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Oct 25, 2017
10,555
QoL fixes actually make things a lot faster
So the added length is far more welcome as it's story and more interesting combat
 

stupei

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,801
Haven't played my copy yet, but it's also my understanding that Royal is also designed to be easier to Platinum, if that kind of thing matters to you, so that people who already got the Platinum on vanilla P5 don't have to spend an insane amount of time going after the same content.
 

Princess Bubblegum

I'll be the one who puts you in the ground.
On Break
Oct 25, 2017
10,332
A Cavern Shaped Like Home
If you are going to invest potentially 80+ hours (or 150+ in my case) in a game, best to go with the overall definitive version.
The fact it actually makes Akechi a good character is reason enough alone.
Does it though? His role in the additional scenario material felt mostly like fanservice. I haven't played the original version but it seems easy to deduce what's new.
 

SoundLad

Member
Oct 30, 2017
2,263
Royal is very much worth it imo, fleshes it out nicely with additional characters, QoL changes and an extended epilogue. Easily my favorite game of 2020 and it was my first introduction to Persona.

Someone mentioned a GameStop sale and just picked up a pre-owned steelbook version of R for 10 bucks....that's a low enough barrier of entry I think

That's an amazing deal you got there. Congrats and enjoy the ride!
 

Jawmuncher

Crisis Dino
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
38,770
Ibis Island
If you are going to invest potentially 80+ hours (or 150+ in my case) in a game, best to go with the overall definitive version.

Does it though? His role in the additional scenario material felt mostly like fanservice. I haven't played the original version but it seems easy to deduce what's new.

As someone who absolutely loathed the character in the original Persona 5. Royal did enough with him (So long as you made sure to do their social link) that I did an absolute 180 on the character. Also helps with a certain plot detail, later on, to not feel as quickly forced.
 

grand

Member
Oct 25, 2017
25,206
No. Every Atlus "enhanced version" is worse than it's base game because it's just otaku pandering
 

SirNinja

One Winged Slayer
Member
Game is a blast, but I don't think there is anyway I'd play it again.
That's exactly what I thought, way back when it was announced. But then the pandemic hit, and I wanted a game to keep me indoors for a long time, so I thought, well, fuck it; I'll pull the trigger on Royal, I at least know the base game is solid.

And...I ended up absolutely loving Royal. I thought for sure I was going to burn out on it about halfway through like I almost did with base P5, but Royal managed to engage me quite a bit more throughout. It's far more than it seems to be. There's tons of excellent QoL changes throughout, you get more time to do things and build up confidants, the dialogue is localized so much more competently (including a much-needed fix for a scene that was super homophobic in P5), you get your own personal Palace with a really addictive minigame, lots more stuff carries over to New Game Plus (including HP/SP increases from exercise/meditation!), Akechi's social link gets way more fleshed out, and the entire third act is brilliant storytelling, turning several concepts from P5 on their head while also introducing one of the best-written villains this series has seen in some time. (And did I mention Mementos no longer sucks?)

Trust me, as someone who was once in your exact same position: Royal's worth it. It's an amazing ride.
 

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
You're not wrong, but they were never that kind of company, even before they started selling hundreds of dollars worth of DLC.
Oh, I know... I'm just reticent to rebuy the game at current prices considering I already own the base version and wanted them to get with the times 'cause I've had the itch for replaying this for a couple months now.
 

Kuro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,949
Royal's changes are absolutely worth it although it does make the game a little too easy at times so I would start on Hard and just power through the tough beginning.
 

Dolce

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,258
FES was an addition. It's very different than the other Atlus enhanced editions from Golden & onward.

Having to go back to 2007 to find an exception sorta proves the rule, no?

FES changes the base game, too. A lot of Persona come at different levels, there's a bunch added, there's various other changes in the base game, too.
 

ChrisD

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,634
Royal's Baton Pass being built-in from the get-go is reason enough in my opinion to jump over to Royal. P5's battle system was snappy and engaging, but I felt it was at its best lategame — and largely due to Baton Passes.
 

stupei

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,801
Oh, I know... I'm just reticent to rebuy the game at current prices considering I already own the base version and wanted them to get with the times 'cause I've had the itch for replaying this for a couple months now.

