Following the Persona 5 Famitsu interview excerpt with director Katsura Hashino and the recent Persona 5 information leak, the rest of the story details from the newest issue of the Japanese magazine have surfaced.

Translations provided thanks to Mystic from TRADUKO Soft (@MysticDistance) and Persona Central commenter JB:

Story

Unlike Persona 3 and Persona 4, Persona 5‘s story is designed to be like an “omnibus,” with no one specific enemy or criminal that the team chases after. Like a serial drama TV show, the Phantom Thieves change the targets they chase regularly.

A fundamental part of the story is the mystery behind a phone application called “Isekainabi” (“Otherworldnavi” or “Parallel World Navigation”). Using this app, the main characters discover the location of their targets and are able to infiltrate the other world known as “Palace” to steal the hearts of “rotten people.”

Unlike the protagonists and their friends in Persona 3 and Persona 4 who become directly involved together to solve a specific incident, the cast of Persona 5 are involved with social reformation and atonement.

“Palace” is the other world which is responsible for settings such as an old castle, pyramids, an art gallery, and more. These locations are fundamentally tied to Persona 5‘s background.

Characters

The protagonist and his friends are troubled, and there is a part of them that feels they have lost their way. Because of this, they devote themselves to using the “Isekinabi” app suddenly granted to them in order to help others.

Ryuji Sakamoto meets the main character on the first day of school and kicks off the creation of the Phantom Thief team. His relationship with the protagonist is that of a “bad influence.”

Ann Takamaki is restrained in her daily life and feels she has lost her place in the world but, as a Phantom Thief, she is much more lively and energetic.

Morgana is the most “thief-like” member of the team and assumes the role of a guide for the other characters.

Yusuke Kitagawa has a certain problem of his own he is dealing with, and drama begins when he encounters the other characters. Yusuke, in particular, is tied to the “omnibus-like” story for “world reformation.”

Personas

Every character’s initial Persona is designed to embody the concept of a “picaresque hero.” Characters awaken to them in specific parts of Palace, the alternate world inside people’s hearts.

Gameplay

The SNS system seen in the PV03 trailer will have players chatting with other characters using phone text messages. This will allow players to personalize and expand their stories.

Players will be able to explore various locations in the Greater Tokyo Area, as seen in trailers.

Development

Hashino reiterates that the scope of the game is very large, so the development team requires more time to properly finish it.

Persona 5 is slated to be released for the PS3 and PS4 in Japan in Summer 2016, with a 2016 North American release date.

— [email protected]