Persona 5 Tactica review – turning to a new strategy

Being so different from Persona 5 is a double-edged sword, as while it means strategy fans can find enjoyment in a franchise they may not previously have been interested in, they’re going to miss out on a lot of the references and in-jokes when it comes to the characters and plot.

However, if you’re a Persona fan but don’t like the idea of playing a full-blown strategy game we’d advise persevering, as this is a very good introduction to the concept of turn-based strategies (it’s also a lot easier than many of its ilk). There are issues, which we’ll get into, but generally speaking this is another peculiar combination that has worked out surprisingly well.

Although having played Persona 5 will definitely increase your understanding and appreciation of Tactica, the plot itself is entirely self-contained. It’s set just after the final boss fight from Persona 5 but before its epilogue. Although the new chibi art style makes some of them look very different, you’re still in control of the Phantom Thieves, a group of high school studios who can control manifestations of their subconscious called persona, as you find yourselves dragged back into the supernatural Metaverse.

If there’s one consistent fault with the Persona spin-offs it’s that they tend to simplify the characterisation of the protagonists, turning them into caricatures. Tactica stops just short of that, in part thanks to two interesting new characters, Erina and Toshiro, but while the game does try to tackle some serious subjects, such as the responsibilities of growing older and grimmer subjects such as authoritarianism, the cartoonish visuals and jokey script tends to undermine the effort.

As popular as Persona has become, its role-playing combat has always been rather formulaic, never straying far from the Dragon Quest template. In a similar manner, the turn-based battles in Tactica will be very familiar to genre fans, since the basics are exactly the same as XCOM et al., as you move around a grid-based map, taking cover wherever possible.

Everyone has a gun, but they can also use their persona (plus another of their choice) to perform a variety of magic abilities, from knocking enemies backwards and out of cover, to transmitting a status effect like fear across a wide area.

This all works very well but there’s a conspicuous lack of new ideas. XCOM style combat is probably a novelty to the majority of Persona’s traditional audience, but it’s really only the magic abilities that set it out as in any way different. Although, really, the most impressive element is the level design, which is consistently clever in the way it presents enemies and cover opportunities, and frequently seems more like a puzzle game than a pure strategy title – especially in some of the optional side quests.

Where the game loses out is in its lack of depth, with accuracy not being an issue, since everyone always hits their targets, and none of the more interesting complications of XCOM. We didn’t expect base building but apart from guns there isn’t even any extra equipment to buy or upgrade.

The action isn’t entirely shallow though, as there are the expected team-up moves and variations on series mainstays such as Batton Pass and One More, that allow you to chain together attacks between characters and take out multiple enemies before they have a chance to move. Purposefully skipping a turn to boost the next one is also an interesting tactical consideration.

Although you can only take three with you into any one mission, there’s also a significant difference in abilities and stats between each character, as well as a unique skill tree that you can re-spec whenever you want. As the traditions of the franchise demand you can also fuse persona together to create new or more powerful variants, which is extra useful now that everyone can have more than one.

Everything works very well but only according to the predefined standards of other turn-based strategy games and Persona itself. That doesn’t stop it being entertaining, but we would’ve liked to see the game spend more time inventing its own concepts rather than just finding ways to include those from other games.

Ubisoft’s game also has exploration and puzzle-solving, whereas in Tactica all you do is either fight, watch cut scenes, or fiddle about in menus. You can upgrade your characters and go on side quests but there’s no real social element, as in the main Persona games, which makes the whole experience feel rather one note. Especially as you never see the antagonists in the real world, only in their cartoon form.

Persona 5 Tactica is both a good spin-off for Persona 5 and a solid turn-based strategy, that’s perfect for those new to the genre. With a little more work, it might have been a classic in its own right, but while it doesn’t fly quite that high it is a welcome diversion while we continue the long wait for Persona 6.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £24.99
Publisher: Saber Interactive
Developer: Tuxedo Labs
Release Date: 15th November 2023
Age Rating: 12