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| Scott Clay |
Warning, spoilers ahead!
07.24.16 - 4:26 PM
This past week, Atlus held a special Persona 5 Niconico livestream in preparation for the game's release. They showcased plenty of videos during the livestream, and we have them all for your viewing pleasure. Be warned, though, there are plenty of spoilers in these videos, so watch at your own risk.
Produced by Production I.G., the opening sequence contains clips from the very first trailer along with a bunch of new clips. It also includes the final version of that jazzy tune from the first trailer complete with lyrics.
The next video contains the first 18 minutes of gameplay. There are spoilers below, so be careful.
It wouldn't be a modern Persona game without a never-ending dungeon to explore. The Mementos Dungeon is just that, giving you the ability to level up and grind outside of the main game dungeons. You explore most of this dungeon while traveling on Morgana, who has transformed into a bus.
Next up are the 7 new cooperation characters. Cooperation characters are NPCs the party will meet in various places around the city and school. They all possess special skills that will assist the party in various ways, but you will need to build their trust via "Co-Op" relationship with them in order to best use their abilities. The more we learn about these characters, the more I start to think these are Persona 5's version of social links.
Hifumi is the Kosei Public High School female Shogi champion. She is also very beautiful, which has earned her the title of "Too Beautiful to Play Shogi." She is always looking for ways to push Shogi into the limelight, not just for herself but also for her mother.
Toranosuke is an aspiring politician but unfortunately, he has lost the last 7 elections over the course of 20 years. Due to his losing streak, not many people listen to the speeches he often gives outside of Shibuya Station, but his speeches are actually rather good.
Sadayo is a teacher at Syujin High School, but more specifically she is the homeroom teacher for Class 2-B, which contains the protagonist, Anne, and Mishima. She is often quiet and puts safety first, but she also has a weird side to her as well.
Chihaya hails from Shinjuku, where she runs a fortunetelling stand. Her fortunes strangely always come true, which has lead to rumors that she is a real fortuneteller.
Another classmate of the protagonist, Yuki is a member of the Volleyball Club. He has a tendency to always get hurt, and after one particular incident, he distances himself from the protagonist.
Shinya is an elementary school boy that hangs out in the arcades in Akihabara. He is particularly good at an online gun shooting game. With all the rumors of the Phantom Thieves around, he has come to idolize them and their power.
Ichiko is a gossip reporter always looking for the next big scoop. Her journalistic integrity, however, is under scrutiny since she often manipulates the information in her articles. Before doing gossip stories, she used to do political reporting, where she tried to fight social evils.
Over the next few weeks until release, a new TV spot featuring the main characters from the game will air. The first one focuses on the protagonist which you can check out below.
Persona 5 will also be getting an anime special that will air on Tokyo MX on September 3rd, Gunma TV on September 3rd, Tochigi TV on September 4th, and BS11 on September 5th.
And finally, the last video we have for you is the latest staff interview featuring director Katsura Hasiono, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro.
A few other things announced during the stream include a webcomic that will release alongside the game, the Persona 20th Anniversary Festival running from December 8th to 18th, and a Hands-On Tour throughout Japan that will begin on July 31st.
Persona 5 releases on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 on September 15th in Japan and February 14th in North America. A European release was announced, but no date has been given as of yet.
