Persona 5: The Phantom X

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Persona 5: The Phantom X
Persona 5X app icon.png
Developer(s) Black Wings Game Studio [a]
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Yusuke Nitta
Producer(s) Vulpe
Yohsuke Uda
Designer(s) Zhen [1]
Artist(s) Xiao Le
Shigenori Soejima
Writer(s) Yi Wen [1]
Yusuke Nitta
Composer(s) BlackWings Audio [b]
Ryota Kozuka
Series Persona
Engine Unity
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s) Role-playing, social simulation
Mode(s) Single-player

Persona 5: The Phantom X [c] is an upcoming role-playing game by Perfect World Games. The game is a spin-off of the Persona series by Atlus, itself a part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It is set to be released in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea. An open beta test for Android, iOS, and Windows began in April 2024. A Japanese release was also announced later.

Contents

Persona 5: The Phantom X takes place in modern-day Tokyo, the same setting as Persona 5 (2016), and follows a group of characters that wield the power of Persona. It combines elements of social simulation, as the protagonist uses his free time to raise stats and forge bonds with characters, and dungeon crawling in the alternate world known as the Metaverse. The cognitive versions of the people met in the city, including the Phantom Thieves of Hearts from the original game, can be summoned for use in the Metaverse through a gacha system.

Some Persona 5 staff members were involved in the development, including series producer Kazuhisa Wada as project supervisor, artist Shigenori Soejima designing the protagonist Wonder and his Persona, and Ryota Kozuka composing the main theme performed by Lyn.

Gameplay

Persona 5X daily life gameplay.jpg
Persona 5X combat gameplay.jpg
Wonder, the game's protagonist, has two alternating lifestyles: a normal student life (top) and exploring otherworldly locations (bottom).

To accommodate the format of a free-to-play game created primarily for mobile devices, Persona 5: The Phantom X adapts the Persona mechanics with various changes. Like the main titles, it combines elements of social simulation and dungeon crawling. However, in place of the Calendar system, both activities now require energy that replenishes over time or is restored using currency, similar to other mobile games. [3]

As the male silent protagonist (who is named by the player but also given the codename Wonder) attending the school in modern-day Tokyo, players experience the story events, answer questions in class, and freely explore the city after school or during days off in order to engage in various activities. [4] Some help Wonder earn experience points or money, while others improve his social stats, such as Knowledge or Courage, which affect the gameplay in other ways. Additionally, players can consult the "City Schedule" feature to see the list of suggested activities and available rewards. [3]

The game also features multiple characters that Wonder can interact with in Tokyo using the "Confidant" system. [4] Compared to the main series, it was heavily reworked: the number of ranks has increased, but not every rank results in unique dialogue conversations. [3] The cognitive versions of Confidants also appear as special units that can be summoned using the gacha system. [5]

Like Persona 5, the dungeon crawling portion takes place in the Metaverse, a realm created from subconscious desires that consists of Mementos and Palaces. Mementos is the procedurally generated location consisting of multiple floors that is primarily used for grinding and completing daily quests, while the Palaces are the story-related levels ruled by various bosses. [3] [4]

The battle gameplay remains faithful to the Persona series, using the turn-based system with the "1 more" mechanic when striking enemies' weaknesses. However, unlike the main series, activating "1 more" is always followed by specific skills instead of giving the player complete control over their additional action, and not all enemies can be "downed" in one turn, as some were given a meter that dictates the necessary number of attacks. When all enemies are down, the player can perform a powerful "All-Out Attack". [3] [4]

Development

Perfect World Games first teased the project with a trailer in April 2021. Titled Code Name: X, it was claimed to be the first mobile entry in a “famous Japanese console game series” that has sold over 10 million copies worldwide. The footage was noted to feature the aesthetic and music reminiscent of Persona 5 , but the ties to the Persona series were not officially confirmed. [6] The connection was later discovered through image filenames on the website and the binary code at the end of the trailer, which was translated to Persona 5X. [6]

Persona 5: The Phantom X was developed by Black Wings Game Studio, a subsidiary of Perfect World, under the supervision of the series developer P-Studio (Atlus) and their parent company Sega. [7] The Persona staff provided input on the game's story and setting, and directly presented ideas regarding the characterization of the Phantom Thieves, which were then turned into original characters by Black Wings staff.[ citation needed ]

The general producer of the Persona series Kazuhisa Wada worked as the supervisor of the project. [8] The business producer Yousuke Uda served as the game's producer from the Atlus side, and scenario planner Yusuke Nitta, who previously worked on Persona 5 Royal , Persona 5 Strikers and Persona 5 Tactica , is credited as the development director and lead scenario planner. [9]