Totally valid. I picked it up for $20 from best buy over black friday weekend because I felt sort of similar, but also my second playthrough of vanilla to platinum was kind of recent.

FES was an addition. It's very different than the other Atlus enhanced editions from Golden & onward.

Having to go back to 2007 to find an exception sorta proves the rule, no?

FES made a lot of changes to the base game as well, just not with additional in game story time because the calendar system made that impossible. Other than this being your opinion on Royal and what I assumed was a reference to Golden, I wasn't sure what other titles you're referring to since this doesn't apply to FES.

Do you mean Strange Journey? Surely nobody actually likes what they did to the art style on the remake of that one, not even otaku.
 

Yukiko

Member
Feb 21, 2019
904
Spain
Thing is if you're actually going to commit to beat such a long game, might as well play the superior version
 

Another

Banned
Oct 23, 2019
1,684
Portugal
FES was an addition. It's very different than the other Atlus enhanced editions from Golden & onward.

Having to go back to 2007 to find an exception sorta proves the rule, no?

Just so I know, what's wrong with the 3DS enhanced versions? I own almost all of them but have yet to play the only ones I have played the originals of to have a frame of reference (Strange Journey, Etrian Odyssey 2 and Radiant Historia), so I'm curious. I hadn't ever played the Devil Survivor games or Strange Journey before so the enhancements were lost on me as they were my first time through for all 3.

Totally valid. I picked it up for $20 from best buy over black friday weekend because I felt sort of similar, but also my second playthrough of vanilla to platinum was kind of recent.

I'm waiting for a decent discount on the physical version to pounce but I've yet to come across one. Lowest I've found it is 50€, sadly. This just reminded me I should sell my vanilla P5...
 

DontHateTheBacon

Unshakable Resolve
Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,591
Royal is the best version of that game but if money is tight and you don't want to spend, P5 is great too.
 

Feign

Member
Aug 11, 2020
2,515
<-- Coast
Jesus christ..... I think I'll just play the original as the original time is a big ask for me. An additional 60 hours is too much

It's nowhere near an additional 60 hours, and I'd say the new content is considerably more satisfying a conclusion if you're going to spend your time on it regardless. The QoL also makes dungeon crawling a lot more enjoyable, as do the Persona abilities which can mean an easier and quicker time getting through dungeons.
 

Feign

Member
Aug 11, 2020
2,515
<-- Coast
Someone mentioned a GameStop sale and just picked up a pre-owned steelbook version of R for 10 bucks....that's a low enough barrier of entry I think

That's a steal! Also, some requirement spoilers for unlocking the new content because it's integrated we'll enough that a lot of Royal only players missed how important this new character was:

Max the councillor confidant by mid November. You can get to rank 5 pre-Summer vacation and the second half starting in September. There's a big chunk around July where you can't touch him which is why I'm mentioning this now. These are the new confidants that slightly alter the new content if you want to focus on them.

Akechi (last two ranks don't happen until October/Novemberish)

Kasumi

Otherwise, have fun and go with what you feel like. My vanilla playthrough was my first persona game and hilariously unoptimized and lacking in confidant ranks, but it didn't make the game feel any less special. It just felt more like my game. I mention what I did in case you enjoy yourself and then get blocked which sucks for so many reasons.
 

Grassy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,063
I'm kinda in the same boat, I played and enjoyed ~8 hours of Persona 5 before I dropped it due to life shit. Now I have a PS5 I can either play the original which has no PS4 Pro/4K support or get P5 Royal which does, and also sounds like it's gained a fair few improvements as well.
 

Hazmat

Banned
Dec 3, 2020
200
If you have some money to spend (I think P5R is like $30 now), it's worth it. It's probably not a game you'll be eager to replay any time soon due to its length and repetitive structure, so I'd pay for the better version. I've bought and played both (years apart).
 

VanDoughnut

Member
Oct 30, 2017
3,431
I'm kinda in the same boat, I played and enjoyed ~8 hours of Persona 5 before I dropped it due to life shit. Now I have a PS5 I can either play the original which has no PS4 Pro/4K support or get P5 Royal which does, and also sounds like it's gained a fair few improvements as well.

