One of the most important things about making a game franchise a success is figuring out the formula. Even if the franchise sees a lot of settings and unique storylines, the traditions and core structure of the games are what’ll make players keep coming back. Once that structure is nailed down, the developers can add new things and look for chances to be creative.Personais one franchise that’s nailed that down. While the core structure of vigilante teenagers wielding supernatural forces remains the same, the approach is always different, whether it’sPersona 4’s TV-centric Midnight ChannelorPersona 5’s sprawling Palaces in Mementos.
Now thatPersona 5andPersona 5 Royalhave made their mark, fans can look ahead and start thinking about where thePersonafranchise will go next.Persona 6is in a unique position because of how many fans got into the series thanks toPersona 5.Atlus has some liberty to experiment withPersonanow that it’s proven its mastery of the formula with the latest games. Unique side games like thePersonadancing game spinoffs andPersona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikersindicate that Atlus is happy to look at very different styles of games while still working withPersonatraditions. Here’s a few games that might be good sources of inspiration forPersona 6.
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Fire Emblem
One of the best possible sources of inspiration is actually an acquaintance ofPersona.In 2015 there was a crossover betweenShin Megami Tensei,the older sister toPersona,andFire Emblem.The core gameplay ofFire Emblemmight play very differently fromPersona,considering it’s a tactical RPG, but the social elements are very similar toPersona’s Social Link and Confidant systems. Via the Support system,Fire Emblemplayers can get to know their allies and are rewarded for it. However, it isn’t just the bonds between player and NPC that matter.Fire Emblem: Three Houseslets NPCs become better friends with one another by being better friends with the player.
That’s somethingPersona 6would be wise to look into. The franchise puts a heavy emphasis on the protagonist building bonds with Confidants and becoming stronger for it. Adding interactions between the NPCs would make the Confidant system more impactful than ever. For instance,Persona 5 Royalintroduced Showtimes, very powerfulteam attacks between two of the Phantom Thieves. InPersona 6,Confidants could unlock unique but limited strategic abilities thanks to friendships between two characters. These bonds could also be a gateway for special passive abilities when two friendly teammates work together or get the protagonist unique items.
Animal Crossing
Fire Emblemmight have a fair bit of common ground withPersona,butAnimal Crossingis much farther away from the core of the series. Still,Animal Crossinghas some traits that could be worth taking forPersona 6.Even though there aren’t battles staked on the strength of one’s bonds in this social simulation series, friendships still matter a lot forthe mayors ofAnimal Crossingvillages. The player has to do tasks to help out the villagers to develop a community.
ThePersonaConfidant or Social Link systemmight benefit from these tasks. Confidants are mostly developed by visiting a character enough times to meet thresholds for cutscenes, and sometimes require a side quest to be completed. By introducing more interactive elements to Confidant interactions, like searching for something or going out to investigate a plot thread by hand rather than by dialogue, the Confidant system could grow.
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Customization and creativity is also important to Nintendo’s franchise.Animal Crossing: New Horizonsallows players unprecedented levels of control over decorating their private island.Personagames could take a hint from that too. InPersona 5,players can fill Joker’s bedroom with memorabilia from Confidants and useful furnishings like a TV. However, it’s hard to know how to get all these decorations, and they all have assigned locations in the room.Persona 6would really stand out if players had much more freedom to add personal flair to the protagonist’s outfit and their living space.
The Elder Scrolls
Bethesda’sElder Scrollsfranchiseis another RPG in a very different style fromPersona.Although both franchise encourage players to explore the setting and constantly interact with its rich characters,Personaisn’t nearly as open world as anElder Scrollsgame. The ability to control one’s experience would be really meaningful inPersona 6,though, specifically in the form of the protagonist.Elder Scrollsgames, especially recent entries, have pretty strong character creators. Players would love to play a custom protagonist in aPersonagame if Atlus were willing to write a narrative that makes it work.
Players would also benefit from more liberty in how they interact with NPCs. Part of the beauty of a game likeSkyrimis that players can explore the world at their own pace and meet the majority of the characters as soon as they like. WhilePersona 6will probably still be very story driven, it would be great if more Confidants weren’t locked behind plot points.Characters like Haru Okumurasometimes suffer inPersonagames because they take so long to become part of the story that players can’t get to know them easily.Persona 5might have been a very different game if Haru could be met as a Confidant early on, only for her true role to be revealed halfway through the game.
Persona Will Change
Persona 6’s form will come down to what Atlus wants to do with the franchise’s vastly increased fame. It could be that the developers decide to stick with tradition and give fans more of what they know they like instead of doing anything drastic. However, games in a series can’t just repeat themselves. It’d be best if Atlus finds ways to expand on tradition. After all, that’s why expanded editions of the games likePersona 4 GoldenandPersona 5 Royaldo so well even after their predecessors. They operate on the same principle as a sequel: Atlus takes what works and finds ways to build on it. Lots of games are doing things that could be adapted foraPersonagame that’s very unique. Another entry in the series might be a long way away, so fans have lots of time to hypothesize.
