The Persona series had a massive year in 2020, with the success of Persona 5 Royal and the PC port of Persona 4 Golden. With the series' 25th anniversary coming up later this year, fans are excited about the prospect of a Persona 6 announcement as well. Unfortunately, even if Persona 6 ends up getting confirmed, it'll likely be a few years away from a Western release.
The Persona franchise is renowned for creating a JRPG experience that merges together social simulation elements with dungeon crawling. This allows players to not only enjoy the classic turn-based battles that the genre has become known for, but also develop a deep understanding and affinity for the characters in the game. While the Persona series is one of a kind, fans looking for similar games with an emphasis on social aspects should give some other JRPG titles a try.
Trails of Cold Steel
Despite being one of the lesser known JRPG series in the West, the Trails franchise has become one of the hallmarks in the genre for its detailed worldbuilding and complex characterizations. The Trails series is unique in that all of its games are interconnected, meaning that characters and plotlines from previous arcs will carry over to future ones. As the games all take place within a few years of each other, the overarching narrative involves almost all of the characters to some extent. Players that enjoy spending time interacting with different characters and building bonds with party members will find plenty to love in the Trails series.
Although the entire franchise has been around since 2004 with the release of Trails in the Sky, it wasn't until the Trails of Cold Steel arc that developer Nihon Falcom decided to introduce social simulation elements. While it's highly recommended to start the saga from the beginning, the later entries in the series are the ones that heavily emphasize the social link and bonding event systems much like Persona games.
Featuring protagonist Rean Schwarzer and his classmates in a military academy, Trails of Cold Steel allows players to immerse themselves in a daily school routine whenever there's downtime. Persona fans looking for a JRPG series in a school setting with a heavy emphasis on social bonding should look no further than Trails of Cold Steel.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Although Fire Emblem: Three Houses has more of a tactical approach to the JRPG genre compared to Persona, it shares a number of similarities that fans will enjoy. Taking on the role of Byleth, a former mercenary turned professor, players will guide a house of students through classes and battles. Much like previous Fire Emblem games, the core combat features a turn-based tactical system where players control different units in strategic combat. However, Fire Emblem: Three Houses also introduced social simulation and time management elements unique to the game.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses focuses on building relationships with different characters in between the battle segments, and features a calendar system much like the Persona series. Players will have classes to teach, and free time activities to engage in while they are out of battle, with these bonds eventually translating to exclusive events. Although the tactical RPG combat system might take Persona players some time to adjust to, the social aspect of the game should be familiar ground.
Rune Factory 4
Persona fans looking for a more casual approach to the JRPG genre will find Rune Factory 4 surprisingly suited to their tastes. A spinoff of the Harvest Moon series, Rune Factory 4 combines farming simulator mechanics together with traditional RPG elements such as dungeon exploration, crafting, monster taming, and levelling. Importantly, it also includes a bonding system where players can interact with fellow townspeople and build relationships with them. With options for giving gifts and celebrating birthdays, players will eventually have the option to date or even marry another character.
Originally released on the Nintendo 3DS back in 2013, Rune Factory 4 received an enhanced Nintendo Switch version last year. Featuring a brand new difficulty mode and bonus character episodes, the new Nintendo Switch version offers the definitive way to experience the game. Though the game is a far more relaxed affair than any of the Persona games, Rune Factory 4 offers a surprising amount of depth for a farming simulator and the social aspects of the game should appeal to many Persona fans.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE
A crossover between Persona's parent franchise Shin Megami Tensei, and Fire Emblem, Tokyo Mirage Sessions follows the story of a group of teenagers who battle hostile beings from another world called Mirages. Allying themselves with friendly Mirages, players must explore Tokyo and the alternate dimension where enemy Mirages roam. Along with the battle mechanics, Tokyo Mirage Sessions also includes sidequests where players can bond with other characters and receive bonuses as a result.
Although Tokyo Mirage Sessions is based on Shin Megami Tensei, Persona fans will still find plenty of aspects to enjoy. In particular, the turn-based battle system should be familiar for Persona fans as players will have to exploit enemy weaknesses and fight together with their Mirage. The Nintendo Switch received an enhanced port of the game last year titled Tokyo Mirage Sessions and it includes new story content as well as additional party members. Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE is a great choice for Persona fans looking for a similar Atlus title to immerse themselves in.
Tokyo Xanadu eX+
Tokyo Xanadu was conceived by Nihon Falcom as they wanted to shift away from the fantasy setting of their Ys and Trails series. Taking place in modern day Tokyo, players take on the role of Kou Tokisaka as he follows a classmate one day and accidentally gets transported into a nightmare realm. As Kou learns more about these mysterious vortexes, he gets caught up in a major conspiracy. Much like the Persona series, Tokyo Xanadu features a premise where players are a student by day but an unknown hero at night.
Tokyo Xanadu also features dungeon exploration along with time management and social bonding mechanics that are very similar to Nihon Falcom's flagship Trails series. However, Tokyo Xanadu is a little different from traditional JRPGs in that it features real-time party based combat. Persona fans who are looking for a game with a different combat system while retaining social aspects and character bonding should give Tokyo Xanadu a try. Though it was originally released on the Playstation Vita in 2015, an enhanced version titled Tokyo Xanadu eX+ is available on PC and PS4.
Persona celebrates its 25th anniversary on September 20, 2021.