I just got Persona 5 Royale because I wanted to play the best version of P5.
I put in like 50 hours into the OG a long time ago but I dropped it (cause life got crazy lol) and told myself I'd play Royale but actually finish it this time.

The sharper image quality already seems kinda worth it to me lol if you can get it at a good price, it's not a bad move.
 

Leandras

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
1,462
Royal has a great final villain that made up for the rather rubbish one in the vanilla game.

If you paid for the vanilla game it'd be a harder sell since it is just an expansion on a game you paid for but if you have it for free I say it's worth it.

I own both versions. I got the base game on a deep sale and I couldn't get into it. Then I took a leap of faith and pre ordered the royal collectors edition for the art book and soundtrack and got my game literally 12 hours before my country went into lock down (Broke street date by a week). And I really enjoyed it a lot more to the point where I'm now busy with my second playing.

I just wish the game would take its own messaging to heart as it does stumble often with female representation.
 

haveheart

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,076
That's a steal! Also, some requirement spoilers for unlocking the new content because it's integrated we'll enough that a lot of Royal only players missed how important this new character was:

Max the councillor confidant by mid November. You can get to rank 5 pre-Summer vacation and the second half starting in September. There's a big chunk around July where you can't touch him which is why I'm mentioning this now. These are the new confidants that slightly alter the new content if you want to focus on them.

Akechi (last two ranks don't happen until October/Novemberish)

Kasumi

Otherwise, have fun and go with what you feel like. My vanilla playthrough was my first persona game and hilariously unoptimized and lacking in confidant ranks, but it didn't make the game feel any less special. It just felt more like my game. I mention what I did in case you enjoy yourself and then get blocked which sucks for so many reasons.

I just finished P5R yesterday (after 129 hours) and something felt off. So I looked it up and this was exactly what I DIDN'T do. This was my first JRPG/Atlus game and while I loved it, and while the game made it pretty clear that this was something you should definitely do, I somehow did not and missed a huge chunk of the game.

Currently debating whether I'll do another playthrough but man, another 100+ hours? Not sure if I have the time to do so.
 

Arex

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,584
Indonesia
I feel like Sony might update the Persona 5 on PS+ collection to P5 Royal sometime in the future, just like they did with FFXV.
 

Tailzo

Fallen Guardian
Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,015
I borrowed p5 for the library, finished it and then sold my ps4. I think I'll buy Royal some day. Either to play on ps5 or another platform.
 

SEATLiens

Member
Aug 28, 2019
2,324
Seattle
persona 5 Royal is basically a DLC that makes you pay the game over again but with QOL improvements, it's worth it if it's on sale or if youre a big fan of the series.
 

Feign

Member
Aug 11, 2020
2,515
<-- Coast
I just finished P5R yesterday (after 129 hours) and something felt off. So I looked it up and this was exactly what I DIDN'T do. This was my first JRPG/Atlus game and while I loved it, and while the game made it pretty clear that this was something you should definitely do, I somehow did not and missed a huge chunk of the game.

Currently debating whether I'll do another playthrough but man, another 100+ hours? Not sure if I have the time to do so.

Gah, I'm so sorry to hear that. If you've played the original it's pretty hilarious how much a blaring neon sign is there on top of the constant reminders about the availability, but it's incredibly easy to miss if you haven't played before. Especially with how much emphasis is placed on Kasumi in promotional work and the game itself. So much so that the councillor really doesn't stand out in the same way.

I'll say this: It's absolutely worth it, however I'd probably wait a while. I tried doing a new game+ after P5 Vanilla in January 2019 and only got to the second palace before moving on to something else. The year in between really made my return that much better, especially with everything else I got to see. It won't be quite the same for you, but there's a not insubstantial amount of story left, including some much needed payoff. The original ending isn't bad, but the Royal ending brings so many themes that were just hanging below the surface to the forefront. Especially with how it really tests the main stance the thieves ultimately take in vanilla. You can't go wrong either way, but with how important taking your time is in P5, I would suggest waiting and letting things sink in.

