Persona 5 Strikers has been met with approval by fans of Persona 5 and long-time fans of the Persona series alike, and it hasn't even had a full North American release yet. With a new style of gameplay, a story directly continuing Persona 5, and some quality memes already created, it looks to be a successful spinoff.
Unlike Persona 5, the main levels that players will traverse in Persona 5 Strikers are called Jails. These are pocket universes created thanks to trauma experienced by certain individuals, and they have terrible side-effects on the real world. There are several to cover, so here's a quick rundown of how many there are and what they are.
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There are seven Jails in Persona 5 Strikers. Keep in mind, these coincide with the seven deadly sins, as the Palaces in Persona 5 did. Each one centers on a different individual, most of them experiencing trauma. However, later Jails are a little bit different.
This is the first Jail that players will encounter. Brought about by the trauma and warped response of one Alice Hiiragi, it serves as the introduction to how Jails work in general. Nothing too challenging to face, and it provides beneficial early game sidequests like the Trapped in Wonderland request.
The next step up from the Shibuya Jail, this one centers around a heavily plagiarised piece of writing. Expect many references to other works of fiction, especially if they have something to do with demons or vampires. It's around this time that players can get started on Persona 5 Strikers' limited bonds system, so don't ignore it.
This jail's progenitor is a politician, but unlike the corrupt political figures of Persona 5, this one genuinely cares for the city. It's up to the Phantom Thieves to convince the Jail's Monarch to right the wrongs caused by the Jail. By this time, players will likely be able to tell how well they like Persona 5 Strikers' battle system. If it's popular enough, it could come to Persona 6, making it radically different.
Here's where things start to take a turn for the strange. Although the Phantom Thieves can identify who the Monarch of this Jail is, things aren't exactly as they seem. Players should prepare for a tough boss fight, and in a place where they might not expect it.
The Monarch of this Jail is a familiar face, and a heartbreaking one at that. Things get difficult here, with a stealth section and a boss fight that should have players preparing for a mirror match.
The penultimate jail has a tragedy behind the story of its existence, and seems to be the end of the road at first. But there's one more roadblock for the Phantom Thieves afterwards.
This one has some callbacks to the end of Persona 5's story. Check out a Persona 5 story summary first, and check out the parallels behind its mastermind and the Monarch of this final Jail.
Persona 5 Strikers releases on February 23 for PC, PS4, and Switch.
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