Persona has always had its fanbase, but it wasn’t until Joker and the Phantom Thieves that it hit its full stride in the western hemisphere. Now, it’s more popular than ever, but that itself presents a big problem: how can Persona 6 top Persona 5?
It’s an age-old question for sequels, especially given the trend that sequels do not do as well as their predecessors. In short, Persona 6 has an Elder Scrolls 6 problem. Remaining true to the series but being bigger than ever has to be a goal for each game, but at least for Persona, there’s one solid option that would solve a lot of future problems for the franchise: character creation.
The primary protagonist of Persona 5 is Joker, who follows the trend of a detailed male protagonist that has appeared in every game, but Joker is the most popular protagonist of the franchise. That means following up Joker in the same way runs the huge risk of being compared to, and failing to compare to, the character. After all, since every Persona game features an all new cast, saying goodbye to Joker and the Phantom Thieves is already a daunting task.
The easiest solution to following up Joker is simply not to. It’s high time that Persona reinvent itself yet again, and by allowing fans to create their own protagonist, it avoids this simple problem. With a blank slate and a high level of roleplaying potential, comparing Joker to a custom-made character would be like comparing apples to oranges. What’s more, a custom character in Persona 6 would open a lot of doors that simply need to be opened in the game.
The social elements of Persona are perhaps its biggest draw, but the problem is that its social elements are barebones. For example, there’s really only options for romance or platonic relationships, and things like a “best friend” is something that can’t really be nailed down. The franchise has moved forward in a lot of ways, which can be seen in how Persona 3‘s ridiculous female jealous system was removed, and a custom character where players can project themselves onto the character means more inclusive romance options as well.
If players wanted to be gay or bi, for example, there should be romance options in Persona 6 that lend them to this type of playstyle. If players wanted to be female and romance men, that should be available to them as well. Persona has a wide fanbase, there’s little doubt in that, and allowing them to create their own character means allowing them to celebrate who they are within the Persona franchise as well.
Really, character creation for Persona is something that is past due, and Joker’s popularity could actually play a big role in ensuring that it is fulfilled in the next game, whenever it presumably releases. The exact contents of Persona 6, including whether or not it is even in development, are still up in the air, but it has to respond to Persona 5‘s success somehow. And the best way to do that is to kill two birds with one stone: in avoiding the distresses of a new character living up to Joker, Atlus could allow players to insert themselves and to genuinely manifest their persona in-game.
Persona 6 has not been announced.
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