Summary
A November 17Xbox Game Passupdate saw its library expand toPersona 5 Tactica, the latest Atlus title that has been getting some pretty good reviews in the days leading up to its launch. This day-one launch is yet another example of Sega and Atlus’s growing support of Microsoft’s subscription service, which was most recently underlined by thearrival ofSoul Hackers 2on Xbox Game Pass.
Theday-one release ofPersona 5 Tacticaon Xbox Game Pass was originally leakedby Atlus in June, before the project was even announced. The game itself is a strategy RPG similar to the mainlineFire Emblemseries, but naturally starringPersona 5’s character cast.
The initial critical reception ofPersona 5 Tacticahas been rather promising, with its aggregate review scores compiled byMetacriticbeing in the high 70s. The Switch port is currently the highest-rated of the lot, boasting an average score of 79, based on 24 reviews. Meanwhile, 17 PC reviewers rated the game 78 on average, while the aggregate scores of its PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions now sit at 76 and 77, respectively.
Average Score (out of 100)
78
17
0
76
23
79
24
77
20
84
Manyreviewers praisedPersona 5 Tacticafor its enjoyable gameplay loop, content-rich campaign, and impressive production values. Its story and overall handling of the series' lore appear to be a more polarizing topic among the critics, with opinions ranging from them being great to uninteresting. While there have been some notable complaints about the game’s combat lacking depth, most of them appear to come from hardcore strategy RPG fans. In contrast, Atlus was seemingly seeking to deliver an accessible SRPG that’s closer to something like theMario + Rabbidsgames than theXCOMseries.
2012
86
83
2014 (global)
80
85
81
2014
2015
2018
73
72
2019 (global)
2020
2023
Looking at the bigger picture,Persona 5 Tacticais currently enjoying a better critical reception than all of the series' rhythm game spin-offs. It’s also not far off from the 3DS-exclusivePersona Q2. The fighting spin-offs that Atlus co-developed with Arc System Works and the originalPersona Qhave both enjoyed noticeably better reviews than this day-oneXbox Game Passrelease, as didPersona 5 Strikers.
While these reviews don’t necessarily imply thatPersona 5 Tacticais a must-play at full price, they certainly suggest it’s worth trying out for Xbox Game Pass members. Atlus and Sega plan to follow up on this release withmultiple newPersonagames in 2024, includingPersona 3 Reload.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is the highest tier of Microsoft’s flagship game subscription service that offers over 100 game titles that you can play with a single purchase, making it one of the most outstanding value propositions of the Xbox ecosystem to date.
