How Persona 5 Tactica’s Boss Design Could Inspire Persona 6

Highlights

• Persona 5 Tactica introduces a new gameplay style to the Persona series, with strategic RPG elements and unique boss battle mechanics.
• The boss fights in Persona 5 Tactica incorporate puzzle-like elements, adding an extra layer of strategy to the game’s combat encounters.
• Persona 6 could potentially draw inspiration from Persona 5 Tactica and other RPGs that feature puzzle mechanics in boss battles, allowing for more complex and engaging gameplay experiences.

Persona 5 Tactica lets players see the Persona 5 cast in a brand-new way as they face new foes in this strategy RPG spin-off. While the gameplay of Persona 5 Tactica is mostly different from the other Persona 5 games, there are still elements of the game that make it recognizable as an entry in the series. However, the ways Persona 5 Tactica builds upon the series’ staple mechanics could warrant a return in Persona 6, and the boss fights in particular could be the basis for new gameplay opportunities in the next mainline Persona title.

The Persona series is no stranger to spin-off titles that introduce different gameplay mechanics than the mainline games. Persona 5 and its spin-offs are notable for exploring a variety of genres beyond that of the traditional JRPG, like the hack-and-slash gameplay of Persona 5 Strikers, or the tactical RPG gameplay of Persona 5 Tactica. However, it’s rare that these spin-off games turn around and inspire mechanics in mainline Persona games, but there is a good argument to be made for Persona 6 to include Persona 5 Tactica‘s boss battle mechanics.

Persona 6 Could Build Upon the Boss Mechanics of Persona 5 Tactica

Given that Persona 5 Tactica‘s gameplay utilizes the grid-based combat of tactical RPGs, it’s not surprising to see how boss fights have changed to fit this genre. Rather than following the typical turn-based attack trade-off of other Persona games, Persona 5 Tactica meshes puzzle elements with its standard gameplay to add another layer of strategy to the game’s usual combat encounters. If Persona 6 wants to refresh the series’ boss battle formula, including more puzzle-based mechanics like those in Persona 5 Tactica could be a great way to accomplish this.

Persona Games Have Been Getting More Complicated with Boss Fights

There is precedent for Persona games to have more complex boss fights beyond the standard strategy of targeting elemental weaknesses. Persona 5 Royal bosses usually include some twists to make them stand out more than regular enemy encounters, such as Shadow Madarame who requires players to target specific parts with certain attack types, or Shadow Okumura who forces players to defeat waves of minions in one turn before they are replaced. These elements make boss fights feel more epic than usual, and Persona 6 could take them to the next level by drawing inspiration from Persona 5 Tactica.

For example, Lady Marie’s boss fight introduces puzzle-like elements by having players lure Marie to different parts of the stage and hit her with bouquets to damage her while avoiding her tank. Another example is Lord Yoshiki’s boss fight, which has players navigating elevators as they make their way up the stage’s various platforms to reach the boss. Persona 6 could implement similar mechanics for its bosses if it allows players to switch positions on the battlefield during boss battles, opening up the door for another level of strategy based on player positioning without becoming a full-blown strategy RPG.

More RPGs Have Introduced Puzzle Mechanics for Bosses

Not only could Persona 6 take inspiration from Persona 5 Tactica‘s puzzle-based boss fights, but there are other RPGs that include these types of bosses that Persona 6 could draw on when designing unique battles. Paper Mario: The Origami King‘s bosses are designed to be more puzzle-oriented than the traditional RPG boss, and Undertale requires players to experiment with different dialogue options to solve the puzzle of the boss’s weakness. Persona 6 has a lot of room to experiment with different puzzles within its boss fights after Persona 5 Tactica and Persona 5 Royal laid the groundwork for this type of combat in the series.