Does Royal actually run @4k or a close to that res? It's actually hard to find this info xD

True 4k, although it's locked to 30fps. I remember it being a pain to find out but seeing it makes it apparent pretty quickly. Everything is crisp and vibrant with some new affects to further make it feel like a PS4 game. The lighting in the new areas toward the end is especially gorgeous.

persona 5 Royal is basically a DLC that makes you pay the game over again but with QOL improvements, it's worth it if it's on sale or if youre a big fan of the series.

It depends on what you view as QoL. I think it's as worthy of a new version as something like Pokemon Platinum. And yeah, the new games thankfully have DLC instead of a third version but they didn't adjust the base game the same way they have in the past, for better or worse

I think beyond the QoL updates and how well things are integrated, the amount of new voiced dialogue likely took as long as the original, as any scene that was partially voiced before had to be rerecorded if some text was voiced now to make it all cohesive. I do think releasing at $40 would have been the happy medium that made the most sense, but it's one of the times I haven't regretted spending full price on a game I already owned. Prooooobably helps that I got P5 for $20 originally, though.
 
Last edited:
Oct 27, 2017
6,451
Melbourne, Australia
Yes definitely, but I am also a crazy person who gladly paid for Royal after having already bought and played through the original. But yeah, if you haven't bought the original game and are interested I highly recommend buying Royal rather than just playing the base game. The final semester is excellent, the new characters are pretty great, the new music is amazing and the QoL changes are awesome (especially love the tweaks to the battle system).
 

score01

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,709
Aaargh. Facing the same dilemma myself. P5 free from the ps plus collection or shell our for P5R? My first persona game too.

Side tracked just now as I started hollow knight instead as I couldn't come to a decision.
 

haveheart

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,076
Gah, I'm so sorry to hear that. If you've played the original it's pretty hilarious how much a blaring neon sign is there on top of the constant reminders about the availability, but it's incredibly easy to miss if you haven't played before. Especially with how much emphasis is placed on Kasumi in promotional work and the game itself. So much so that the councillor really doesn't stand out in the same way.

I'll say this: It's absolutely worth it, however I'd probably wait a while. I tried doing a new game+ after P5 Vanilla in January 2019 and only got to the second palace before moving on to something else. The year in between really made my return that much better, especially with everything else I got to see. It won't be quite the same for you, but there's a not insubstantial amount of story left, including some much needed payoff. The original ending isn't bad, but the Royal ending brings so many themes that were just hanging below the surface to the forefront. Especially with how it really tests the main stance the thieves ultimately take in vanilla. You can't go wrong either way, but with how important taking your time is in P5, I would suggest waiting and letting things sink in.

Yes, you're absolutely right. I don't want to rush through this a second time but do another chill playthrough. Probably next year then, when the third or fourth lockdown hits ;)

I was also dumbstruck when I couldn't progress my rank with Kasumi. I just thought you couldn't get her past rank 5. Reading up on it yesterday, of course I was spoiled but I want to see how this turns out myself nevertheless.

But overall, lovely game, certainly one of the best games I have ever played and I cannot wait to jump back in some time next year.
 

Papertoonz

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,270
Royal changes make it work the extra $, also I wouldn't worry about one being fast then the other since they both take around the same amount of time to beat besides royal have a few extra hours added onto the end
 

Tiago Rodrigues

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Nov 15, 2018
5,244
Just make sure you read a walkthrough so you can actually unblock the extra content. The game basically locks 20 hours of gameplay / story if you miss some incredibly random events that you need to do.
I learned this the worst way...after 120 hours of playing this shit.

Still not over it and it went from being one of the best gaming experiences this gen to the opposite of it.
 

Dwebble

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
9,643
This thread nudged me into buying Royal, having beaten the first palace in the base game on PS+ and thoroughly enjoyed it.
 

Tabby

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,403
No, Royal is barely better than the base game. Unless you find it for a heavy discount I wouldn't recommend it.
 

DaleCooper

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,853
The only reason that Sony is "giving away" the vanilla version is because they want you realise that you need to buy Royal.