

You know, I’m really impressed by how optimized Tactica is. The animations, for example, are fluent and suffer from no jittery motions. When Joker climbs or jumps, his actions are graceful and stable. I also love the subtle flourishes, such as blinking. When they’re happy, seeing their eyes smile along with their mouth feels natural.

It runs so smoothly, too, that I forgot it was a rock-hard 30 frames per second. Sure, on a beefier console, I reckon it hovers around 60, but due to the stellar job P-Studio did, it’s nigh impossible to notice glaring discrepancies. I’m perfectly content with the Nintendo Switch version, and that’s aided further by the intuitiveness of the buttons. Getting that snappiness with each press is a dream. In lieu of how systematic this genre inherently is, the ease of movement makes this session a painless romp.

OH NO, EAR ORGASM!

I’m not even sure what the hell I’m supposed to critique for Sound Design. It’s incredible, from the instrumentals to the vocals, especially those vocals. The element that stuck out most from Royal was the songs with lyrics, so it tracks how it would be a similar case for Tactica. Lyn goes in, and when guitars accompany her, it’s just, well, it’s amazing.

I’m currently listening to the OST as I write, and I’m getting goosebumps. My ears have such a pleasant sensation coasting through it because of the pleasure that I feel. I’ve always said that for music to reach the sacred heights of Godhood, it has to be memorable, and that’s exactly what Persona 5 Tactica does, making it look so easy in the process.

As for the voice acting, everyone has reprised their roles, which helped to suck me right into this universe the instant I booted it up. As I’ve already said, I was reconvening with old friends as far as I’m concerned. The newcomers also do a fantastic job.

The banter with Erina was amusing. I loved seeing Futaba as she teased everyone or Ryuji uttering his patented catchphrase of “for real” whenever he’s shocked by a revelation or, well, being Ryuji. The inflections are superb, but I could see the use of high pitches for the tiny dudes of the world being grating. I didn’t mind it, but since it’s an octave up from Morgana, and he was divisive in Persona 5 proper, I felt I should prepare y’all. Regardless, everything about the audio is simply the best.

AND THE JOKER’s VERDICT IS…

Persona 5 Tactica is another masterful inclusion in the P5 collection of spin-offs. It’s a mish-mash of inspirations that weirdly works spectacularly. In no world did I think that Splatoon would be a factor or that I’d experience the closest thing to an anime interpretation of XCOM. What I adore the most is how, no matter how egregious the ideas seem, they all coalesce together beautifully. It kept me guessing, and I was engrossed until the very end.

What fills me with hope is how the bulk of my gripes can be rectified with a patch or two. Shuffling the formulas of the money earned would greatly encourage players to use features like fusion. I recommend Tactica at full price, no question, but the DLC is stupendous, and I’d space out the purchases due to affordability.

 

Graphics: 9.5 Nothing about the visuals strikes me as bad. I like the aesthetic and how the models are done, except for Morgana. I’ve no idea what kind of horrors he has seen, but he’s definitely seen some stuff. The portraits are beautifully done, though. I know the style taken may be divisive, but it’s perfect.   Besides, the Switch struggled with the more realistic take.	Gameplay: 9.5 The one issue is the money pit. It needs some balancing so it’s no longer a tedious chore to earn what I need. Otherwise, I’m pretty stoked about everything Tactica has to give. I was having fun and enjoyed every minute.
Sound: 10 It does what it needs to. For a Persona game, it’s the perfect soundtrack. There isn’t one piece of music I found terrible or had me wanting to actively turn down the volume. Hell, the song that plays during heart wrenching scenes does exactly what it was created to do. I can’t say enough good.	Fun Factor: 8.5  What kills the fun is that grind. I can say that because once I began fusing, it returned – I was once again enjoying myself. I can’t get enough of it, but as is, I don’t feel like Tactica respects your time. It needs a patch, and it needs to address cash flow.
Final Verdict: 9.0

Persona 5 Tactica is available now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.

A copy of Persona 5 Tactica was provided by the publisher.