Persona 5 Strikers Review – A Powerful Other Self

Publisher: Atlus

Developer: Atlus, Omega Force

Rating: Mature

Reviewed on: PlayStation 4

Also on: Switch, PC

At the end of Persona 5, we parted ways with a terrific cast of characters we grew to love over the course of a 100-hour story. Last year’s Persona 5 Royal gave us an excuse to revisit that same adventure with additional content, but fans yearned for an all-new journey. Persona 5 Strikers reunites the cast from the original game six months later for an all-new trip across Japan. Even though it drastically changes a few key elements of the experience, it still feels like a true, compelling continuation of the game that stole RPG fans’ hearts nearly four years ago.

Many parts of the Persona 5 experience carry into Strikers; after hearing rumors of people abusing their power, you control the Phantom Thieves as you investigate the allegations before jumping to the cognitive world of the Metaverse to infiltrate their dungeon (which are called “jails” this time around) and change their hearts. Along the way, you fight through tons of Shadows as you progress toward the leader of the dungeon for a climactic showdown. While knowing the original game’s story enhances the experience, it’s not a requirement to enjoy Strikers. The familiarity of this formula is like a warm homecoming for those that did play Persona 5, but once you start beating up enemies, it’s evident this is a different beast from the traditionally turn-based RPG series.

When it’s time to battle, Persona 5 Strikers changes from a methodical dungeon-crawler to an all-out action game. The hack-and-slash style of combat from Musou games like Dynasty Warriors is implemented in small-scale encounters; each Phantom Thief has light and heavy attacks you use in different combinations to perform special attacks with status effects. I loved the frenetic and intuitive action that comes from slashing through hordes of enemies and watching them fly off the edge of Joker’s knife or Panther’s whip, but the combat adds extra depth using the characters’ Personas.

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At any point in a battle, you can summon a character’s Persona; the action pauses as you choose a spell to cast and the area it will affect. If you hit an enemy’s weakness, you open them up for a follow-up attack. If you hit them hard enough, you initiate a powerful All-Out Attack, where the whole team pounces on the enemies at once. The summoning system, when combined with the fast-paced combat and different environmental interactions, delivers a smooth experience that empowers you to take down enemies in stylish and efficient fashion. My favorite battles had me swapping between characters, rattling off different combos, exploiting weaknesses with their Personas, detonating explosive devices, dropping chandeliers, and delivering devastating final blows to close out the show. A constant stream of this action would be exhausting, but Persona 5 Strikers does a good job of pacing the encounters out within the jails.

Jails share many attributes with the palaces of Persona 5. They both exist in the Metaverse, have a ruler you’re trying to defeat to change their behavior in the real world, and are full of Shadows to take down. However, jails don’t deliver the creativity of the palace design. I appreciated the waypoint always telling me where to go, but when nearly every jail is a point-A-to-point-B venture, I eventually felt like I was simply going through the motions to reach my destination. One jail attempts to mix up the formula with a short stealth section and paths with portals that dump you in other areas, but these changes come across more as half-hearted gimmicks that I was glad to see abandoned after one appearance.

Each jail is ruled by a monarch, a powerful individual in the real-world who has found a way to steal the desires of everyday people to essentially enslave them. Instead of giving in to one of the seven deadly sins, monarchs have had their hearts corrupted by some form of personal trauma. I sometimes struggled to sympathize with the characters when the time came for their change of heart, but when this narrative thread works, the story of Persona 5 Strikers delivers some truly touching sequences about how trauma can change a person. These moments are enhanced by how many of them draw parallels to what a member of your team went through in the first game.

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Catching up with various members of the Phantom Thieves was the element I was most excited for in Persona 5 Strikers, and it delivers for the most part. I loved learning what they’ve been up to since the first game and watching them grow even more through this adventure. However, I was disappointed to have limited social-simulation opportunities. The social-link mechanics are nowhere to be found in Strikers. Instead, you have a bond system that lets you upgrade the party. You can talk to the characters around the city and invite a companion of your choosing to do certain activities during the story, but the conversations are typically inconsequential and underwhelming.

