Persona 5: Every Palace, Ranked From Worst To Best | Game Rant
Persona 5 is a one-of-a-kind experience, seamlessly blending classic JRPG combat mechanics with some of the most memorable characters in gaming, all within an incredibly stylish acid jazz noir-inspired package. First released in the United States on September 15, 2016, it will soon get an updated re-release in the form of Persona 5 Royal on March 30, 2020.
The dungeons in P5, or "palaces," offer up a unique setting for the Phantom Thieves to infiltrate. As the team embarks on their quest to steal hearts and right societal wrongs, they're plunged into twisted, albeit iconic, representations of their targets psyche. Here we are ranking all 8 of them from worst to best.
8 Okumura's Palace
In theory, Okumura's Palace should be one of the coolest. The futuristic setting is rad, and the concept of Okumura seeing his fast-food workers as disposable mechanical drones is the kind of perverse villain trait that makes your eventual takedown of him incredibly satisfying.
However, this palace is kneecapped by both its extreme length and narrative shortcomings. While the stakes are still high, they're in relation to Haru, a character introduced as Morgana's sidekick during his rebellious phase. By the time Okumura's treasure is found, it's become less about saving your new friend from her forced betrothal and more about trying to move on past this part of the game.
7 The Final Palace
The Final Palace in Mementos has a lot of heavy lifting to do. Not only is it propelling the Phantom Thieves to their final confrontation, but it also has to keep things moving and fun. For the most part, it works just fine. The stark red and black color scheme, a fun puzzle mechanic, and some grim realizations all help make this a very serviceable palace.
P5 is at its best, though, when its characters are front and center in the conflict. Sure, the hearts of Tokyo are at risk, but a world-ending threat just isn't as compelling or creative as the more personal moments that the Phantom Thieves go through in prior palaces.
6 Kaneshiro's Palace
The best thing Kaneshiro's palace has going for it is the introduction of the newest Phantom Thief, Queen (a.k.a. Makoto, a.k.a Best Girl). The next best thing is the absolutely gonzo boss fight, where an insectoid version of Kaneshiro summons a giant mechanical piggy bank to ruin your day.
The keypad puzzles are fun at first, but grow stale after a while. Plus, coming off of the highs of Madarame's palace (both from a narrative and level-design perspective), robbing an actual bank somehow feels just a little dull.
5 Shido's Palace
Shido's palace has some of the absolute coolest and most thematically resonant moments in the entire game. Taking all the people that Shido's coerced into his circle to task is super satisfying, and the fight against Akechi towards the end is both thrilling and heartbreaking. Fighting Shido himself is a challenge, but it makes that eventual victory a fist-pumping moment of joy.
If only those stupid mouse puzzles weren't so annoying. The palace itself is already pretty long, but turning into an (admittedly cute) rodent in rooms full of enemies makes backtracking and exploring a slog.
4 Futaba's Palace
The best palaces in P5 tell you more than you thought you knew about whomever it is you're infiltrating; Futaba's palace gives you an almost fully colored-in picture of her psyche from top to bottom. What starts as a mission to get Medjed off the Phantom Thieves' back turns into a sweet and poignant story about helping Futaba coming to terms with guilt.
Crawling through the pyramid is also a lot of fun, if not a bit repetitive. The Egyptian-inspired personas you discover help give this palace a strong sense of place, and the puzzles help tell a story as well as break up the gameplay.
3 Madarame's Palace
Madarame's palace is the first time where Persona 5 truly pops off. Where every palace at its core is about stealing a treasure, this is one of the few that truly feels like a heist. The museum feels fully realized, complete with all the things you'd expect to find: an intricate security system, obtuse modern art, and, yes, even a help desk. Even the different sections within the museum feel unique and easily distinguishable. It's also one of the few palaces in the game where the Phantom Thieves have to work in both the Metaverse and the real world to pull off the infiltration.
On top of all that, Yusuke's story is told very well here. His complex relationship with both Madarame and art help make someone who could easily become a joke character stand out as one of the more emotionally grounded members of the group. To cap it all off, the final Escher-esque portion of the palace has some bonkers visuals and a fun navigation mechanic to boot.
2 Kamoshida's Palace
Lots of video games come with the caveat of "it doesn't get good until about [10, 15, 30, etc] hours in." Persona 5 eschews this trend at the top by almost immediately throwing you into Kamoshida's palace. Even though it functions as an extended tutorial, each trip into the castle manages to be fun while still telling something about the world, its rules, and its characters.
As Ryuji, Morgana, and Ann become more and more endearing to the player, Kamoshida, on the other hand, rapidly cements himself as one of the biggest jerks in gaming. Taking him down feels GREAT and propels the player into their role as a Phantom Thief for the next 90 hours of gameplay.
1 Sae's Palace
A 777 indeed! Sae's palace can be best described as a "bop." Everything in this palace turns the best elements of P5 all the way up. Akechi joins the party! The music slaps! You get to cheat at dice! By this point in the game, the Phantom Thieves have fully formed, the story has caught up to the beginning scene, and all systems are firing.
Cruising through the casino can be challenging if unprepared, but it feels so satisfying once you get to the final confrontation with Sae and, just for a moment, it seems as though everything has finally gone according to plan. Looking cool, Joker!
Post a Comment