A full translation of Famitsu’s exclusive interview with Atlus about Persona 5 The Royal.

Atlus’ Persona 5 The Royal was recently covered in a ten-page feature by Famitsu, and a ton of details about the upcoming soft remake was revealed. While we previously only knew what was discussed and shared, now we have a full translation of the one-on-one.

Persona 5 The Royal is coming to the west in 2020 (October 31 in Japan) and it will give fans a new Phantom Thief, revamped visuals for the PlayStation 4 pro, and an extensive third semester that will surprise those who enjoyed Persona 4 Golden.

It’s being helmed by the director of Persona 4 Golden, Daiki Ito, because Katsura Hashino is busy working on a new fantasy RPG that will revolutionise the genre as J.R.R. Tolkien did with The Lord Of The Rings.

The Famitsu interview previously revealed that Persona 5 The Royal will give players XP at a faster rate and that those with Persona 5 save data will receive some sort of bonus, but now we have a full translation that unearths the news in more depth.

Persona 5 The Royal – Full translation of the Famitsu interview

The full interview was translated by @shininyan on Twitter.

When asked why the soft remake is called Persona 5 The Royal, producer Kazuhisa Wada stated that “The world “Royal” came up early in the planning process.” He continued to say “It expresses our enthusiasm in creating a majestic, extravagant game with a strong sense of aesthetics and nobility.”

Daiki Ito added, “we’re not simply adding in new characters and features. We’re also optimizing the game across the board so that you can play at a better pace; for example, by adding a feature to make gaining EXP easier. And of course, only to an extent that doesn’t break the game balance.”

Famitsu asked if the assist feature is similar to “Vox Populi”.

“It’s a separate feature that goes beyond that,” responded Ito. “The new daily life assist feature takes lower social stats and confidant ranks into consideration and suggests destinations based on those. For example, if your protagonist has low Charm, it’ll suggest going to the bathhouse where you can raise that stat, and pressing the X button will take you there right away.”

When asked about the third semester and if fans can expect the same amount of new content as in Persona 4 Golden, Ito said that players will definitely “be able to enjoy more daily life content and events, and even for the so-called “extraordinary” segments, we’re preparing content that will exceed the expectations of those who experienced Persona 4 Golden’s amount of content.”

The new town in Persona 5 The Royal is Kichijoji. Ito shared that it’s a new area players will be able to freely explore like Shibuya and Shinjuku, and the director further noted that the town was chosen because it was suitable for depicting the current era.

“The real-world Kichijoji has fashionable shops where young people gather, an old bar district, and a historic temple,” said Ito. “It’s truly a fusion of culture and personality from people of all ages, and in the game, you’ll hear many different voices as you walk around.”

One of the new facilities Phantom Thieves will be able to enjoy is the addition of darts, and Ito confirmed that it is a full-fledged minigame similar to the batting centre.

Moving onto the Phantom Thieves’ newest member, Kasumi Yoshizawa, Ito shared that she’s a “new student at Shujin Academy, who has been a high achiever in rhythmic gymnastics since middle school.”

Wada said that Kasumi’s addition has allowed Atlus to make careful adjustments to the story, but that Persona 5‘s narrative hasn’t been drastically altered because they don’t want to dishonour it. Oh, and Kasumi will also call Joker and his friends “Senpai” because she’s an underclassman.

There had been some mindless controversy about Kasumi’s design since the Super Live Concerts, but character designer Shigenori Soejima stated that Kasumi gives “off a dignified aura” and has a “classic heroine” feel.

Soejima elaborated on Kasumi’s design by saying “I wanted this new character to have that “coolness” that everyone normally expects from a phantom thief.”

In addition to Kasumi, Persona 5 The Royal will introduce another confidant called Takuto Maruki (the Consultant arcana). Ito said that as the school counsellor, Maruki will naturally interact with Ryuji and Ann, and through those conversations players will be able to see what’s on their minds.

Unsurprisingly, leveling up Kasumi and Maruki’s confidants will provide players with new abilities for combat. There’ll be more additional confidants as well, but Ito merely stated that fans should look forward to more information.

Talking about the game’s visuals, Soejima said “We’re drawing new art for quite a lot of parts. Just changing the dialogue sprites already makes the scenes look new and fresh. The characters will also get new outfits in the third semester.”

Wada finished the interview by saying everyone at Atlus is “working at full speed,” and that they “can feel the game’s quality improving with each passing day.”

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