Persona 5 Strikers Review

A masterful blend of action and turn-based combat

While I can always appreciate mindless beat-em-up fun, the appeal of Musou-styled games has never outshone turn-based RPGs. Games like the original Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal have always stood out to me for their strategic keystone, so the news of a Dynasty Warriors-Esq spin-off for the Persona 5 series was met with both excitement and concern. Atlus teaming up with Omega Force, the team behind Dynasty Warriors, seemingly ensured the combat of Persona 5 Strikers would match that of Dynasty Warriors. Strikers, though, doesn’t just throw the Phantom Thieves into a mindless beat em’ up; it evolves that formula by splicing the DNA of what Persona already is into so much more.

Last year’s Persona 5 Royal absolutely blew every JRPG I’ve ever played out of the water, so the bar for Persona 5 Strikers was set relatively high when it comes to spin-off games. Yet, the lengths that Strikers goes to once again stand out among other games within its genre makes me wonder why the game wasn’t simply titled Persona 5–2. From the heart-throbbing story to the mercurial music, lovable characters, and excitable combat system, Persona 5 Strikers provides what we already expect from the Persona series while naturally evolving its formula.