Persona 5 ten years on: still a truly deserved 10/10

Ten years ago, I had no concept of what ‘Persona’ was. Then, I saw my partner play this game with teenagers, turn-based combat, and a sick anime style. It was Persona 5, and it opened a gateway for me – I sat there, rapt, for hours and hours watching cutscenes and boss fights. Then I decided to try it for myself.

I laughed. I cried. I cringed. I discovered a huge game that I thoroughly enjoyed. I spent a good 80 hours making my way through it, then another 95 hours on Persona 5 Royal in 2020, where I made more friends and used different personas in battle. Persona 5 remains one of the few games I’d give a perfect 10/10 to, and I feel that’s absolutely justified. Everything is memorable and engaging, from the art style and music to the background characters, locations, and jobs that make up the world, and no other game has affected me quite like it.

The quests aren’t just ‘hey, go beat this guy up’; they tackle enemies and issues that you often see in the real world, leaving me wishing that the Phantom Thieves were real, too. Kamoshida being a gross teacher, for instance, is sadly relatable to a lot of people, while Shido, a corrupt politician who frames Joker and, in turn, becomes a catalyst for the whole story, is likely familiar to others.

The intriguing cast of characters you have on your team and surrounding Joker are lovable, too. They all have distinct personalities and plenty of talking points when you hang out with them. I love Ryuji – so much so that I bought Insert Coin’s version of his hoodie – and regardless of whether you think he was right or not (he was), he’s a fun guy. Personally, I don’t like Morgana and wish he’d shut up and let me walk around in peace throughout the first few hours of the game, but I can also see why people like the cat-in-the-bag.

However, even above the fantastic Persona 5 characters, I think the music might be my overall favorite thing about the game, which is saying a lot. This year I went to the Persona Grooves concert at the Southbank Centre, and it was incredible. Some of the songs on the soundtrack are in my all-time favorites list, and any time Last Surprise or Life Will Change comes on, you know you’re in for some excellent vibes. Lyn and the Atlus team absolutely smashed it out of the park.

I do also want to point out some of the sillier moments, which are some of my favorite parts of the game. The text messages you get with pictures of you and your friends’ activities, Yusuke buying literal lobsters from a shop on the beach, keeping the plant alive in your attic bedroom above the café – there are so many little moments that make this game shine.

In fact, my only qualm with the game is Okumura’s boss fight, simply because it’s timed and hard to figure out how to knock down all the enemies at once. I used the free, high-level persona Izanagi-no-Okami Picaro to get it done because it was 03:00 in the morning and I was tired after restarting it about six times.

Of course, the legacy of Persona 5 is so grand, it couldn’t even be contained in one game – or two games, if you count Royal separately. First there was Persona 5 in 2016, then Persona 5 Strikers came in 2020 and added a new type of combat, along with more time with Ann, Ryuji, and co. 2023 saw Persona 5 Tactica’s release, where the Phantom Thieves embark on an all-new adventure with a very different, albeit still enjoyable, style. Most recently, we’ve seen Persona 5: The Phantom X – a unique spin-off gacha game – which brings us back to Tokyo with a new protagonist. Obviously, Persona 5 Royal is still the biggest and best of them all, but the whole set of P5-related games is worth playing.

There’s also the manga and the anime to immerse yourself even more – both of which are great – and you can watch the anime for free for a limited time on Atlus’ YouTube channel. Clearly, I’m absolutely Persona-pilled.

But enough from me; let’s see what you, my fellow fans, like about the game. In the lead-up to Persona 5’s tenth anniversary, I turned to Reddit and asked what people’s favorite thing about the game was. The responses often echoed similar sentiments. For some, it was their first introduction to the series (mine, too). Many highlighted that it has the best soundtrack ever and is filled with bangers. Others said that it opened up a world of gaming and provided people with a good high school experience instead of the cruddy real-life one (me too, again). Across the board, it was clear that Persona 5 has had a meaningful impact on many of our lives.

Specifically, I feel there are a few comments that sum up my feelings really well. Freya584 states, “I heard very good things, but I didn’t really expect something THAT good”, while Full_Metal18 explains, “It just hit in a way no other game ever has or probably ever will”. Meanwhile, NateGreatGames comments on how the game’s “amazing art direction moved not only the series, but the industry forward”, and goddessofgoo reflects that “Every new part was very exciting”.

These are just some excerpts, and I highly recommend you have a read of the comments on the Reddit post. I especially love McFanon’s in-depth reply about how “this game stands out from all other games and maybe even all forms of media, especially since it found me at a time of depression and isolation and genuinely gave me will to live that I cling onto to this day that no other game has come more than a little close to.” That truly sums up how world-altering any game, but especially Persona 5, can be.

I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in writing this piece, and, of course, a huge thanks to Atlus for making the game. Right now, I’m waiting to see if we get any fun announcements for the tenth anniversary.

For example, I’d love a Nintendo Switch 2 update for the game. It’s also the 30th anniversary of the Persona series as a whole in a few days, so who knows what might happen come September 20. For now, we’ll just have to wait for Persona 4 Revival and Persona 6 to come out – hopefully the latter will live up to the massive legacy of its predecessor.