We didn’t get to play Persona 5 at E3. However, we did get some hands-off time with the game, and we saw some really cool gameplay footage showing off a ton of interesting details about the game.
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You can send text messages
- Sending text messages looks like it’s going to be one of your modes of communication. We didn’t get a good look at it, but it seems like you’ll be able to choose your responses and messages from a variety of options like in Catherine.
You can buy health items in school
- This was a feature from Persona 3 that didn’t make it into Persona 4, but Persona 5 will allow you to buy health items and snacks in the school again.
Loading screen changes based on your method of travel
- In the extended trailer, the protagonist could travel by subway or just walk to his destination. If you chose the subway, the loading screen actually reflects the silhouettes of commuting passengers. According to an Atlus rep, the loading screens are different, depending on your mode of travel.
Part-time jobs
- Part-time jobs make a return in Persona 5. From what we saw, you’ll be able to work in a flower shop. The cool thing is, you actually get to see character model animations of the protagonist working hard at his job. Of course, part-time jobs will also help to increase character attributes…
Character attributes
- Speaking of attributes, there will be five attributes you can level up in Persona 5. They are Knowledge, Guts, Charm, Kindness, and Proficiency. It’s worth noting that the footage we saw was in Japanese, so it’s entirely possible that these are just direct translations, and the actual attribute names will be different in the localized version.
School rooftop hideout
- We also got a look at the Phantom Thieves’ hideout. It’s on the rooftop of the school, and it’s where you gather with your friends and plan your next heist.
You get to the dungeons through a phone app
- The dungeons are unique to the individuals that they’re related to, much like in Persona 4. In order to enter a dungeon, you have to access it through an app on your phone.
Chance Moves
- They’re called Chance Moves in the Japanese version of Persona 5, but they’re essentially the same as preemptive strikes from the previous two games. You’re also encouraged to be sneaky when moving around in the dungeons because the enemies will patrol areas, and you can use stealth to land Chance Moves. If you get one, the protagonist will be shown attacking the enemy from behind in a cool animation. Everything looks slick in this game.
Mystery gauge
- There’s a mystery blue gauge in the top left corner of the screen (when in dungeons) that the Atlus rep directed our attention to. He wouldn’t tell us what it was for, but it was difficult to tell how exactly the gauge could be built up, or what exactly it did. So we don’t know what it does, but it’s probably gonna be important.
All-out attacks have finishing screens
- All-out attacks are back in Persona 5, and you can execute them after hitting an enemy’s weakness. Here’s a tiny change: it would appear that any one of your characters will have the chance to land a killing blow in the all-out attack, and this will reward that particular character with a personalized finishing screen.
There’s a Third-Eye ability
- Dungeons in Persona 5 are incredibly detailed and they also look pretty large. You’ll have access to a Third-Eye ability that gives you hints about which paths to take in the dungeon. You’ll have to pull levers to open up paths in the dungeons too.
You can negotiate with Shadows
- Here’s a cool mechanic that Persona 5 is adopting straight from the Shin Megami Tensei series: you can now negotiate with the Shadows and talk to them. From the looks of it, this might be the primary way of acquiring new Personas.
You can scale rooftops and walls
- Dungeons aren’t limited to just indoor exploration. The gameplay footage we were shown featured our party members jumping to rooftops and scaling brick walls.
Morgana has a slingshot and a pirate sword
- Yeah. The cat looks awesome.
Morgana can turn into a house cat
- When you’re in the dungeons, Morgana stands on two feet and attacks the enemies like a normal fighter. But when you’re back in the real world, Morgana turns back into a house cat that hangs out with the protagonist. Morgana will also stay in your backpack when you’re out and about, or when you’re in school.
You can get expelled from school
- There’s a timer in the upper right corner of the screen that shows the number of days left until you get expelled from school. Atlus didn’t go into detail, but we’re guessing you’ll probably have to meet a few objectives to extend that timer or it’s game over.
There are things you can do outside of school
- You can go to the movies with Morgana. When you do, the game literally shows you sitting in the movie theater with Morgana occupying a seat beside you. It’s cute as hell. You’ll probably be able to bring your love interests along too. The protagonist can also visit the hot springs in his free time.
The map looks bigger
- The map in Persona 5 seems pretty huge, and you’ll be able to travel to real locations in Tokyo, including Shibuya.
You can run around with friends
- In the gameplay footage we saw, the protagonist was able to run around the city with his friend Ryuji. This is most likely a story-related section, but you’ll actually be able to roam around the city with your friends next to you. This could also be how the social links work in the game, where you get to literally travel around with your friends.
You can give yourself stat boosts
- When you get home at the end of each day, you can do things like work out to give yourself a HP or strength boost.
Persona 5 is set to be released for the PS4 and PS3 on February 14, 2017.
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