Atlus' confirmation thatPersona 6is in development is exciting because it means fans can start speculating about its central themes. Every main installment in thePersonafranchise leans into its own setting and aesthetic, fromPersona 4’s emphasis on small town friendships toPersona 5’s rebellious picaresque themes.Persona 6could go with a simpler take on the lives of Persona users, or it could go all-out with a concept even more flashy and dramatic thanPersona 5.The latter seems likely, as Atlus says it wantsPersona 6to surpassPersona 5’s success, which means it might take risks and come up with a really unique adventure.
If that’s the case, thePersonafranchise might actually leave Japan. Traditionally the series focuses on Japanese high schoolers in a variety of contexts, which meansPersona 6could defy these conventionsby taking place in another country - or even many countries. The original concept forPersona 5involved traveling around the world, so maybe it’s time for Atlus to revisit that concept. There’s ample evidence that the world of Shadows doesn’t only affect Japan, so maybe Atlus is finally ready to take a team of Persona users on a globetrotting adventure.
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Revisiting Persona 5’s Original Concept
The originalPersona 5concept could see use inPersona 6.Persona 5director Katsura Hashino explained in 2016 that while he wasworking onPersona 4 Golden,he explored the idea of takingPersona 5abroad as a backpacking journey. Hashino was interested in exploringPersona’s core theme of self discovery through an international journey that takes the main characters to all kinds of new places. However, after a devastating earthquake struck Japan in 2011, Hashino decided to keepPersona 5inside Japan and focus on a story of self-discovery and rebellion within Japanese society.
Atlus has already reusedPersona 5’s backpacking concept in a sense.Its action RPG spin-offPersona 5 Strikerstakes the Phantom Thieves all throughout Japan on a summer road trip. As they travel around the country and encounter all kinds of fun and meaningful things, they return to the Metaverse from various points to uncover a sinister plot and clear their names.Persona 5 Strikersmade the most out of sending Persona users on the road, but it never took the characters abroad, meaning the older concept is still untapped.
That makes it seem likely thatPersona 5will pass its international travel concept on toPersona 6.Atlus could have used up the backpacking concept on the Phantom Thieves, but since they never left Japan, there’s a lot of potential international storylines that Atlus hasn’t used.Persona 6could surpassPersona 5with an international journey, giving the protagonists a huge global objective to complete while featuring a ton of overworlds based on notable cities.Ambition will servePersona 6well, and Hashino’s larger-scale game concept is certainly ambitious.
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The Persona World Reaches Far
An international adventure would open a lot of doors forPersona 6.The characters could make friends around the world and encounter cultures very different from that of Japan, resulting in valuable character growth that mostPersonagames don’t have access to. However, it’s not just the mortal side of the world that would be unique inPersona 6.The world of Shadowsrepresented by the Metaverse, the Midnight Channel, and so on would look totally different in an international game. Atlus could easily see the value in making a Shadow world that spans the entire globe rather than one or more sections of Japan.
In mostPersonagames, humanity’s perception of the world shapes the way that the world of Personas and Shadows look. This iswhere Palaces come frominPersona 5,for instance; they’re microcosms of the Shadow world formed by one human’s twisted beliefs and desires. A successor to the Metaverse that impacts the whole world would look totally different across the planet. Atlus could introduce all kinds of new Shadows and Personas inPersona 6thanks to the different mythical and literary beings in international cultures. A tide of new characters would freshen upPersona 6and help it stand out from its predecessors.
There’s no doubt an internationalPersonaadventure is possible. Yaldabaoth’s plan to dominate the planet, revealed atthe end ofPersona 5,makes it clear that the cognitive world affects all of humanity, not just Japan. In that case,Persona 6could reveal new sides of the cognitive world, filled with Shadows created by the unique thoughts and cultures. Even the playable team of Persona users could come from different parts of the world, spurred to explore the cognitive world by various international events.
Persona 6 Should Blend the Old and New
As a company that only slowly changes thePersonaformula, it’s possible Atlus isn’t sure about the backpacking game concept. It shouldn’t be afraid to make such a drastic change, though.Persona 5made a ton of fundamental changes to the franchise, fromturning Social Links into Confidantsto developing a totally new take on dungeons. Those changes paid off.Persona 5is the most successful game in the series to date, in-part thanks to the experimental changes that madePersonaricher than ever before.
Persona 6has ample opportunity to establish a unique identity by taking Persona users around the world. There’s still so many implications for Hashino’s originalPersona 5concept thatStrikersdidn’t touch on;Persona 6could get a lot of mileage out of a story centered around travel. It’s great to knowAtlus is getting started onPersona 6,but it also sounds likePersonafans shouldn’t hold their breath for a proper reveal anytime soon. If Atlus does go with a concept as ambitious as aPersonagame that travels all around the world, it’s probably for the best thatPersona 6takes its time.
