Information regarding Persona 6 remains scarce. Developer Atlus has confirmed that it's working on the next main series installment in the long-running JRPG franchise, but fans have not seen any characters, Persona designs, release dates, or trailers so far. As a result, many fans are speculating about which elements from previous Persona games could return in Persona 6. One such element is the Costume Store, an in-game location from Persona 4 Golden where players could purchase costumes that changed playable characters' appearances in dungeons and battle.
The Costume Store was one of the many new features added in Persona 4 Golden, an enhanced remake of the original Persona 4. Located in upscale Okina City, the Store allowed players to purchase cosmetic outfits both for individual characters and for the playable Investigation Team as a whole. While most outfits only changed characters' appearances, some came with additional changes such as battle music and in-combat voice lines. Since Golden, costumes have made appearances in both main series entries such as Persona 5 Royal and spinoffs including the various Persona Dancing games. A Costume Store in Persona 6 would be a fun way to highlight the series' history, alleviate the games' often grind-heavy gameplay, and reward fans without requiring additional payments.
Costumes Can Reference Other Atlus Titles
Costumes in the Persona series have frequently featured references to other games, typically those developed or produced by Atlus. Most notably, the protagonists of Persona games have been able to don the school uniforms of other titles in the series, including Gekkoukan High from Persona 3, Yasogami High from Persona 4, and Shujin Academy from Persona 5. Some characters have also received costumes that are full references to other Persona characters, such as Persona 5 mascot Morgana having an outfit inspired by Persona 4 mascot Teddie. This is a great way to celebrate the franchise's 25-year history and look back on past titles.
Of course, costumes in Persona 6 shouldn't just be limited to those from Persona games that came before. In Persona 5 Royal, the protagonists could dress like characters from Atlus titles Shin Megami Tensei, Devil Summoner, and Catherine. When Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight was released, producer Sega put out a poll on Twitter asking fans of the series what costumes they'd like to see in the upcoming game. The Yakuza series won, and the costumes were implemented, with second-place Sonic the Hedgehog getting a nod in the form of a Sonic costume for Morgana. A similar poll or contest to decide costumes for Persona 6 would be a great way to get fans excited for the game.
Working Towards Persona's Costumes
The Persona games have become known for their elaborate dungeon designs and challenging boss fights; unfortunately, that also means that the games can sometimes feel a little bit on the grindy side. This is especially notable in Persona 3 and Persona 5, which featured the multi-floored dungeons Tartarus and Mementos respectively. While later Persona games added material-gathering side quests to give players some additional goals, collecting money and materials for costumes would be an even further improvement. Some of the costumes in Golden's Costume Store cost tens of thousands of yen, but were definitely worth the dungeon-crawling required to earn enough to purchase them.
While Persona 4 Golden made most costumes purchasable via the Costume Store, there were a handful that could be obtained via alternative methods. The fox Social Link who guarded Inaba's local shrine would sometimes award the player with costume items when interacted with at certain times during the year. Players could also unlock costumes themed around the mysterious Velvet Room through the attendant Margaret. Persona 6 could benefit from including these multiple methods of costume acquisition to keep players engaged, especially if it is a lengthy, story-heavy game like its recent predecessors.
An Alternative to Persona Costume DLC
Recently, many games and series have released costumes and other purely cosmetic items as increasingly expensive DLC, requiring fans to spend additional money to obtain them. Others utilize a loot box system, where players have a chance to obtain cosmetics, but it is not guaranteed and requires a combination of luck and persistence. While some fans do not mind cosmetic DLC because it is fully optional and does not add any story or content to the game, others would prefer to unlock costumes and cosmetics via gameplay and find the DLC limits annoying.
It is very likely that Persona 6 will either have DLC, an updated re-release similar to Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal, or both. Previous Persona games have had DLC that included costumes, background music, Personas, and battles against characters from previous games. The spinoff Dancing games have had entire characters locked behind DLC, and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax offered fans a DLC where they could experience the story from Tohru Adachi's point of view. While it is likely that DLC will return in some form in Persona 6, many fans hope that elements such as costumes will be added into the game via a Costume Store or equivalent feature rather than requiring additional payment.
Persona 6 will likely follow in its predecessors' footsteps, with a large playable cast and a modern, possibly high school-inspired setting. Equippable costumes are just one series tradition that could be continued in the latest Persona installment, allowing fans to celebrate Atlus' past titles by dressing up in familiar school uniforms, Velvet Room gear, or even Raidou Kuzunoha's iconic hat and cape. Including these costumes in the form of a Persona 4 Golden-inspired Costume Store could provide fun bonus objectives for players to complete as well as eliminating unpopular cosmetic DLC practices. For these many reasons, a number of Persona fans hope that the Costume Store will make its triumphant return in Persona 6.
Persona 6 is currently in development.