ThePersona seriesgained much more mainline attention after the third game’s release. With the further growing popularity of Persona 4, the series began to grow into many different spinoff titles based on the characters from the main series.
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Some of these spinoff titles are canon to the story and build on the events from the mainline series. Some of the spinoff games are very different in terms of gameplay from one another, while others are simply upgraded versions of preexisting spinoff games.
6Persona 3 Dancing & Persona 5 Dancing
While yes, these are technically two different titles, they were sold as a bundle and are basically two sides of the same coin, which is also the reason they are low on this list. While it was fun to hear the remixed versions of such great soundtracks, both of these games received the same treatment Persona 4 Dancing did and ultimately felt underwhelming in comparison.
These games don’t have a fully fleshed-out story to engage with, and the events of the game, while considered canon, carry no weight or development for the characters involved. The graphics and gameplay, on the other hand, were a large step up from the previous dancing game and a huge step up for the overall look of the characters from Persona 3, who were last seen on Playstation 2 and PSP graphics.
5Persona Q: Shadow Of The Labyrinth
Persona Q wasn’t the biggest leap away from the usual Persona formula seen up until now with the turn-based combat and the randomly generated floors to clear. At the time, this game had a huge roster of characters to choose from and did a good job of juggling the cast and their interactions.
No one character felt left out or forgotten, and the story brought the Investigation Team and S.E.E.S together very well. The combat and dungeon crawling had just enough tricks and ideas to keep everything in the game fresh throughout the playthrough. The different beginning options also offer some replayability with New Game + or those just starting over.
4Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Persona Q2 gives you access to 28 total characters to use, bringing the full cast from Persona 3,4 and 5. While ultimately, the game does its best to juggle all 28 characters and give them interactions and relevant moments in the story, the best parts of this game come from its combat and gameplay.
With so many options, players can make their perfect team of five, pulling characters from all the modern games. Many of the first Q game’s mechanics were polished and improved to offer a much better game overall with its sequel. Multiple challenging fights and secret bosses fully engage players to mix and match with new party compositions, along with the many mechanics the game carries over from the mainline series.
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3Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Persona 4: Dancing All Night was the first and oldest of the dancing games. While it doesn’t have the shine of the newer games, it makes up for it with a much better story that is a direct sequel to the events of Persona 4. The storyline is much more tied into the gameplay, with morehappening to the charactersand those they are trying to help in regards to why our characters are now dancing on stages instead of fighting with their Personas.
While this game was the first big step away from the fighting aspects in the Persona series, it highlights how well Atlus handles a story and the character’s growth throughout it. While this game is older than the other dancing games, the mechanics, remixing of the music, and overall performances still hold up, if not exceed the new entries in all ways other than graphics.
2Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is simply the definitive edition of Persona 4 Arena. This game takes place not long after the events of Persona 4 but years after the events of Persona 3, showing a now young adult cast of S.E.E.S who continue to fight shadows as the Shadow Operatives. While the overall story is minimal compared to mainline games, it is just as impactful and handles its large cast of characters well, giving them all extended amounts of time to shine.
The combat has now been developed into a 2D fighting game that carries over many elements from the mainline combat system. Despite now being a fighting game, Personas play a larger part in combat than just casting spells, and the “One More” system is also developed to work in the new medium.
1Persona 5 Strikers
This game is equal parts a sequel as it is a spinoff. If it weren’t for the new combat system taking on real-time fights with a Dynasty Warriors style of combat, this game would simply be named Persona 5-2. It follows the Phantom Thieves on a country-wide road trip the summer after the events of the main game and even has a day progression system.
Character’s arcsare remembered from the first game and furthered with new villains that make the Phantom Thieves use what they’ve learned while also seeing new ways they need to keep growing as people. The combat takes on the “One More” and “Baton Pass” systems and seamlessly weaves them into an incredible and fresh combat experience any fan of Persona 5 needs to try.
