Since its inception in 1996, the Persona series has offered a unique fusion of dating sim mechanics and classic JRPG dungeon crawling. With each successful Persona entry, there has been an increasing number of mechanical perks for players interested in investing the time to deepen their bonds with a colorful ensemble cast. While deepening friendships and beginning romantic relationships has become a beloved feature, the latest game, Persona 5 Royal, still has not realized the full potential of its romance system.

Deepening Social Links with specific Persona 5 Royal party members enables combat options such as protection from lethal attacks, as well as experience bonuses during persona fusions. Outside of combat, bonding with shop-owners or other non-party members will result in discounts or specific personal combat upgrades. There are a variety of mechanical benefits to players maximizing their Social Links to suit their playstyle, but the romance choices within each link are still mostly cosmetic.

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Romance mechanics thus far only offer players a small amount of bonus content during holidays. Since players can gain every mechanical benefit from Social Links without romance, the option feels somewhat superfluous - or even burdensome if the player unintentionally romances multiple characters. Even with the option to date multiple characters, the player will only see consequences through a secret cutscene if they romance every possible character at once. Considering the prevalence of “best girl” debates and how popular these limited romance options are, it is time to consider where the system can evolve for the as-yet unannounced Persona 6.

Potential Dating Mechanics in Persona 6

Chihaya Mifune

The most obvious new romance mechanic that could be implemented in Persona 6 is allowing players to go on dates. New cutscenes and scenarios in pre-existing locations would give players the chance to enjoy new interactions with their romantic partner. To add additional mechanical incentives, bonuses such as rare items, stat increases, or even attribute bonuses for personas could give the system some much-needed perks. Implementing a date system that provides tangible benefits in combat would allow players to feel better spending more of their limited free time with that special someone.

Duo all-out attacks have been a feature of the series since Persona 3 Portable, but thus far they have not required any bonds between the player and other characters. Adding a romantic duo-attack would be a fun opportunity to give players' choices more of an impact on pre-existing gameplay. Providing players ways to influence the kinds of attacks they can execute through the romance system would result in a more personalized battling experience. Adding a fair number of additional battle animations may be a budgetary consideration, but in any case it would be a joy to watch.

When a player maxes out a Social Link in Persona 5 Royal, that character's persona evolves, obtaining new stats and a unique special attack. The evolution is meant to reflect how the character has grown and developed as a result of spending time with the player, providing a strong emotional and mechanical resolution to their story. Expecting a unique persona for each romanceable character may be asking too much, but creating a romance variation of the evolved persona and changing their stats or special attack would add a deeper significance to the decision.

What Persona 6 will look like remains to be seen, but as Persona 5 Royal has shown, the series continues to have incredible potential to expand. Additional romantic options are one of many potential changes the series could adopt for Persona 6, but no matter what Atlus decides, the results are sure to be interesting.

Persona 5 Royal is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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