Is Persona 5 Royal Worth It? A Detailed Expert Review

For fans of stylish, story-driven JRPGs, Persona 5 Royal is absolutely worth playing. This expanded and enhanced version of the PlayStation 4 classic Persona 5 improves upon the original in almost every way. With abundant new content, thoughtful gameplay tweaks and quality of life improvements, Persona 5 Royal is the definitive edition of one of the finest Japanese RPGs ever made.

What Makes Persona 5 Royal the Definitive Edition?

Let‘s start by looking at what makes Persona 5 Royal such an impressive upgrade over the original Persona 5 game:

• New story semester – Royal adds an entire new term focused on the new character Kasumi Yoshizawa. She integrates into the existing narrative perfectly while bringing a fresh new perspective.

• 30+ hours of new content – In addition to the new story arc, dozens of new events, social links, personas, areas, mini-games and multimedia enhancements are seamlessly blended into the original calendar year.

• Refined gameplay and mechanics – Numerous combat, dungeon crawling and activity mechanics have been rebalanced and improved to give players more options and freedom. Quality of life enhancements reduce frustration.

• Visual and audio upgrades – Higher fidelity graphics, stylish new anime cutscenes, revamped UI, cleaner menus, and around 20 new musical tracks (on an already phenomenal soundtrack) make Royal a visual and auditory treat.

• Reduced repetition – New features like fast-forwarding dialogue you‘ve already seen and dashing outside dungeons respect player time and reduce needless repetition.

• Universal acclaim – Persona 5 Royal has earned universal praise from critics and fans as the definitive Persona 5 experience, earning a 95 on Metacritic and numerous Game of the Year awards.

Simply put, Persona 5 Royal refines and expands upon the original in virtually every way possible. It‘s less of an upgrade and more Persona 5 "perfected" and completely expanded.

A Deep Dive into Persona 5 Royal‘s Improvements

Let‘s do a deeper dive into some of the key improvements and additions that Royal brings to the table:

An Entire Semester of New Story Content

The most substantial addition in Royal is an entirely new semester, unavailable in the base Persona 5 game. Set after the original climactic events, this new story arc focuses on Kasumi Yoshizawa and introduces new supporting characters, conflicts and themes that integrate seamlessly into the existing narrative.

Rather than feeling tacked on, the new semester feels totally natural, enhancing your understanding of the game‘s characters and world in meaningful ways. It‘s so expertly crafted that it‘s hard to imagine Persona 5 without it.

Refined Gameplay Mechanics Give More Freedom

Persona 5 Royal also refines several of the game‘s core mechanics to give players more options and flexibility:

• Combat – Guns reload faster, melee attacks down foes quicker, Technical damage is increased. Baton Pass bonus is boosted to let you exploit enemy weaknesses more effectively.

• Persona Fusion – New Fusion Alerts allow you to gain extra powerful Personas through special fusions. Gallows Execution can strengthen Personas abilities.

• Dungeons – Mementos features added puzzle elements and collectible stamps to find. New accessories make dungeon traversal less repetitive.

• Activities – Darts, video games and other pastime activities feature additional depth and mechanics.

Across the board, Royal tweaks mechanics to provide fresh combat and progression systems that reduce frustration and grind, while adding more satisfying strategic elements.

Quality of Life Improvements Respect Player Time

Some of the smaller changes end up enhancing the experience significantly by respecting player time:

• Dialogue can be fast forwarded on a second playthrough
• Dash can be used outside of Palaces to expedite travel
• Improved dungeon maps and fast travel options
• Reorganized menus and UI streamline navigation
• Reduced loading times
• Skip cutscenes and animate gif style loading screens

These "small" changes really improve the quality of life and make revisiting Persona 5 through Royal‘s expanded lens more inviting.

Visuals and Audio Are Sublime

While remaining faithful to the original stylish aesthetic, Royal also improves upon Persona 5‘s already stellar presentation:

• Enhanced graphics and visuals – Higher fidelity character models and environments with new costumes and animations

• Slicker UI – Cleaner, more stylish menus and HUD elements that improve navigation

• New music – Around 20 new musical tracks complement the already incredible soundtrack

• Added polish – Better ambient sounds like footsteps and UI audio

The vibrant anime visuals pop with extra flair and the smooth acid jazz soundtrack remains an all-time great, made even better.

Universal Acclaim for the Definitive Experience

Here is just a snippet of the universal acclaim Persona 5 Royal has received:

On Metacritic, Persona 5 Royal holds a 95 overall score, making it one of the highest-rated JRPGs of all time. It was named Game of the Year by numerous publications and took home many Best RPG awards.

The praise stems from Royal taking an already landmark RPG and finetuning and expanding it to near perfection. For most critics, this is simply the definitive edition.

Should You Play Persona 5 or Persona 5 Royal?

For those new to Persona 5, Royal is absolutely the best way to experience this stylish story-driven RPG. The amount of new content and improvements make Royal superior in virtually every way.

However, if you already sunk 100+ hours into the original Persona 5, the decision becomes more complicated. The core story remains the same, so it comes down to how much you value the refined gameplay, visual upgrades and 30 hours of new story content.

For hardcore Persona fans seeking the "perfect" edition, Royal may offer enough fresh experiences to warrant double dipping. But more casual fans may be better served spending their time on a totally new game.

In Conclusion

Ultimately, playing Persona 5 Royal is easily over 100 hours well spent, regardless if you‘re a series veteran or newcomer. The amount of meaningful new content and thoughtful refinements to both story and gameplay make this the definitive edition of a modern RPG classic.

Persona 5 Royal is a rare example of post-launch DLC done right – expanding and improving an already phenomenal experience in virtually every way. Its expanded story arc enhances your bonds with the rich characters, while refined mechanics give you more freedom to conquer epic dungeons and demons in style.

So for any JRPG fan, Persona 5 Royal absolutely deserves a spot in your collection. This stylish role-playing experience has rightfully earned its reputation as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Royal is simply the ultimate way to experience the Phantom Thieves‘ epic adventure.