Last month,Persona 5’siconic sidekick Morgana appeared and made the first of seven announcements that are scheduled to take place between now and fall 2022 regarding thePersonaseries. WithPersonacelebrating its 25th anniversary this September, andPersona 5celebrating its fifth anniversary, fans were expecting some big news like aPersona 5fighting game, a remake of one of the older entries, or evenPersona 6.However, the announcement left much to be desired.
Morgana announced that everyPersonaanime and the live musical adaptation ofPersona 5will be available for streaming in Japan. Morgana also announced some livePersona-themed events in Japan. Not all seven announcements were guaranteed to be video games, but Western fans did feel left out of the celebration. The next big announcement will happen in December, according to Morgana, but there have been some smaller announcements sprinkled throughout the month related to merchandise. Most recently, Atlus announcedPersona Vs., a physical card game featuring thecharacters fromPersona 3, 4,and5.
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The Persona Vs. Card Game Mechanics
ThePersona Vs.card gameis designed for two players and should take about 15 minutes per round. If fans are thinking it’s probablyPersona’sclassic turn-based combat translated into card form, they’d be exactly right. The card game operates almost exactly likePersona’scombat system, with each player summoningPersonas and strategizing attacks to defeat the other player. Similar to how the video games allow players command the other members in the party, players can also team up with partner characters from thePersona 3, 4,and5games for help.
Persona cards have one Ability and two Skills they can use to attack. Partner characters can either help by supporting the player, or providing them with counterattacks. Traditional bonus moves like “1 More” are featured in the game, as well as the ability to fuse multiple Personas to create a more powerful one.
The partner characters only include the three games' protagonists, but there is a little bit of a story involved. Players have been invited to compete at a “festival,” and depending on which protagonist the winning player chose, there is a different ending to the story. It’s a small detail, but a nice way to tie inPersona’snarrative structure.
How To Get the Persona Vs. Game
Unfortunately, Westernfans ofPersonaare also left out of the card game. The game is a collaboration with Banso, a Japan-based board game company, and is only available for pre-order through its website. The game costs 2,970 yen, which equates to about $27 US, but Banso doesn’t ship overseas.
WesternPersonafans who want to play the card game will have to purchase from a third party after its release. The game is only available in Japanese though, so overseas players might find it difficult to play, but a huge part ofPersona’sappeal is the art style. The cards themselves are beautiful, and Google Translate is always an option.
Fans ofPersonain Japancan find the game on Banso’s website and look forward to it shipping in December. There’s also a 10 percent discount for pre-ordering. For those who want to show their support ofPersonabut aren’t interested in the game, the new Shop Atlus website should be launching this month withPersonacollections becoming available every few weeks. There’s sure to be something for everyone, and Shop Atlus and will ship internationally.
While it’s not a video game announcement,Persona Vs.is a great way to movePersonafrom the screen to the living room. Somefans are disappointed by Atlus’Personaannouncementsthis past month, but there’s still a long way to go in thePersona25th anniversary celebration, and it makes sense to start small. Who knows, maybe the grand finale next fall will be an officialPersona 6announcement.
