TheShin Megami Tenseiseries has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years with the release ofShin Megami 3: Nocturne HD RemasterandShin Megami Tensei 5.This success can be partially attributed to many new players trying out the series after falling in love with thePersonagames. As the series moves forward, it would be wise to capitalize on the success ofPersonaand look towards creating a spin-off in the style ofPersona 5 Strikers.Functioning as a direct sequel toPersona 5,Persona 5 Strikersfollows a new story involving the Phantom Thieves,only this time the gameplay is that of a hack-and-slash, Musou-style game.
Shin Megami Tenseiis a prime candidate to receive the Musou treatment.Persona 5 Strikersshowed how a turn-based RPG with a large cast of characters could successfully translate into this style of game. With a long history of spin-offs and side games, theShin Megami Tenseiseries has a massive cast to pull from. The demon-summoning mechanic the series is known for parallels thePersona-collecting mechanic ofPersona 5 Strikersand has worked well as an interesting twist on the genre in the case of the latter. With the popularity of other Musou games likeHyrule Warriors: Age of CalamityandFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, now is the perfect time to giveShin Megami Tenseian action-packed series crossover.
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Persona 5 Strikers' Precedent for RPG Adaptation
WhenPersona 5 Strikerswas first announced, many fans were curious as to how a turn-based RPG likePersona 5would work as a hack-and-slash action game. The result was quite well received as levels retained the exploration and light puzzle-solving aspect ofPersona 5’s Palaces, and the incorporation of Persona collecting was a natural fit. Combat still retained some elements of turn-based gameplay, such as having battles pause while the player chooses a Persona’s skill from a menu, but these elements never ended up breaking the flow of the action-based combat.
Persona 5 Strikersalso allowed players to controlother members of the Phantom Thievesdirectly both in and out of battle for the first time. This was a welcome feature made possible by having a diverse cast of characters who each had their own play style. The ability to fuse Personas to create new ones was another welcome mechanic returning from the main series. Allowing players to swap between Personas as Joker and switch out playable party members on the fly helped keep combat fresh and add some depth and strategy to the gameplay.
Shin Megami Tensei’s Legacy Cast Offers Much
Fans of thePersonaseries may not realize that theShin Megami Tenseigames extend as far backas 1987 with the release of the Japan-exclusiveDigital Devil Story: Megami Tenseithat marked the first entry in the series. Since then, the series has received a multitude of spin-off and side games alongside mainline releases. ThePersonagames—along with theDevil SummonerandSoul Hackergames—make up just a portion of the games in the series. With many of these games only ever reaching a somewhat niche audience, a crossover game would give them the chance to introduce their characters to larger crowd of players and inspire many to go back and play the original games.
Characters like Raidou Kuzunoha from theDevil Summonerseries, the Demi-Fiend fromShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, and the Nahobino fromShin Megami Tensei 5would all make great playable characters. Including more recent characters like Joker fromPersona 5and Ringo fromSoul Hackers 2would help round out representation and add some characters recognizable to a wider audience. There are even more potential characters too numerous to list that would make excellent additions to the roster. All of these characters have the power to summon demons (or Personas) in their own canon, making the possibility of collecting, fusing, and wielding demons a universal trait and a cornerstone for the game.
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Megami Tensei Already has a Precedent for In-Universe Crossovers
This series is no stranger to crossovers between its mainline and spin-off games. ThePersona Qgames are the first that come to mind, featuring the cast ofPersona 3andPersona 4crossing over in the first game, and adding the crew fromPersona 5into the mix in its sequel.
Besides thePersonagames, important characters from throughout the series make their appearance outside of their home games. Raidou appears as a bonus boss inShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturneand the 3DS version ofSoul Hackers,while the Demi-Fiend makes his appearance in bothShin Megami Tensei 4: ApocalypseandShin Megami Tensei 5as a DLC boss. It’s clear developer Atlus sees the value in having fan-favorite characters appear alongside each other.
A series crossover also makes sense within the in-universe lore. MostShin Megami Tenseigames feature worlds colliding, causing angels and demons to be able to enter the human realm. It wouldn’t be out of the question for a multiverse crossover to occur, causing characters from other worlds within theShin Megami Tenseiuniverse to unite against a cataclysmic event. From a lore perspective, it arguably makes more sense for characters to crossover here than the explanations given for the phenomena inHyrule WarriorsorFire Emblem Warriors.
Given the tendency forShin Megami Tenseito have silent protagonists, it would be interesting to see them fully voice acted alongside the rest of the voiced cast. ThePersona Qgames added some voice acting for the otherwise silent protagonists fromPersona 3andPersona 4,so it is possible for Atlus and Omega Force to do so again for another spin-off title. All of the elements for a love-letter tofans of theShin Megami Tenseiseries are there, and with the success ofPersona 5 Strikers, the groundwork has already been laid for another Musou-style game.
Persona 5 Strikersis available now for PC, PS4, and Switch.
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