Here is the up-to-date compilation of all the information in Famitsu’s Persona 5 interview with Director Katsura Hashino, Character Designer Shingenori Soejima and Music Composer Shoji Meguro:
PROTAGONIST
- The protagonist is a second year high school student who has recently moved to the big city, and lives with his parents’ friends at a coffee shop named SUMIKON.
- The protagonist’s unique Persona is called “Arsene”, presumably derived from the fictional gentleman thief “Arsène Lupin.”
STORY
- Unlike the heroes of Persona 3 and Persona 4, the protagonist of Persona 5 has a problem of some sort that, if not faced down, could spell big trouble in the future. The sequence in which he looks like a prisoner takes place in what could be called a Mental Prison.
- The protagonist meets other two characters and cat creature in the trailer at the beginning of the game. The other two have their own life problems as well, and cat creature is mysterious, can transform, and is key to storyline.
- There are reasons behind why Personas appear as the enemies the cast are facing, however Hashino is remaining silent on that point, as well as where the protagonist’s fights take place.
THEME
- Instead of the “カッ”(flash) seen in previous Persona summon sequences, it looks like it’ll be “ブチッ”(snap) instead. The latter is the sound used to refer to something snapping. Like someone’s patience is running thin and hitting the breaking point.
ANIMATION STUDIO
- The animation studio that is handling Persona 5‘s anime scenes is Production I.G, and that studio’s anime director is the one who suggested the character figure skating scenes in the trailer.
PRODUCTION
- Because it is the first time Personas are being made for high-definition platforms, the development process was particularly arduous on that front.
COMBAT AND EXPLORATION
- The game starts in Shibuya, but takes place in various parts of Tokyo as well.
- The battle system will be turn-based, with improvements to previous Persona games.
- There will be randomly generated elements in the game, however major places in the story will be structured to emphasize the burglary theme.
- Each character has their own distinct firearm for long distance weapons, however they aren’t actual guns, yet are still effective in combat.
SOCIAL LINKS
- A “Cooperation” aspect of the game will involve helping sympathizers around the town, which will somehow be beneficial in battles.
- Social Links or a mechanic like them will have new twists, while also pertaining to their traditional elements of increasing various strengths/abilities.
CHARACTER DESIGNS (Shigenori Soejima)
- The protagonist’s seemingly docile nature is a profound ruse.
- Persona 5‘s logo is meant to emphasize the youthful nature of the plot and characters; “conveying a sense of speed and dynamism.”
- The protagonist’s Persona, “Arsene” is designed to be a little more old-school, including his name, though making the whole thing come together and look stylish with that sort of constraint wasn’t without its share of challenges. Its cape/wings are meant to portray the image of a thief who lurks around places where normal people don’t belong.
MUSIC
- The song heard in the Persona 5 trailer is the instrumental version of the main theme, according to series composer Shoji Meguro. He also stated that he wanted to give the music an acid jazz-like feel elements to bring out the game’s mood, including in the main theme. Direcotr Hashino was glad hearing the music since the jazz music goes hand-in-hand with the story of Lupin in its phantom thief motif.
sources:
Siliconera
Gematsu
jbbartram-illu
dailybridgerton
vaporwave
janainaart
jacobvanloon
germansingergirl
