Persona 5 dev team shares more info on game’s plot and characters

As if your mind hasn’t exploded yet, here is EVEN more news about Persona 5 straight from the producer’s mouth. Katsura Hashino is P5’s Director and Creative Producer, and with him comes more insight on this highly anticipated title. For those who didn't catch the characters' names, the blonde boy is Ryuji Sakamoto, the woman character is An Takamaki, and the cat's name is Morgana.    Here’s what he had to say:

From the Persona 5 development team,

Good evening to you all. Persona Team’s Hashino here.

Today, we presented a video for the long-awaited game. So, how did you like it?

As I write this now, I’ve yet to find out how you guys reacted to it, so I’m honestly feeling a little nervous thinking about comments like “the next Persona is about a phantom thief lol” or “is that Lupin!?” and such, but I’m hoping there are some warm comments out there. Even if there was a just little part you liked from it, it would make me really happy.

For this game, we’re going with a challenge that fuses together a juvenile school setting that is as large as life, together with a picaresque romance. In the previous game, we wrote a story that involved having a justice group chase down a  bad guy that could easily be feared by just about anyone.

This time, it’s about a group of high school students that are being “chased” by unexpected occurrences due to the justice they believe in. We’re writing [the story] to convey a thrilling everyday life in the shoes of these characters, that are as large as life, in this juvenile school setting.

We, the team, are working together as we advance through development so you can enjoy something with evolved graphics and sound, along with party members that are just a tad bit more ill-behaved than what you’ve been used to up until now.

We all have so many feelings that are going into this title. While this is a product by Atlus that is known for its individualistic side, some say that a strong personality can break away from common rules and models… so it can be seen as a nuisance as well.

However, the way we see a person’s character, it can spread to others for good or for bad, and it can even change the way another would think or behave… and that’s the potential power we see in it.

We may feel some sort of suffocation in this world today, but as long as the world is comprised of relationships among humans, it is a person’s character, or a group’s character, that will provide the ‘power’ to destroy that ‘feeling of entrapment’.

I’m hoping that this title will shape up into something that can embody such feelings, and something that will remain in your hearts.

In order to meet all of your expectations, even just a little, the development team staff are working hard, so I’d like to say thank you for your continued support! (I will take a peek at comments from you all on Twitter, blogs, and such!)

Katsura Hashino,

Persona 5 Director and Creative Producer.

Where to start with this? How about what the hell is a picaresque romance? I’m sure Wikipedia is blowing up with hits on this topic today. In a nutshell, a picaresque romance is a type of fiction that revolves around a roguish figure. This would explain all the masks, leather, and identity-hiding that was hinted towards in the most recent P5 trailer. True to other Persona titles, this game will focus around students and the thrills of their everyday lives.

Due to this picaresque nature, the characters will be more “ill-behaved” than past ones. I say great! Give me some high school rapscallions! Your relationship's bonds may even translate to how other characters react. Perhaps this means characters will develop differently depending on the choices you make or how your treat them – instead of the more traditional straight bond path in other titles. Maybe you’ll even be able to hurt your bonds similarly to Persona 3.

Bonds seems to have the strength to destroy the ‘feeling of entrapment,’ which is what I’m assuming is the main theme of P5. If that’s really the direction this title is taking us… I’m all in. As much as I like Persona 4, the ‘power of the friendship’ is a bit too magical girls for me. Right off the bat, this theme seems more mature and dark; the s@#$ I love.

I don’t know if I can handle any more P5 news today, but I’m all ears regardless!

[siliconera & p-ch]