While not every disparate element comes together as well as it did in Persona 5, I was more than happy to go on another adventure with the characters I developed such bonds with back in 2017. The action may play out completely differently, but the heart of the series remains intact.

Score: 8.5

Summary: Even if the action of Strikers is very different, the spirit and heart of the mainline series carries into this enjoyable sequel.

Concept: Embark on another adventure with the Phantom Thieves set six months after the conclusion of Persona 5. Hang out, solve mysteries, and explore dungeons along the way

Graphics: The impressive visuals are overflowing with style and flash during the action-driven battles

Sound: Strikers adds all-new tracks to Persona 5’s already-excellent soundtrack, alongside remixes of old favorites. I loved hearing the original cast reunite to voice their characters once again

Playability: Exploring Metaverse dungeons feels similar to the palaces you remember, but now the turn-based battles are replaced with frantic hack-and-slash fare that is a surprisingly natural fit for the series

Entertainment: While Persona 5 Strikers disappointingly removes the mainline series’ social links, it carries over enough familiar elements to feel like a true successor

Replay: Moderate

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Deep Rock Galactic Review – Off To Work We Go

Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing

Developer: Ghost Ship Games

Release: February 28, 2018

Rating: Teen

Reviewed on: PC

Also on: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

The great triumph of Deep Rock Galactic is transforming drudgery into something thrilling, repeatable, and fun. You work for a corporation that cares more about minor profits than your survival. You are sent into dark caves to hack away small quantities of minerals. And your rewards are paltry compared to the risk you face, squaring off against massive alien bugs that hunger for your flesh. Yet as a stalwart space dwarf doing what he does best, you’re having a grand time, because the game’s systems contrive to transform that work into something magical.

One big reason for that is the smartly structured approach to cooperative play. Deep Rock Galactic may be played solo, with the help of an A.I. drone to aid in your mining efforts, but it’s profoundly less enjoyable. The game is at its best with a full four-person team of miners working together, ideally with a full spread of the available classes. Thankfully, a fast and responsive backend allows for quick joining or hosting of sessions, so good grouping is possible even if your friends aren’t around.

The four classes are thoughtfully balanced and play well together, complementing each other’s skill sets. The Scout’s speed, flare gun, and grappling hook get him quickly to where he needs to be. The Driller’s tunneling capabilities expedite any endeavor or escape, and his flamethrower is a crowd control boon. The Gunner’s weaponry holds the line in any fight, and his zip lines make team navigation manageable. And the engineer’s platform creation enables the mining of spots that might otherwise seem impossible to reach, even as his automatic turrets help hold specific control zones. Taken together, each adds something invaluable to the group, and I enjoyed my time with each.

In any given mining run, your space mining crew is sent hurtling into the depths of a mineral-rich behemoth of a planet, which also just happens to be overrun by hostile alien bugs. Sometimes you’re just there to collect a particular type of rock, but other objectives keep things interesting, from eliminating particularly nasty foes to retrieving the goods left behind by a previous mining crew that didn’t make it out. Secondary objectives lend an interesting risk/reward dynamic, adding time and danger in the depths, but with significant boosts to your payout. And as you climb the ladder of harder missions, there are other secrets to uncover, from hidden cosmetics in long-lost collapsed caves, to challenging “machine events” that throw in an extra challenging combat exchange. With a pickaxe in hand, there’s a satisfying balance in each mission between figuring out how to reach that elevated gold vein, and then switching gears to stave off a horde of attackers. Battles are intense and challenging, and demand constant teamwork.

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Regardless, the procedurally generated cave systems are fascinating and expansive. The game encourages a focus on discovery and exploration – the mapping and objective markers are limited. That’s frequently a ton of fun, leading to moments of excitement as you smash through a dirt wall to find a massive crystalline chamber just beyond. However, at times the focus on freeform wandering can lead to a sense of aimlessness. Likewise, the game makes great use of light, as the dwarves send out rechargeable flares (or the scout’s longer-lasting flare gun blasts) to survey the area. But the overriding sense of oppressive darkness can wear thin after a time, and the shifting light sources mean that it’s easy to get lost.

