Persona 5 Royal Infiltrates the Tabletop Scene With All-New Card Game

ATLUS is teaming up with Pandasaurus Games to create a new card game based on Persona 5 Royal, the enhanced re-release of their popular JRPG, Persona 5.

While ATLUS did not reveal many details in its press release, it did announce that Emerson Matsuuchi, the creator of the tabletop games Century: Eastern Wonders and Foundations of Rome, is designing the Persona 5 Royal card game. Matsuuichi described his new project as “a cooperative card-based strategy game” that “will have players take on the roles of their favorite Phantom Thieves and fight to change the world.” According to one of Pandasaurus’ co-owners, the game will incorporate key settings from Persona 5, such as Palaces and Velvet Rooms. It is currently scheduled to launch in late 2023.

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Persona 5 is set in modern-day Tokyo and revolves around a nameless 16-year-old protagonist put on probation after confronting a man who was sexually harassing a woman in the street. After receiving a transfer to a new school, he becomes aware of the existence of another world called the Metaverse, which connects the collective unconsciousness of humanity. Entering this world changes the protagonist’s appearance and allows him to harness the powers of unique beings called Personas, a physical manifestation of the user’s personality.

After these revelations, the protagonist, along with his new friends Ryuji and Ann, discovers that Kamoshida, the coach of their school’s volleyball team, is sexually harassing girls and abusing the team members. Aware of Kamoshida’s social status, the two decide that the best way to stop him is by entering the Metaverse and infiltrating his “Palace,” which is actually a manifestation of a person’s distorted desires. By stealing the “treasure” hidden at the center of Kamoshida’s palace, they can forcibly make him experience a change of heart and admit to his crimes. When Ryuji, the protagonist and Ann accomplish this, the trio, dubbing themselves “The Phantom Thieves,” embark on a new crusade to deliver justice to the world by infiltrating other palaces and reforming hearts.

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Persona 5 launched in September 2016, and Royal released three years later in October 2019, adding a significant amount of new content to the game. These additions include an unlockable school semester, which expands the game’s story, and new explorable locations. It also adds a new playable character to the roster named Kasumi Yoshizawa. Once the player has formed a close enough bond with Kasumi via the game’s “Confidant” system, she grants the player additional abilities.

Persona 5 Royal is now available for PS4, but the game will launch for Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on Oct. 21.

Source: ATLUS