‘Person 5: Dancing in Starlight’ review

“Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight” is a spin-off of the sixth entry in the “Persona” RPG series published by Atlus. Released in America on Dec. 4 at the same time as “Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight,” the game has the classical appearance of a poorly made cash-grab meant to capitalize on the series’ success. However, with a very intuitive user interface and the backing of the acclaimed soundtrack from “Persona 5,” the game proves itself to be more.

Set a short while after the Phantom Thieves of Hearts saved the world from near devastation, Joker and the rest of the thieves are thrust into another ordeal, the stakes of which are not nearly as serious as their previous adventure. They are entered into a dance competition to see who the better dancers are, the Phantom Thieves or SEES, the protagonists of “Persona 3.” With no real consequence to losing, the Phantom Thieves are more than happy to cut loose for once.

The already wonderful soundtrack of “Persona 5” is on full display here. Instead of using a peripheral controller, the players will use the Playstation controller. The Thieves dance in beat to the music in the background, with their timing and your score getting better with each successive note that is hit.

The game comes with 25 songs with more being made available through DLC. The game is a perfect light-hearted companion to the rather dark story that “Persona 5 “ introduced back in 2017. With no stakes and nothing to worry about should they fail, the Phantom Thieves’ personalities shine through more than ever as they interact with each other in ways we hadn’t seen before. With many unlockable cutscenes, songs and outfits, the game has much to offer for fans of the genre and the series.

While it is certainly a game made to capitalize on the success of the franchise, it is an extremely well-made rhythm game and is certainly worth the attention of the fans. While it is a well crafted game, it was clearly made with the fans in mind. Those who have never played a “Persona” game, especially the most recent entry, will be unlikely to find anything worthwhile in this release.

“Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight” is out now for the Playstation 4 and the Playstation Vita.