About five hours into Persona 5 Tactica, the tactical RPG spin-off of the Phantom Thieves’ supernatural adventures through corrupted Tokyo, I find myself thinking about Persona 5 Royal more than what’s going on in this group’s latest adventure. This is less a condemnation of Tactica than it is the broader handling of Persona 5 and all its spin-offs and extended media since the original game launched in 2016. Tactica is fine enough so far.
The series has found ways around moving Persona 5’s story forward, whether that be through Strikers not taking place within the Royal timeline or, Tactica, Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, and Dancing in Starlight all slotting within a story that’s already been told.