There would not be a Persona 5 without the PlayStation 4, so the fact that existing PS4 players do not have an upgrade path is a slap in the face. For this straight PS5 port of Persona 5 Royal, SEGA and Atlus are asking you to pay full price again, even if you already bought it on Sony’s last-gen system.
The port’s enhancements are almost nonexistent. It runs at 60 frames-per-second, which makes an already silky smooth presentation even smoother — but being a turn-based RPG, a higher framerate was never needed. PS4 Pro already offers a native 4K resolution, so there are no improvements.
However, at least all of the previously released DLC is included from the start. A bunch of character costumes and new personas add a bit of spice if you never bought them on PS4. Although it isn’t quite worth the price of (re)admission, this port gets something right.
Having said that, the PS5 version has its own Trophy list (as did the PS4), but you cannot transfer your save data, so you can’t simply pop all of your Trophies. It’s a bit piss-take that players have to pay up for the game again, and they have to start over on this 120-hour adventure with New Game+.
In spite of SEGA’s and Atlus’ rubbish, Persona 5 Royal is an excellent RPG. Playing it again only strengthened our opinion that it’s still among the best ever. Our original Persona 5 Royal PS4 review still stands, as we have all the points you need to know why it’s so good.
Persona 5 Royal’s excellent gameplay systems are complemented by an iconic soundtrack and style that make its publisher’s greed all the more deplorable.
Pros:
- Gameplay loop that works.
- Good characters.
- Great combat system.
- Unbeatable.
- Music classics.
- Includes all previous DLC.
- A masterpiece of JRPGs.
Cons:
- A stiff English script.
- No PS4 upgrade path.
- No PS4 save transfers.
- The full price.
It’s a 9 over 10 game for me.