Dynasty Warriors: Gundam was a revelation for so many reasons. The simplistic nature of Dynasty Warriors made most things mindless fun, with crossovers taking the core concept in interesting directions. Gundam proved there was a market for crossovers and instantly resulted in fans wanting more. Speaking for myself, I instantly saw the potential for Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) and later One Piece but even Berserk managed to work out quite well. Since then we’ve seen more anime series represented, along with popular franchises like The Legend of Zelda, making Persona 5 Strikers exciting. The number of potential newcomers for both Dynasty Warriors and Persona could be huge and history has shown the concept can work but are they able to keep up the momentum or is this the game where things start to become a cash grab? Here’s our Persona 5 Strikers review.
Persona 5 Strikers take place after the events of Persona 5 and, as a result, we do suggest giving it a go. Regardless of whether this is a step you take or not, it features a rather interesting story that starts off rather simple, the phantom thieves plan for summer vacation but soon learn that certain choices might result in a calamity. From there players find out the ramifications of what is suggested and how it impacts their lives.
Much like the game, it’s based on, Persona 5 Strikers has a lot of stories to tell and does so in a rather engaging way. There are anime cutscenes that explain what is going on and bring you into this adventure. It doesn’t take long to see the charm of the original franchise and suck players into this new situation. Though, it might take some time to get use to everything.
Similar to how the story is presented, the gameplay does a fantastic job of blending the two concepts. At its core, the gameplay is unmistakably Dynasty Warriors. Every character has a couple of combos, swarms of enemies defeated with marginal effort, and extremely flashy moves finish off countless enemies. Where things start to improve is how it all relates to Persona 5.
Perhaps the most universally praised feature in Persona 5 was the overall style. It was a cool looking game and it’s something that is well represented in Persona 5 Strikers. From health bars being hearts to extremely over the top moves, it’s a cool looking game. Even small things like jumping from lamp posts and either defeating an enemy or swinging around to show multiple how it’s done, there is a lot of fun to be had just running around.
Each location is also rather distinct, with a lot of the original elements of Persona being present. You can explore locations, interact with people, there are distinct sections where you walk and more that extend beyond the usual kill a bunch of enemies in one place, before going to another to kill a bunch more. As a result, it achieves what the best crossovers with Omega Force do, blend the two concepts together. It isn’t just distinctly Dynasty Warriors, it manages to feel like Persona too.
This extends well beyond basic things like fighting fairies and various Jacks, to how everything is presented. And, the best thing is how this will potentially bring newcomers to the series. The market for this product is clearly different and does a fantastic job of bringing people to the source of their other fantastic releases, something that is even easier with it being part of the games offered with Plus on PlayStation 5.
If there is one criticism I would give to the Persona 5 Strikers, it’s how overwhelming and slow it can be. For a rather simple game, there are a lot of explanations, followed by a fair amount of dialogue/story. The latter is honestly expected from a Persona title, though it makes things a bit harder to get into. Anyone just looking to slash enemies will need to either invest or accept that the story is not going to be their thing, often resulting in large investments with minimal gameplay. This gets better long term, though if you just want to see how it plays you might invest well over an hour just to get a good taste of what it has to offer.
Persona 5 Strikers Review – Verdict
Persona 5 Strikers manages to add an exciting new chapter to the beloved title. Not only does it feel like a true crossover, rather than a reskinned version of another game, it genuinely brings out the best things both franchises have to offer. Combine this with great visuals, cool concepts, and striking cutscenes and it’s a must for anyone who loves either game or just wants to play a Persona game without investing in an RPG. Sure, it might start off slow but it’s an experience well worth the investment.
[Editor’s Note: Persona 5 Strikers was reviewed on PlayStation 5 and a copy was provided to us for review purposes.]