In between work shifts, your time back on the space rig features some fun interjections, especially when shared with others. You upgrade a beer brewing license with newly discovered materials, letting you toast each other before a number of silly effects take over, like lighting you on fire, or changing your size. Some drinks can even offer a buff for the next mission. You’ve got a place to dance a dwarven jig to the nearby jukebox, and a button to turn off gravity in the station for a time. Or how about you just kick some barrels around? It’s all frivolous and amusing.

This space station is also where you gradually upgrade your miner’s equipment as they climb through the levels. Consistent play leads to an array of perks, but most of them have only minor effects on the chance of success. A few unlockable weapons await each class, and an array of upgrades for armor and the rest of your arsenal. However, many of the most important upgrades are acquired in the early hours, and the focus shifts to a very slow cosmetic unlock path. I found myself wishing for some more meaningful options and customization after a time; the game demands many hours of investment to tweak your look to exactly the way you like, and more gameplay-affecting upgrades would have been welcome. You eventually open up “promotion,” which adds some new extended missions and a few additional upgrade options. With that said, the leveling curve is relatively flat, and characters of disparate levels can generally play just fine with one another, except on the hardest settings.

Minor quibbling about progression or navigation frustration aside, Deep Rock Galactic is consistently a great time, and highly replayable. The dwarves grumble and shout at each other, complaining about their lot, but happily tackle each new challenge with dogged determinism. It’s immensely satisfying to have your whole team empty out into a new cavern, and then immediately set to work chipping away at rock and bug alike. Even transplanted from their popularization in Tolkien or Snow White and into a dark corner of space, the essence of the dwarven fantasy is richly realized here, and consistently makes me smile. Bring some friends, a handy pickaxe, and a cantankerous attitude, and you’ll be smiling as well.

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Score: 8.5

Summary: Tightly balanced between resource gathering and fierce shooting exchanges, this dwarven mining expedition is a great time – especially with friends.

Concept: There’s a planet to mine, and it’s filled with deadly alien bugs. You’re space dwarves –  get to it.

Graphics: The star of the show is the lighting from your flares, as the balance between darkness and light in the deep caves adds a lot to the gameplay.

Sound: Foul-mouthed and grumpy dwarves make you laugh with their boisterous shouts, and the occasional high-octane musical riff lets you know things are about to get real.

Playability: Each of four classes is thoughtfully balanced and fun, with solid options for difficulty selection. The limited mapping and waypoint options are purposeful, but can frustrate at times.

Entertainment: A fantastic cooperative experience that delves deep into one narrow corner of fantasy tropes – the dwarven love of hard work and pretty rocks.

Replay: High

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Dirt 5 Review – An Approachable And Exciting Off-Road Racer

Publisher: Codemasters

Developer: Codemasters

Rating: Everyone

Reviewed on: Xbox Series X/S

Also on: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC

Muddy tires, breakneck speeds, and whiplash-inducing drifts are the name of the game with Dirt 5, the latest off-road racing title from rally veterans Codemasters. Dirt 5 embraces approachable, arcade-style gameplay, enabling more players to enter the race. With a variety of events to take on, you’re never at a shortage of routes to drive and donuts to do.

Dirt 5 continues the series’ hallmark of delivering terrific off-road racing. Thanks to the tight, precise controls, traveling the world and speeding past the beautiful sights feels awesome. I loved tearing through a muddy course under the shimmering Aurora Borealis in Norway and drifting around an icy corner with New York’s Roosevelt Island Bridge serving as the backdrop.

Performing well in Dirt 5’s races requires you to master the delicate balance of when to accelerate, brake, and throw the handbrake for harsh drifts. This light-speed calculus becomes even more complicated when you have to take into account other vehicles that can soften your cornering, or how the different surfaces feel when you’re going into a turn at 60 miles-per-hour; I can be more reckless on muddy surfaces than I can on ice, while the pavement is much less conducive to drifting. I love how you can truly feel the different surfaces in how your vehicle performs. On top of that, driving in the dark or inclement weather adds an additional layer of challenge, with lower visibility coming from heavy snow and the track being illuminated only by your headlamps. It’s unnerving and beautiful at the same time.

