When the Phantom Thieves talk about stealing hearts, they're clear about the goal: to change the world. ItвЂ™s all a little heavy on the hokey pseudo-science, but Persona 5 openly and frequently pulls its fascinating subtext into the spotlight. They take on a moniker - the Phantom Thieves - and learn how they can use the Metaverse to 'steal' hearts, which in turn causes people in the real world to change and repent for evil theyвЂ™ve done. Rather than shying away from their powers or only using them when necessary, Joker and his new friends embrace those abilities. In true anime fashion, these friends each discover that they have a strange power: the ability to enter a bizarre shadow world known as the 'Metaverse' and, once there, to summon powerful creatures called Personas.ДЄside from a few wrinkles, the core plot of Persona 5 follows the seriesвЂ™ standard narrative closely. It doesnвЂ™t take long before Joker gathers a ragtag group of friends, including a disgraced ex-track star, a troubled teen model and a student council president struggling with school corruption. For a game thatвЂ™s explicitly about social reform and youth being misunderstood, itвЂ™s a complete breakdown, a hamfisted misunderstanding of the values and diversity of a younger generation. This would be disappointing in any game in 2017. Essentially, some of Persona 5вЂ™s only examples of queer characterization are there as a terrible joke. They show up at a couple of points throughout the game specifically to act effeminate and stereotypically gay, and to freak out Ryuji by flirting with him. Specifically, there are two recurring gag characters who are clearly homosexual.

The lack of same-sex relationship options in Persona 5 would be little more than a frustrating omission, but the game pushes it into much more aggravating territory in a few scenes. This is despite the fact that one of the male party members is heavily implied to be at least bisexual, claiming to have no interest in the female form outside of art and often interacting with Joker in a flirty manner. Joker can choose to start a relationship with every single female party member and non-player confidant in the game, but none of the men are romanceable. Persona 5 wears progressive values on its sleeves, which makes its approach to non-straight romance all the more baffling.

Persona 5 ps3