The last few years have been a significant period of change for thePersonafranchise. Although it still clung to plenty of traditions, like familiar enemy designs and turn-based combat,Persona 5set out to reinvent the IP in a range of important ways. Mechanically, the game changed drastically, expanding the utility fans could get from the social sim elements and creating highly detailed dungeons that sloughed off the randomness found in many previous games.Persona 5also changed its themesquite a bit, putting a renewed emphasis on human antagonists and framing its protagonists as superhero-like vigilantes fighting crime, rather than just Persona-wielding teenagers battling monsters.
Persona 5was a huge success thanks in part to these innovations, and soPersona 6seems like it’ll probably try to keep things fresh too. While a few mechanical changes are likely,Persona 6may benefit the most from trying to seize on a unique theme in the same way as its predecessor.Persona 5’s picaresque design, with each playable character summoning a historic or literary rebel as their Persona, gives the game an entirely different attitude. to stand out from bothPersona 5and the previous games,Persona 6should look into untapped themes to influence its Persona design, as well as the overarching story.
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A Brief History of Persona Design
Lots of possible Persona designs remain untapped because the franchise has focused on one niche for a long time: mythology. Ever sinceRevelations: Persona,Atlus has frequently chosen mythological figures – especially Greco-Roman ones – to be the Personas of playable characters.Persona 2: Innocent Sinis a great example of this; many of its protagonists can evolve their Personas into Greco-Roman gods like Artemis, Venus, and Hades.Persona 3leaned on Greco-Roman culture similarly; Orpheus was theP3protagonist’s starting Persona, and other figures like Cerberus made appearances as Personas too.
Persona 4took the series in something of a different direction. Instead of focusing on European mythological figures, it borrowed heavily from Japanese mythos in its Persona design. ThePersona 4protagonist’s starting Persona is Izanagi, one of the traditional Japanese creator gods; the game features plenty of other figures from Shinto mythology, Japanese Buddhism, and other Japanese mythology as Personas, including Amaterasu and Susano-o. Notably, this design permeated the entire game, rather than just the Persona design. In order to getthe true ending ofPersona 4, players must defeat a number of beings based on Japanese gods.
WhilePersona 4took a step away from franchise convention,Persona 5made a leap forward in terms of Persona design. While party members could often evolve their Personas into mythological tricksters, their Personas were all honorable thieves, rebels, and deceivers pulled from the pages of history, literature, and cultural legend, including Arsene Lupin and Robin Hood. Not only did this make the game’s Personas feel highly distinct from the games that came before, but it also inspired excellent heist-based dungeon designs that played into the picaresque “gentleman thief” concept well. The unique identity established by these Personas should give Atlus more than enough motivation to take another cultural leap withPersona 6’s party.
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Possible Angles for Persona 6’s Personas
Because Atlus has been focused on mythology for so long, there are fortunately lots of historic characters that remain untapped ahead ofPersona 6. For instance, fairy tales seem like a great niche to tap into thanks to their magical nature and their emphasis on teaching lessons. AsPersona 6protagonists learn an important lesson about their life, their goals, or the mistakes they’ve made, they might awaken to a Persona based on an appropriate fairy tale figure. Atlus could naturally borrow from famous European fairy tales written by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, but ideallyPersona 6would use fairy tales from around the world to inspire bothPersonas and mystical, otherwordly dungeonsthat challenge the protagonists' perception of reality.
Another broad category that could work forPersona 6is literary adventurers and explorers, such as the protagonists from the works of Jules Verne. It’s possible thatPersona 6will focus on travel, thanks to a previous version ofPersona 5that was all about a road trip. IfPersona 5 Strikersdidn’t use up all of Atlus' travel ideas, thenPersona 6could see characters awaken to fictional characters from fiction, poetry, and theater that represent their sense of adventure and a willingness to discover new things. Theming Personas around adventure would be also be a great reason to base dungeons on legendary locations like Atlantis.
AfterPersona 5did it so successfully, it’s possible thatPersona 6will put an emphasis on justicein the human world. If that concept returns, thenPersona 6could consider focusing on a different category of literary hero. For instance, instead of sneaky gentleman thieves,Persona 6’s protagonists might summon the noblest warriors from across literature and culture to battle in the Shadow world. King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table would be an excellent source of Personas, but as with any other possible theme,Persona 6would ideally channel chivalrous protectors of the weak from around the world.
A New Look for Persona 6
As strong as its mechanical innovations were,Persona 5’s willingness to try on an entirely new theme may be its best contribution forPersona 6.Now that Atlus has proven that it doesn’t have to stick to mythology, the floodgates have been opened for all kinds of Persona design innovations. As exciting asPersona 5’s designswere, they really only scratched the surface of what real-world culture has to offer, soPersona 6is at liberty to experiment.
Persona 6will probably remain a mystery for a long time, but for the time being, fans at least have good reason to believe that Atlus will keep trying new things in the next game.Persona 5’s innovations speak for themselves, andPersona 5 Strikerswas a highly unique spinoff in a franchise that’s already full of side games.The upcomingPersonaportsto various platforms are also a great sign after years of sticking to the PlayStation. Even ifPersona 6’s characters don’t see the light of day for a few years, hopefully Atlus' recent attitude suggests another new frontier of Persona design lies ahead.
Persona 6is in development.
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