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While the main attraction is the racing (either lap-based or point-to-point), Dirt 5 also includes events like Path Finder and Gymkhana to change things up. Path Finder puts you on a hilly course full of narrow paths, rocky terrain, and near-vertical ascents and tasks you with carefully traversing it as quick as possible; I enjoyed each course, though the extremely uneven terrain sometimes caused my vehicle to bounce around or turn over, resulting in frustration as the clock keeps ticking. Gymkhana is a stunt mode where you’re tasked with completing drifts, donuts, and jumps on your way to (hopefully) a high score. I always looked forward to each Gymkhana event, but the short timer and limited set of obstacles make them fall flatter than a stunt-based mode should.

The various events come together in a meaningful way in career mode, which lets you plot your path through a branching tree of events on your way to becoming an off-road superstar. After completing a race in South Africa, I could opt to stay for a Gymkhana event rather than going to Greece for a difficult rally race. In addition to earning performance-based stamps that unlock new chapters, you also have optional objectives, which add a ton of flavor to events and get you noticed by other racers. Once you complete enough of these, you can challenge rivals to one-on-one Throwdown events.

Dirt 5’s career is fairly straightforward; there’s no vehicle customization outside of decals and paint jobs, but I loved replaying events to complete as many of the special objectives as possible. Most are actions I would probably do anyway, like trading paint with other racers, drifting a set number of times, or sustaining a minimum speed, but the “finish the race in reverse” objective always had me scratching my head.

Unfortunately, most modes outside of the career don’t give you enough incentive to stick around. Sure, I could try to post a better time-trial score on the leaderboard, but the feeling of repetition becomes unavoidable. The custom races let you adjust everything down to how quick the weather changes, but these settings don’t make up for the lack of optional objectives, making the races feel less eventful than their career counterparts.

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Because of this, I’ve found myself returning again and again to the community-driven custom course mode, Playgrounds. Here, I can use intuitive tools to build my own course for racing or Gymkhana, then share it online. While you can’t make a huge course like the ones in other modes, you use gates, barriers, platforms, and obstacles to deliver fun experiences completely distinct to this mode. I loved browsing the discover tab to find twisting Gate Crasher courses full of jumps and spirals. Even after I finished career mode, I regularly returned to Playgrounds’ community tab to check out the latest creations.

If you’d rather play with others, Dirt 5 supports local splitscreen with up to four players (even in career mode), as well as online play through traditional racing and party games like Vampire, a game of tag where you avoid the “infected” cars until the timer runs out, or King, an event where you try to capture a crown then hold onto it for as long as possible by avoiding others in the arena. Unfortunately, I struggled to find online competition through matchmaking; my most reliable method was to join up with friends, but even then, finding party games proved unfruitful. This is disappointing considering how new the game is.

Though some of the modes don’t provide the deepest experiences, I enjoyed my time racing around in Dirt 5 thanks to a fun career mode and a community section bustling with potential. Whether you’re earning your spot among the superstars or creating a vehicular obstacle course of your dreams, Dirt 5 is worthy of a spot on the podium.

Score: 8.5

Summary: Dirt 5 offers a fun career mode and exciting community features, but lacks depth in its peripheral modes.

Concept: Hop into the driver’s seat of a variety of vehicles and compete in events across pavement, dirt, mud, and ice

Graphics: Everything looks terrific. Sunlight hits your car, lightning strikes during storms, and your vehicle gathers dirt and dust over the course of a race

Sound: An appropriately amped-up soundtrack provides excellent accompaniment to the on-the-track action, but the roaring engines are the stars

Playability: Easy-to-understand controls allow for anyone to drive up to the starting line, but mastering the tight corners and the way the different surfaces behave is essential to grabbing a spot on the podium

Entertainment: With a fun choose-your-path career mode and community-driven custom courses, Dirt 5 provides a thrilling and approachable off-road experience

Replay: Moderate

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