New Persona 5 Tactica Info Details the Story, Characters, and Gameplay Systems

Earlier today, new information was sent to us by ATLUS providing more details for Persona 5 Tactica! The information contained a solid chunk of new details for the story itself, and how it begins, the characters, and some gameplay elements that we will see. There's a solid amount to go over though, so let's just dive right in:

Story

The story of Persona 5 Tactica will start out with the Phanom Thieves being transported into a new metaverse called The Kingdoms. Surrounded by a military group known as The Legionnaires, the thieves will come face to face with their leader, Marie, who brainwashes all of the group except for Joker and Morgana. Luckily, the leader of the Rebel Corps, Erina, swoops in and saves the two. At the Rebel Corps hideout, which looks similarly to Leblanc, the pair agree to aid the Rebel Corps, save their friends, and figure out the secret of The Kingdoms.

That is the beginning of the story and already we have questions. Why does the Rebel Corps headquarters look like Leblanc? What is Marie after? And what is the secret for The Kingdom metaverse if there doesn't seem to be a palace there? I am sure all of these will be answered in-game, but I am quite curious already.

The New Characters

In the information we got, we had some summaries of the protagonist, Morgana, and two other Phantom Thieve members, but we also got some details on the new characters:

Erina:

As mentioned earlier, Erina is the leader of the Rebel Corps who helps save the Phantom Thieves in the beginning when they are surrounded by The Legionnaires. She is a mysterious girl who has a habit of rushing to people's aid who are dealing with some sort of injustice. Throwing caution to the wind, she driven by her confidence and spunky personality, which inspire her Corps to put in 100%. Her goal, as well as the Rebel Corps goal, is to liberate the land from its oppressive ruler.

Toshiro:

Encountered by Joker and Morgana when they first attempt to rescue their team from Marie's kingdom, and decides to join them afterwards, Toshiro is a young Diet member who is rumored to be the next Prime Minister. After getting lost and imprisoned in Marie's dungeon, for reasons he can't remember, he will join the team and try to remember what has been forgotten. He is hyperrational and prudish, but is also a fantastic strategist thanks to his policial savvy and that he can view situations objectively. Unfortunately, he has a neurotic feat of fighting and injury that brings him into a safety-first mindset.

Marie:

Marie is the leader of The Legionnaires and brainwashes the majority of the Phantom Thieves in the beginning of the game. She is a tyrant who rules over her own kingdom and has an obsession with power and control, though her ultimate goal seems to be to stage the perfect wedding.

Gameplay Systems

On top of all of this, ATLUS has given us some new details for the gameplay systems we will be able to utilize in and out of battle.

Taking Cover

In battle, you will be able to take cover from enemies. If you end your turn while taking cover, you will be able to reduce damage or completely block attacks. If you aren't taking cover and the enemy attacks, they will get a "One More", which will allow them to attack again. Plotting out your moves and making sure you can take cover seems like it will be quite essential to winning battles and minimizing losses.

Elemental Ailments

A new take on the elemental system we regularly see in games, these elemental attacks will all inflict different kinds of status modifiers or ailments on the enemy. For example, a fire attack will make enemies take damage when their turn ends and shock attacks will stun them. And if you hit an enemy who is taking cover with one of these skills, you could get a "One More" and take another attack yourself. Utilizing these skills and inflicting ailments to create opportunities for you and your allies will play a big role in battles as well.

Unique Skills

As the battle progresses, a star-shaped gauge that is near the bottom right-hand of your screen will fill up when you attack or get attacked. Once this is filled up, you will be able to use a character-specific unique skill. There are a lot of them and can range from dealing big damage to team-wide healing. These will help out a lot in tough situations and can completely change the tide of battle when used effectively.

Skill Tree

In Persona 5 Tactica, every single party member has their own personal skill tree. With each battle and leveling up, you will accumulate GP or Growth Points to use and select which skills you decide to unlock. You will also be able to reset all the skills you have acquired and get your GP back whenever you like, so feel free to experiment as much as you desire.

Talk Events

Finally, we have talk events. These are small side-chats that you can listen in on between group members at the hideout. Listening in on these will add more insight into the story and the characters involved, including never before seen information about the Thieves! On top of that, listening in on these will grant you GP to use to further increase your skills, so there is a lot of motivation to listen in on them!

That's all the new information we have so far, but I am extremely excited to hear about all of these. Personally, the talk events or side chats were always something I loved in games, so seeing them make a return, as well as it helping to develop characters for battle, is awesome.

Persona 5 Tactica will be released on November 17th and can be pre-ordered and wishlisted now on Steam.

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