Persona 5 Royal Famitsu interview details Phantom Thief Kasumi Yoshizawa, confidant Takuto Maruki, Persona 5 save transfer, and more
Atlus has updated the Japanese official site for Persona 5 Royal, adding a character page for Kasumi Yoshizawa as well as publishing a new series of teaser videos that are 'hosted' by Morgana. While most of the content in the first video - which you can watch right below - is already covered in the reveal announcement, It also newly confirms a Billiards minigame in addition to the Darts in Kichijoji.
The latest Weekly Famitsu magazine issue also has an interview on P5R with the producer Kazuhisa Wada, director Daiki Ito, and character designer Shigenori Soejima that reveals more information about the game. For instance, the Assist features are explained in more detail, in which Status Assist will give recommendations based on the hero's parameters, and Coop Assist based on confidant levels. Using Status Assist when the hero's Charisma stat is low, for example, will recommend you to visit the bathhouse. If you accept this suggestion, the hero will instantly move to the location.
Other than adding new features, the team also makes some quality-of-life improvements such as adding a feature that makes it easier to gather experience points so that the gameplay tempo can be improved. This interview confirms that P5R will add even more new confidant characters other than Kasumi and Takuto - who will be revealed in due time - while also stating that these new confidants will bring new benefits as the hero deepens his relationships with them. Having new characters like them will not only add new perspectives to the story but also lets players delve deeper into existing characters.
A good portion of the interview also discussed Kasumi Yoshizawa. Unlike Persona 4 Golden's Marie who had a special position as a new dweller in the Velvet Room, Kasumi will be an integral figure who takes part in the story in a way that Soejima designed to become the icon of P5R. However, the team has made extra effort to blend Kasumi into the story rather than altering the plot drastically which would have ended up deviating it into something too different from the original. The new school counselor Takuto Maruki is also covered -- he is described as a very kind adult to the hero and his friends, a notable characteristic in the world of Persona 5 where the theme is "children fighting against evil adults" and there are very few kind adults.
The team promises that the additional third-semester story will have more volume than what's expected from Persona 4 Golden players, confirming that free movements and both daily life and unusual events will be available in the new period. It is also estimated that around 20 new songs will be added to P5R. And having a save data of the base Persona 5 will give some sort of bonus, although there won't be a complete carryover like the hero's parameters or Persona Encyclopedia because the team wants players to enjoy the newly reborn P5R in a fresh state.
Persona 5 Royal will be released for PlayStation 4 and is coming to Japan first on October 31. The English localization will be out later in 2020.