Persona 5 Tactica review

pcgamer.com:

What is it? A turn-based strategy spin-off of Persona 5. Release date November 17, 2023
Expect to pay $60/£55
Developer P-Studio
Publisher Sega
Reviewed on RTX 4080, Ryzen 7 7700X, 64GB RAM
Steam Deck Verified
Link Official site

I love Persona. I have played nearly every entry in the franchise, spin-offs included, and I consider Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal to be two of the best games I have ever played. So be assured I don't say this lightly: I think Persona 5 Tactica might be my favourite Persona game of all time.

I certainly went into Tactica expecting to have a good time. Having followed its run-up to launch, I knew what I was in for: a tactical reimagining of the Persona games, mixing Persona 5's flair with the mechanics of Tactics Ogre and XCOM. What I didn’t expect was for Persona 5 Tactica to be my favourite game of 2023.

Though it's technically a spin-off—taking the characters from the hugely popular JRPG and transporting them into a new genre and art-style—Tactica plays out more like a sequel, taking place directly after key story moments in Persona 5. Though it pares back or outright removes most of the slice-of-life elements of the series—attending classes, training your social stats, hanging out with your friends to raise your «confidant» level, etc—the upside is that that results in more space for focused, nuanced storytelling.  

It's not even really a game about series main characters the Phantom Thieves, in contrast to other spin-offs we've seen so far such as Strikers. Here, the cast you recognise essentially serve as backup to new characters Erina and Toshiro, two rebels attempting to overthrow the Metaverse’s latest tyrannical ruler. I took an immediate liking to both—they're individually