Despite the lack of mainline sequels the games get, each numbered entry gets its own share of spin-offs and non-canonical side stories. Persona 4 ends with a bang, but fans still get to spend time with the Inaba crew if they want to in the fighting game spin-off, the dancing game spin-off, and the two crossover spin-off Persona Q games.
As much as I enjoy the spin-offs – Persona 5 Strikers and Tactica stick out as my favorites – they feel like cheap substitutes for what fans really want. If Atlus is so interested in continuing their stories, I wish we could just get real mainline follow-ups to the events of each game.
Spinoffs Can Be Just As Worthy
I don’t mind spin-off games. I think it’s fun to see characters established with one gameplay style doing something else. It gives the studios behind them the chance to get a little silly with things if they want to. Are Mario and Bowser sworn enemies? Sure, but they also play together on a co-ed intramural baseball team. Those Pokemon games sure do get a little stressful when it comes time to face the Elite Four. Why not take a break to drive around in the Popemobile, taking pictures of the cute little guys instead of catching them?
I feel the same way about Persona spin-offs. Usually, the genre of the spin-off makes some sense for why the kids would be doing them as opposed to their usual turn-based combat. Music plays such an important part of the vibe of the series, so let’s unwind and dance a little bit for a few hours. These kids all clearly have some rage issues, put them in a one-on-one fighting game.
I don’t hate the spin-offs, I just think that their stories are compelling enough to carry another full-blooded entry. Take Persona 5 Strikers, for example. The game is a direct follow-up to the events of Persona 5, set in the summer following the end of the base game. The characters have all done some growing since then, and the player gets to hear about where everyone ended up while the Phantom Thieves travel Japan, saving the world in the process.
The story of games like Persona 5 Strikers and Persona 4 Arena and its sequel Persona 4 Arena Ultimax have enough heft to them that I wish they would be given the same gameplay treatment as the mainline entries. Turn-based combat is just the strongest gameplay system available throughout the entire series and all of its spin-offs.
Giving Persona The Time It Deserves
I know people really love the gameplay of some of the spin-offs, so I’m not suggesting that they should all make the shift to JRPGs, but it’s clear that Atlus and the other studios that make Persona spin-offs have plenty of ideas for what comes next for the characters, so why not do a fighting game here, a dancing game there, and a full-blown sequel when they’ve got an idea that feels worthy of the mainline entry it would follow?
Considering Persona itself is a spin-off of Shin Megami Tensei, the Persona series itself wouldn’t even exist if Atlus wasn’t willing to give spin-offs the proper attention they deserve. If they weren’t given the same kind of systems and mechanics as Shin Megami Tesnsei in their early days, the series likely wouldn’t have taken off the ground and eclipsed the mainline entries in popularity.
I’m not trying to put more on Atlus’ plate since it’s always working on so much at once. I’m just saying that if the studio is working on Persona spin-offs anyway, it should just commit and make a real sequel. And make it canon while they’re at it, with all of the extra content and characters included in the add-ons from Persona 3 FES, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal. And also release Persona 6. Is that too much to ask?
Persona 5 Strikers
- Released
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February 3, 2021
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Omega Force, P-Studio
- Engine
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Proprietary Engine