Relationships in any media, not just video games, require plenty of nuance and care implemented in crafting relatable romance. Social Links in Persona have always had a selection of characters that players could romance. In many ways, Persona 5 was full of weighty and emotional connections between the protagonist and various confidants. Most characters had intelligently written interactions with the main character, and in most cases justified the forming of their relationships. Building a relationship with many of the women in Persona 5 had genuinely interesting buildup, but events after that were problematic.
For a game that distinctly encourages competition between love interests, there's not much to do after players make their choices, and that's strange. Persona 5 has sweet moments sprinkled throughout its narrative involving romantic partners, but once a Confidant's social link is maxed out, there's practically no reason to hang out with them ever again. It's a shame, especially for relationships built on memorable events and revelations that occur throughout each character's story that imprint on a player's experience. Even if the social simulator portion is not the meat of a Persona game, there's still room for improvement for something that players become emotionally invested into.
Romance in Persona Thus Far
Relationships and Social Links in general really only began with Persona 3, after a reinvention of the franchise's origins emphasized the social simulator portion of Persona. From there, each mainline game in the series has given players the freedom to romance most characters, albeit only straight relationships are permitted for players. Romances were built the same way friendships are through the Social Links or Confidant system, but provided some additional scenes and dialogue when a relationship was formed with another character. Relationships are also not constrained to classmates as well, which as Persona 5 pretty blatantly points out, is very uncomfortable and inappropriate.
In the context of the most recent entry, Persona 5 in particular is the closest so far to make relationships and romance actually matter. That being said, it's not flawless in that regard by any means. For one thing, like almost every numbered game before, Persona 5 only gives players the options to pursue straight romance. Portions of the game even seem to joke at the idea of one of Persona 5's characters being made uncomfortable by homosexual advances, despite changing the scene in Persona 5 Royal. But even putting aside the immediate problems of depicting sexuality, discovering and fostering character romances in Persona 5 builds up to an immediate let down.
Improve Romantic Freedom
Future Persona titles should aim to improve many facets of its relationship and romance system moving forward. Every mainline Persona game has been insistent on including a silent protagonist, in an effort to tailor the experience to each player's preferences. While there are a few options for fans to change the way their protagonist acts, there are other aspects where the game is strictly linear. Specifically with sexual orientation, the main character is always a straight male protagonist. With only a few exceptions in spin-off titles, practically every Persona game has been this way.
As many as there are intelligent, charismatic, and impressive women in Persona, there are just as many men who fit the same role. Since the series has always intended on having a malleable silent protagonist, restricting players to these romance roles hinders that feeling for players regardless of their own sexual preference. A cut romance in Persona 4 shows that there was a planned relationship with Yosuke, which was never included in the final game. Persona has clearly experimented with and written homosexual romances before, so it's not like the series is adverse to the idea. Persona 6 should not be afraid to include these options, as it'll only make the game more inclusive for fans.
Less Waifu Wars, More Meaningful Relationships
Regardless of sexual orientation, romance and relationships in general should have more of a payoff for players investing the time. Persona 5 did actually make a solid effort in this manner by weaving personal and touching moments with romantic partners throughout the main narrative. The Hawaii trip, Christmas Eve, and the Valentine's Day Dates in Persona 5 especially highlight how the game wants to reward players for initiating relationships with their favorite characters. That being said, these are simply isolated moments out of an entire Confidant route that unfortunately drops off just like any other friendship in the game.
Because ranking up Confidants in Persona 5 has a progression system associated with it, there's always a reward up until reaching the highest rank. After that, hanging with Confidants only provides the standard hangout dialogues, with only a few easter egg scenes depending on where you hang out with said Confidant. This carries over into romances as well, and despite several specific scenes in key parts of the game, achieving a max rank Confidant in a relationship is no different from other Confidants.
Players can choose to hang out with their partners in specific spots, with some unique writing depending on the part of the city you visit, but that's about it. Outside of the holidays and story-specific scenes, there's not much reason to hang out with partners after maxing out Confidant Ranks. It's truly a shame, considering the build up for romances in Persona 5 (for the most part, there are exceptions) is genuinely interesting. Many characters have surprising and emotional character growths that players can witness and foster with their partners. But after that, memories end after reaching max rank, and there's only the narratively driven scenes to look forward to for extra scenes with partners.
While the romances in Persona are obviously not the core portion of gameplay, it does feel disappointing for fans to invest so much time into getting to know characters that won't have any additional screen time. Players should be rewarded for engaging in relationships with the cast throughout the experience, not just for brief story-centric portions of the game.
Persona 6 is rumored to be in development.