Persona 5 Tactica can’t sustain the revolution

polygon.com:

At first blush, I considered Persona 5 Tactica an unnecessary encore for the Phantom Thieves. They already got a sequel inPersona 5 Strikers,and a definitive edition that doubled as a gut-punch farewell in Persona 5 Royal. Moreover, Atlus has begun to place its attention on remakes and remasters of the series’ older games, while slowly passing the torch to the likes of Metaphor: ReFantazio and the eventual sixth Persona installment. The deeper I dug into Tactica, though, the more convinced I became that the Thieves’ message can still resonate — even if it’s still mired in the same poisonous tropes.

The events of the XCOM-like begin right before the culmination of the original Persona 5 plot, as the crew of vigilantes are set on parting ways with one another. As they discuss how to spend their last weeks together, a mysterious door appears within the by-now-famous Café LeBlanc. All of a sudden, the group is in a new Metaverse — the facade is a far cry from Tokyo’s sprawling alleyways and dim subway stations. In a matter of minutes, the Thieves are at it again, confronting an oppressive ruler tormenting the inhabitants of a medieval town. Erina, the leader of the Rebel Corps and one of the new playable characters, quickly invites them to join the revolution against the tyrant; the Thieves, expecting Erina may know of a way for them to get back home, accept.

In terms of structure, Tactica is quite mechanical. In a departure from Persona 5 and its previous spinoffs, you won’t be partaking in any sort of calendar-based activities. Tactica’s story is told mostly in visual novel fashion, with cutscenes occasionally intersecting the turn-based strategy portion of the experience. The latter takes you through increasingly more