A fun return to the classic formula, Persona 5: The Phantom X is a new adventure focused on a Persona named Wonder. Tasked with helping confront the darkness hiding just out of sight in Tokyo, Phantom X is a quickly engrossing expansion of the original game.

Hailed as a highlight of the genre for almost a decade now, Persona 5's impact has led to several spin-offs that reinvent fan-favorite Persona characters in new genres. Phantom X is a much more traditional version of the game, offering a new story and cast of characters to explore the world with. During a preview event for Persona 5: The Phantom X attended by of the press (including Screen Rant), ATLUS Business Producer Yosuke Uda and Sega Development Producer Jun Matsunaga discussed the game's development and showed off the latest expansion of the fan-favorite series.

Persona 5: The Phantom X First Impressions

Even A Decade Later, The Persona Mechanics Are Still Really Entertaining

Persona 5: The Phantom X is a very solid entry in the series gameplay and presentation-wise. Guided by the little owl-like Cattle, the player s up with a group known as the Phantom Thieves to invade the darkest corners of multiple minds in a bid to help others. This sets off a traditional RPG that utilizes colorful turn-based combat, dungeon exploration, and character interactions to advance the plot. Throughout the game, players will recruit other allies like the electrically charged baseball player Closer, bringing a bit of enthusiastic energy to the experience.

Part of that included crafting a massive new story for the game that would feel in line with the storytelling of Persona 5. "When you create a story [for mobile]," Uda and Matsunaga explained to the press, it's important to break the volume of the story so that becomes way more than a full console game." The character designs, thematic beats, and overall presentation will be familiar (if fresh) to fans of the series. ATLUS has done a great job revisiting the universe with a batch of new characters that feel perfectly aligned with the traditional style of Persona 5.

The story scenes presented to the press, including a brightly colored brawl in a baseball stadium, all feel familiar to the original series. The combat is tight and the visuals are slick, creating an effortlessly engrossing experience. As with Persona 5 when it launched in 2016, it's hard to escape the charming pull and anime flourishes of Persona 5: The Phantom X. The presentation is excellent, especially as it shifts between well-illustrated story cutscenes, overworld exploration, and turn-based combat.

All three elements were essential to the entire team, Uda and Matsunaga explained. The mobile approach doesn't diminish the visual flourish the series has always showcased. It's an easy game to fall into, making it feel like a genuine follow-up to Persona 5 instead of just being a standard mobile game with a Persona coat of paint. Playing the game for a few hours felt like minutes, and it's easy to see how fans of the franchise could easily become very engrossed by this spin-off.

Bringing Persona 5 To The Mobile Space

Persona 5 Is Still Fun, Even If There Are Too Many Gacha elements

The adaptation of Persona 5 to a live-service RPG is an interesting balancing act, as it opens up lots of different kinds of upgrades and characters that could be accessed through a gacha system. The random pulls of this format can lead to some great discoveries and recruitments, but often at the cost of real currency. While the developers behind Persona 5: The Phantom X explained that the core storyline could be completed without ever spending money on additional in-game resources, these options will open up new paths and gameplay options that might otherwise be closed off.

These resource options and character draws litter the menu system, which can become distracting while trying to find the right character to upgrade. It's not necessarily a flaw of Persona 5: The Phantom X alone, as it's a challenge that many good free-to-play games incorporate to help fund the title's expansion. Luckily, the Persona 5 game underneath it is engaging, and the frequent options for in-game purchases can't stop the game from being a success.

The game will be free-to-play and has been active in China since the open beta launched in April 2024. The game is now getting a global expansion, which allows players to step back into the world of Persona. The Calendar system, which previously determined the number of available options players could pursue in the game, has been removed. Instead, energy will be required to embark on specific missions — as with many free-to-play games, this energy will replenish over time, but can also be restored with monetary purchases. This translates the game's Calander mechanic to the real-life age of time.

It's an approach that the designers realize audiences may have mixed feelings about, and has left some Persona fans frustrated. It's also why it's so important that the game be genuine to the franchise — a goal it achieves. The core mechanics and world-building make Persona 5: The Phantom X a fun and engrossing game, even if it can be overwhelming to see the sheer number of purchasable options. Fans of Persona 5 (and even newbies to the franchise) will find plenty to love about Persona 5: The Phantom X, even if they don't want to throw down any money.