I finally decided to jump on the Persona 5 bandwagon and have yet to be disappointed.

I’m only on the third palace and I already know this game will easily make its way into my top 5 games and that’s largely because of the way the game has immersed me.

Persona 5 Royal does a lot right in terms of its gameplay, combat, storytelling, and character development. All of that is excellent, but it only works as good as it does because the game does a fantastic job at immersing the player in its world.

This is important because the game is long. Most playthroughs take well over 100 hours so Persona 5 is asking a lot of its players. This is where immersion plays a big factor because that might feel like a chore if the player didn’t feel totally immersed in the experience.

Oftentimes, the game’s length isn’t what makes a video game feel long, it’s the gameplay. I’ve already sank over 50 hours in the game and it hasn’t even felt that long. Again, immersion is the main vehicle for that.

So, how does it work? The main reason I think Persona 5 is so immersive is the every-day life tasks you have to tackle along with its calendar system.

A lot of JRPGs fully embrace the adventure and many of the characters leave everything behind for those adventures. This gives a game a memorable journey but often a detached experience because of the fantasy elements.

Persona 5 is different in this regard. It has you embark on your adventure while simultaneously living a high school life with class, part-time jobs, and hanging out with friends. This is insanely relatable and perfectly complements the adventure.

Because of that relatability, it makes it feel like players are part of an adventure that, while supernatural, they may experience in their everyday life. Breaking up dungeon crawling through palaces with batting cages, working at a convenience store, and hangouts is what makes the difference.

Furthermore, you have to keep the calendar in mind. Each day only has a set amount of time to do any of these tasks. This adds to the immersion because it almost makes it feel like farming sims where you live in real-time world.

While Persona 5 isn’t quite real time, it still works along a timeline that gives off that appearance. This makes the game feel like Animal Crossing or The Sims in that you want to keep coming back to manage your day.

Of course, Persona 5 does more than that to immerse the player, but the result is, nonetheless, spectacular. Without these immersive elements, I think the game may feel way too long.

Some may still think it is too long but the vast majority of commentary I’ve seen on the game talks about how well it does in its gameplay. That is, again, thanks to the immersion.

It’s not only Persona 5. I’ve seen this come up in other games such as Breath of the Wild, Red Dead Redemption 2, and other similarly massive experiences. The key there is immersion.

Again, immersion isn’t the only strength for Persona 5. It’s really strong in many of it other elements, but the through line that ties it all together is immersion on a scale that few others have achieved.

What about you? What do you think about Persona 5‘s immersion? What other games have done a great job at immersing you in their gameplay and world? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.

Featured Image: Atlus (via CG Magazine)

Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast about Video Games

The Boss Rush Podcast – A Podcast about Video Games – is the flagship show of the Boss Rush Network and Boss Rush Media. Each week, hosts⁠ Corey Dirrig and LeRon Dawkins⁠ are joined by friends, fellow creators, indie developers, and industry veterans to discuss the latest in the world of video games, including news, rumors, new releases, and what they’ve been playing. They also answer listener questions, debate important industry topics and Boss Rush Banter discussion points, and feature a rotating weekly segment. New episodes post every Monday.

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