I haven't immersed myself in the Persona games, but many of my friends and colleagues love them. According to Atlus developer Kazuhisa Wada, that's a key and very intentional part of how the company makes the series.
Wada recently spoke at the CEDEC+KYUSHU developer conference in Japan (reported by game creators with translation provided by Automaton) about how the company's design philosophy has changed since Persona 3 was created in 2006.
Before Persona 3, Atlus' values were coined “Only One”, by Wada. It basically meant, “If they like it, they like it; if they don't, they don't like it.” Instead of creating games with broad appeal that don't do much to discourage anyone, the Persona series does what it does very well: stylish action, dungeon crawling, and developing deep relationships. When I write it like that, I convince myself that I should play.
In some of the games, even elements like weather and climate can affect the fights and the story itself. It all sounds great and I appreciate it from afar, but for some reason they have never clicked with me. Based on the company's past values, that's fine. The games have done well by cultivating a dedicated fan base and engaging them, without trying to win over people like me. Wada says this type of policy is exactly why he joined Atlus in the first place.
Now, however, the values have changed slightly. The company still wants to make its games in an uncompromising way, but today it takes more players than ever to make a profit. After Persona 3, the new policy was to create games that were “Unique and Universal”, meaning they are unique and interesting but also relatable.
Almost all Persona games are set and focused on high school, and most people can relate to the struggles they went through during those anxious teenage years. Atlus may still present its games in a unique way, but the themes resonate with many people.
“To put it more succinctly, it's like serving players a deadly poison wrapped in a sweet coating,” explains Wada. Given that their latest game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, is nominated for many awards and even won Best RPG at The Game Awards, it's a strategy that's paying off, even if I'll probably never get around to playing it myself.
If you want to enjoy some great titles over the holidays, check out our list of best role playing gamesthere are some Persona games in there.