PERSONA 5

Kenneth Shepard Jun 15, 2022. 6 minute read

10 Games That Should’ve Won the Grammy for Best Video Game Score

The Grammy Awards, which annually recognizes the year’s best in music, has finally added a dedicated category for Best Video Game Score. This comes just after 8-Bit Big Band won an award for Best Arrangement with their version of “Meta Knight’s Revenge” from Kirby Super Star. The award is a…

Kenneth Shepard Apr 4, 2022. 5 minute read

Five Years Later, Hope is at the Heart of Persona 5

It’s the five-year anniversary of Persona 5, and in those years, I’ve written thousands upon thousands of words about the JRPG. It’s a game that’s been so intrinsically tied to my career writing about games that it’s wild to think it’s only been five years since I first experienced the story…

Kenneth Shepard Mar 30, 2022. 2 minute read

Persona 5 is Leaving PS Plus Collection, But You Should’ve Been Playing Royal Anyway

When the PlayStation 5 launched, it included a collection of free PS4 games for PlayStation Plus subscribers called the PlayStation Plus Collection. But just under two years later, the collection is seeing a shakeup, as Persona 5 will no longer be part of it in May. The announcement came out as part…

Kenneth Shepard Aug 25, 2021. 1 minute read

I’m Obsessed with this Little Doll of Joker from Persona 5

Friends, I have a dedicated shelf for my Persona memorabilia, and right now it’s mainly got figures of the best boy Ryuji Sakamoto. But whoever put together the photoshoot for this new Persona 5 Piccodo Action Doll of protagonist Joker is marketing to me, specifically. There is no heart for him to…

Collin MacGregor Jan 28, 2021. 2 minute read

Do You Need to Play Persona 5 to Understand Persona 5 Strikers?

Persona 5 Strikers is only a few weeks away, so it’s time to rally the Phantom Thieves together for one last adventure. Developed by Omega Force and P-Studio, Strikers is a radically different style of game than the smash-hit JRPG Persona 5. Combat is no-longer turn-based, but a mix of…

Kenneth Shepard Jan 15, 2021. 4 minute read

Persona 5’s Joker Consults r/Relationships About Blatant Romance with Ryuji

Should I [18M] confess having feelings for my best friend [18M]? Hi there. This is a burner account because my friends are poisonously online these days. But I wanted somewhere to talk through my feelings on an issue I’ve been having: I’m in love with my best friend, and I…

Kenneth Shepard Jan 4, 2021. 2 minute read

2021 Has Already Peaked: Persona Soundtracks Are Coming to Spotify

For video game music fans with indisputably exquisite taste, tomorrow will be a good day, as some (unfortunately not all) of the Persona soundtracks are coming to Spotify at midnight on January 5. AniPlaylist, a site that compiles anime and anime adjacent soundtracks, has already created a playlist of all…

Kenneth Shepard Dec 10, 2020. Less than a minute

Lyn: A Review

Cian Maher Apr 10, 2020. 7 minute read

How Persona 5 Told a Classic Crime Story With a Metaphysical Twist

Persona 5 takes pains to remind you of two things every ten seconds: that you, as protagonist Joker, were expelled, and that you are a “prisoner of your own fate.” There’s dramatic irony imbued in the latter, in that most people in the game fail to realize that Joker is…

Victoria Rose Dec 3, 2019. 3 minute read

Persona 5 Royal Finally Has A Western Release Date

While the Japanese release of Persona 5 Royal has come and gone, Western fans only knew that there would be a Western release at all, with no dates attached. Now, Atlus has dropped the English release date for the Persona 5 follow-up in stylish fashion. This edition includes both the original game…

Kenneth Shepard Oct 26, 2019. 4 minute read

Persona 5 Needs to Stop Using Ryuji as a Punching Bag

Persona 5’s postured values of fighting for those suffering injustice is just a platitude the game seldom practices. Anyone who’s played the game and its spin-offs knows that. Despite fighting a known sexual harasser and abuser in the RPG’s first dungeon, that abuser’s victim is objectified throughout by the same…

Victoria Rose Sep 10, 2019. 2 minute read

Persona 5 Royal Opening Movie Unveiled By Atlus

With Persona 5 being such a major hit around the world, the announcement of Persona 5 Royal, which expands the story and includes one new Phantom Thief to the crew, came as no surprise. Now, we get to see the obligatory, and exciting, opening movie for the game. Atlus added the video…

Sam Desatoff Jul 30, 2019. 5 minute read

5 Home Bases From RPGs I Wish I Could Visit

Video games are often described as escapism, and for good reason. Looking around the real world it’s easy to want to go where we’re not on the brink of war or teetering on the edge of climate catastrophe. Sometimes that sense of escapism can get too strong, though, and it…

Diego Arguello Jul 3, 2019. 6 minute read

Why Do We Play Games About Everyday Life?

I come back home after a long day at school. It’s still early since I didn’t get to make plans today, and I’m also running low on cash to hit the bar anytime soon. In exchange I get to spend a few hours studying math and history, the scribbling on…

Haru Nicol May 21, 2019. 5 minute read

How Video Games Let Me Go Back Home

As I first stepped through the train doors in Yongenjaya, a wave of nostalgia hit me. This was the station I went to on a nearly daily basis for school as a child. I recognized the positioning of the stairs and how crowded the platforms were. It almost felt like…

John Warren Apr 16, 2019. 3 minute read

Everything We Know About Smash Ultimate 3.0

Nintendo suddenly dropped a ton of information about Super Smash Bros Ultimate‘s 3.0 update, which goes live tomorrow, April 17, 2019. Wow! Here’s a rundown of everything we learned. Take Your Heart, Joker Persona 5‘s protagonist, Joker, was the main attraction of today’s announcements. We knew the character was on the…

John Warren Apr 16, 2019. 2 minute read

Smash Ultimate Joker Guide – Moves, Outfits, & More

Smash Ultimate is mostly comprised of characters that appeared in previous games in the series. But there are a few exceptions. One of the most notable is Joker, who makes the leap from Persona 5 over to Smash. This DLC fighter is available with the Fighter Pass starting April 17, 2019. You can…

Natalie Flores Jun 19, 2017. 7 minute read

Persona 5 could say a lot more if it didn’t constantly objectify Ann

For a game about freeing yourself from society's chains, Persona 5 sure seems mired in regressive sex politics.

Nerium Apr 21, 2017. 5 minute read

Style is the substance of Persona 5

How Persona 5 makes me feel like I'm actually a cool thief on a real heist.

Kris Ligman Apr 18, 2017. 12 minute read

Persona 5 review

Time is a cruel thief.