It almost feels like the wait has been endless for the next entry in the Persona franchise. There’s still no official confirmation for the official sixth entry even with Persona 5 having been released all the way back in 2016. It’s already been around four years since the Royal version was released on consoles. Yet, even the 25th anniversary of the franchise didn’t give a hint at the future but rather the return of two classics to modern consoles.
In surprise drop, it seems that there’s actually a new game heading our way, but not the way many might be hoping for it too. Persona 5: The Phantom X or shortened as P5X has been unveiled on the Chinese social site Weibo. The game is officially licensed by Sega and is a free-to-play mobile RPG set for Chinese release sometime in the future. The spinoff is created by Perfect World Games’ Black Wings Game Studio.
It seems the game is pretty much a mobile equivalent to the original with a whole new cast of characters but the return of the Metaverse. It seems there will be a “Sneak Test” on March 29th that’ll give players a chance to explore the world. The game also seemingly includes the original cast from the first Persona 5 but no word on Kasumi Yoshizawa also making an appearance from Persona 5 Royal.
You can check out the story trailer here:
The story will focus on a whole new cast of characters with the protagonist going by the code name Wonder, who attends Kiba Academy. We also know that his persona will have the name Jánošík, continuing the trend of Persona 5′ protagonists all featuring Personas inspired by folktale thieves and legends. Taking over Morgana’s role is the owl Luffy, who will go by the code name Cattle. He seemingly also shares the ability to turn into a vehicle, this time a van, and has the persona of Rob Roy. There’s also Closer, a Kiba Academy student by the name of Arai Suwa, who is the protagonist’s classmate and has the Persona of Awilda.
Naturally, the Velvet Room and Igor make a return with a new assistant by the name of Merope. Interestingly enough, the room takes on the appearance of being underwater like an aquarium, though it’s unsure what the teeming of this spinoff is as of yet. The original game’s character designer Shigenori Soejima was personally involved with the new spinoff game and designed its leads.
They’ve also released a gameplay trailer hinting at the similarity to the original Persona 5:
Interestingly enough, the game will focus on the same mechanic as the original and isn’t taking a completely different direction like Persona 5 Scramble. Overall, it seems the game is going for a pretty similar aesthetic and gameplay loop as the original, which does make it a curious expansion of the franchise. We’ll see if there are any plans to release the game in the west, as it currently only has been revealed for the Chinese market. Originally, it was known as Code Name X and was first announced all the way back in April 2021. So, it’s been a long road for the project to finally be unveiled.
Source: Persona Central
