I always find myself getting the urge to do the most writing after either:
- talking to people about how much I’m going to be writing from now on like it’s a positive routine that I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life, often due to a change in lifestyle (or minor one, such as a new keyboard/desk/chair)
- at the worst possible moment when I should be trying to get some sleep close to 23:00 on a work night but feel a nagging sense of boredom and unsatisfaction with my current output
Time management is the loose segue that I’m going to use to enter a diatribe about Persona 5. I’ve recently started playing Persona 5: Royal, the definitive edition of the 2017 game. I completed the base game for the first time back in 2018, but my relationship with it (and what a relationship that is!) stretches back further.
I don’t know what it was, but I remember seeing a review for it, which must have been when the game first came out, talking about how alongside the typical JRPG combat mechanics and dungeon exploration there was a wonderful time management simulator attached in equal balance. This fascinated me as it was the first time I had seen the unique kind of escapism that Persona provides. The fifth entry to the series managed to perfect the gameplay down to a T, and I did myself a disservice by falling in love with it so thoroughly before attempting to play the fourth entry, which I was aware of before I played the fifth but struggle with now as it is equally critically acclaimed but dated by comparison.
I would say my first instance of seeing Persona 4 was during the late Total Biscuit’s ‘Best Games of 2014’ compilation in which Persona 4: Golden was his second top spot. Back then I was fascinated by it, if not also a little disappointed because it was inaccessible being on the PS Vita, a console I didn’t own, and the graphics seemed unsatisfyingly simple.
But again the same essence I got from the review of Persona 5 I’m convinced I watched back in 2013 (WAYYYY before the development of the game was even announced…?!) which talked about the joy of spending time in a virtual Japanese town/city was also felt here.
It is quite funny, because my friend Ciaran got me to buy and play the Danganronpa series in our final year of living together at university. I found the overall vibe of that game initially unnerving but heard nothing but rave recommendations from my friends. However, it did not gel with me as well as its key influence of Ace Attorney did. There was one funny moment however when the words ‘free time’ flashed on the screen (in which you can spend time with your fellow classmates in game) and my brain connected this with the expectation of what you can do in Persona. Much to my chagrin, this wasn’t actually the case as it was simply a part of the game in which you essentially give a gift you get from a gashapon machine to unlock some additional dialogue.
Nonetheless, I was playing this on a PS4, and when I eventually moved to London to begin working professionally full time, I bought Persona 5 on sale with all the extra costumes DLC for £20 as a treat to myself.
I think my personal situation then is what helped make that game so special for me. I was living with a family friend, someone I call my auntie, in her spare room. I was in a new city, with my own money, job, responsibility, commute, friends. It was scary if not incredibly exciting. The context for this as well was that I came from a rural town, where there wasn’t much to do, and I had no quick and easy way to get around anywhere. I would have to plan to arrange anything when I was back home, and my university town was not on the same scale but was pretty much its own island.
In Persona 5, you’re sent to live with a family friend in Tokyo after you’re incorrectly classified as a young criminal offender, so there’s plenty of new starts for you there too. But although the parallels are almost palpable, the true power of the game in my heart goes much further. At first when I started the game it didn’t gel with me since it’s quite a slow burn for the introductory portion. The initial tutorials continue into the first 15 hours of the game and even after you complete the first dungeon. Struggling to get through this, I didn’t play the game for a few months after starting it in September. To be quite honest too I was busy making sure I didn’t fuck up at work. But for some I reason I continued with the game a few months into 2019, and I tell no lies when I say that it kept me sane for that year.
It was very much my anchor – it was the only thing I wanted to do after work, come home and continue this escapism. There would just be whole days when I would play it. It made me feel comfortable, safe and warm. I had my small television in my room set up so I could play it from bed.
The true value of Persona 5’s time management simulation piece is that it lets you live a second teenage life – the one you didn’t have enough money to do, or friends, or just didn’t live in the right place for. It let you be confident and adventurous – with everything: the food you buy, the books you read, when you study, the exams you take, the friends you visit, the people you date.
That last point especially – there’s a running joke argument with all fans of Persona on who the ‘best girl’ is (Makoto, obviously). Is essentially participatory shipping for your characters, and the game facilitates this so well to make it one of the only games where I’ve found the romance mechanics engaging. To be able to build a very sweet, adorable love story between the two characters is, again, escapism at its finest – the kind you wish you had when you were a teenager.
There are so many elements of the game that hit a home run. The cast you’re surrounded with are absolutely sublime – there are so many moments and interactions that are wonderfully made where you can’t help but smile – giving you the sudden realisation that you’ve grown so attached to them. The pacing of the game helps this massively, as you’re practically spending whole days with these people. There’s one interaction in Royal, where I’m working at a convenience store part time and your friend appears to buy a snack and realise you’re at the kiosk. It was unbelievably charming. There’s other instances where two of your friends bump into each other at the same location and it’s a funny-awkward situation similar to when this happens in real life (though less so nowadays than at uni). I love it.
The music too – a huge contributor to the warmth of the game. Pouring a hot cup of coffee under the instruction of your family friend and guardian who owns the coffee shop you bunk in – or exploring Central Street in Tokyo on a summer’s day, with Tokyo Daylight bopping around. One of the first things I did when getting the soundtrack on my phone’s music player was play it on repeat whilst walking down London’s Oxford Street after leaving work on a busy summer’s day. I fucking loved it.
And of course, Beneath The Mask and it’s variant that plays on a rainy day when you’re encouraged to study. It’s so calming and just warms your soul.
The visual design was also something that kept me invested in the game. It’s a small thing in the overall picture but the whole game just oozes style – you can extend that to the character design and music composition too.
I went on to complete Persona 5’s original version two more times to get the 100% platinum trophy and I enjoyed every second of it. The replay value is wonderful too and getting the excuse to do it again with Royal is an absolute treat, even before taking into account the quality-of-life improvements to the game.
The plot paces you throughout a whole year, and Royal adds an extra amount of time which is an absolute treat to spend with these characters.
And now suddenly, it’s 2021 – 3 years since I started playing it. In my own flat, where I’ve adjusted my desk and monitor height at a reminiscent angle of my old TV in my auntie’s spare room, with my arms and controller underneath the blanket of my bed – the pillow arrangement aligning my neck at the correct angle to stare at the wonderful art style of Persona 5: Royal. I’m meeting the characters again; we’re all seeing everything for the first time and going on an adventure of internal and external discovery. I want to be able to be free again – to go out to the city on a whim again on my own and enjoy the company of myself and my friends – to take my girlfriend out to nice places…
I just can’t wait.
minutiae+musings 