Music

The opening theme, Ambitions and Visions, was composed by Ryota Kozuka of Atlus Sound Team, with lyrics by Jasmine Webb. According to sound director Qing Yao, it helped to define the musical style of the game, "inheriting the punk and rock" of the original game and "expanding into a fast tempo J-pop direction." [1] The rest of the music was created in-house by BlackWings Audio Station staff, [b] with song lyrics by AkimR. [2] After completing the basic composition and arrangement, the music was sent to supervisors at Atlus for checks and edits. When the result satisfied both parties, Atlus scheduled recordings with Persona 5 vocalist Lyn.[ citation needed ]

The first volume of the original soundtrack, containing 21 songs, was released on April 12, 2024. [2]

Release

Persona 5: The Phantom X being promoted at the 2024 Taipei International Comics & Animation Festival P5x TICA 2024 1.jpg
Persona 5: The Phantom X being promoted at the 2024 Taipei International Comics & Animation Festival

The game was officially revealed for Android and iOS on March 16, 2023 under its Japanese title, Persona 5: The Phantom X. Perfect World announced that they will distribute and operate the game in China, but plans for release in other regions were not mentioned. [7]

The first small-scaled closed beta test, titled 'Infiltration Test', was held shortly after the announcement from March 29 to March 31, 2023. [4] While Perfect World did not announce the PC version at the time, the beta was available for Windows, in addition to Android. [7] The second, 'Awakening Test', ran from August 18 to August 31, 2023. [10] The final closed beta test, 'Heart Stealing Test', was held from January 16 to January 30, 2024. [11]

An open beta test began on April 12, 2024, in mainland China, [12] and official launch on April 18, 2024, in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and South Korea. [13] [14]

As part of their Tokyo Game Show presentation in September 2024, Atlus announced that they will release Persona 5: The Phantom X in Japan. It will be available for Android, iOS, Steam and Google Play Games. [15] A closed beta test was held from November 29 to December 5. [16]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work, support and under supervision by Atlus and Sega
  2. 1 2 Yifu Sun, Masanori Akita, MovingPoint, Lorne Cui, Oran, Sewind, and Simai Wang [2]
  3. ↑ Chinese :女神异闻录：夜幕魅影; pinyin :Nǚshén Yìwénlù: Yèmù Mèiyǐng; lit.'Alternate Tale of the Goddess: Phantom of the Night'

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References

  1. 1 2 3 페르소나5: 더 팬텀 X (April 8, 2024). "[페르소나5: 더 팬텀 X] 프리뷰 스페셜 공식방송". YouTube (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 BlackWings Audio Station. "女神异闻录：夜幕魅影-OST1". NetEase Music . Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 肥肥 (August 22, 2023). "【試玩】《女神異聞錄：夜幕魅影》PC 版測試報導 還原潮到出水的原作美術風格". GNN Gamer (in Chinese). Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Zheng, Jenny (April 22, 2023). "Persona 5: The Phantom X - Everything We Know". GameSpot . Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  5. ↑ Morris, Iwan (December 15, 2023). "What we have learned about Persona 5: The Phantom X mobile game so far?". Pocket Gamer . Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Romano, Sal (April 13, 2021). "Perfect World Games announces Persona 5 mobile game Code Name: X". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 Romano, Sal (March 16, 2023). "Persona 5: The Phantom X announced for iOS, Android". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ "ATLUS最强应援 《女神异闻录：夜幕魅影》即将首测-P5X-《女神异闻录：夜幕魅影》官网". p5x.wanmei.com (in Chinese). March 22, 2023. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  9. ↑ Gematsu (April 11, 2024). "Persona 5: The Phantom X - Persona Series Creative Philosophy Discussion". YouTube . Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  10. ↑ Romano, Sal (August 7, 2023). "Persona 5: The Phantom X 'Awakening Test' begins August 18 in China". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  11. ↑ Romano, Sal (January 4, 2024). "Persona 5: The Phantom X 'Heart Stealing Test' begins January 16 in China". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  12. ↑ Digioia, Alessandro (March 19, 2024). "Persona 5: The Phantom X esce il 12 aprile in Cina, nuovi dettagli sul lancio in Occidente". IGN (in Italian). Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  13. ↑ "《女神異聞錄：夜幕魅影》今日4/18以全日配版本於全平台正式上市". IWPlay World (in Traditional Chinese). 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  14. ↑ "페르소나5: 더 팬텀 X, 4월 18일 PC, 모바일로 출시 확정". Perfect World (in Korean). 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  15. ↑ Romano, Sal (September 25, 2024). "Persona 5: The Phantom X coming to Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  16. ↑ Bueno, Daniel (November 26, 2024). "Persona 5: The Phantom X Closed Beta Starts in Japan". Siliconera. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
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