Atlus' Persona franchise is considered by many (myself included) to be one of the most unique and fun JRPG series ever created, and two of its best entries are on sale right now. CDKeys offers discounts for the PC versions of Persona 5 Royal at $23.89 (62% off its MSRP of $62.99) and Persona 3 Reload at $45.39 (39% off its MSRP of $75.59).
✅Perfect for: If you love turn-based JRPGs with anime art styles, non-conventional premises, elements of visual novels, tons of hours of dungeon-crawling, and character-build tinkering.
❌Avoid it if: You prefer JRPGs with real-time combat and get the action going immediately, as the Persona games are slow-burners. Also, you may want to avoid it if you're not a fan of the Persona series' anime aesthetics and tropes.
A steal of a deal for Persona 5 Royal
For those unaware, Persona 5 Royal is a quirky JRPG that combines dungeon-crawling, turn-based combat, and visual novels. It follows the adventures of a group of high-school students moonlighting as masked vigilantes called the Phantom Thieves. By wielding a mysterious power called Persona, the Phantom Thieves aspire to rebel against their corrupt society by stealing the "hearts" of criminals and exploring an otherworldly dimension known as the Metaverse to fight evil monsters called Shadows.
I reviewed the long-awaited Xbox port of Persona 5 Royal a couple of years ago. Despite being nearly a decade old (it originally debuted on Sony's PlayStation 3 in 2016 as Persona 5), it holds up remarkably well thanks to the Royal Edition's gameplay improvements and the next-gen edition's graphical upgrades.
The series' trademarked turn-based battles are entertaining to partake in as they're packed with in-depth gameplay mechanics, the art style is jaw-dropping gorgeous to look at (especially when exploring dungeons and battle bosses), and the Phantom Thieves themselves are a bunch of intriguing misfits with likable personalities that will have you rooting for them.
While the main plot can be repetitive and feature cliches and plot twists that may irk some players, it is still one of the best PC games and, simultaneously, the best Xbox games that JRPG fans should not overlook. This game typically runs for an MSRP of $62.99 at most retailers, but CDKeys is selling the PC version (Steam) at a 62% discount for $23.89, saving you $39.10 in the process.
With the amount of money you will save from this deal, you can use it to buy our next deal spotlight, Persona 3 Reload.
Confront death and uncover the mystery of the Dark Hour in Persona 3 Reload
The premise of Persona 3 Reload has you assume the role of a high-school student who discovers the under threat by a mysterious phenomenon known as the Dark Hour. Every night at Midnight, the world is pulled into an unknown dimension, and innocent people are hunted down by bloodthirsty monsters known as Shadows.
To combat this threat, you are recruited into SEES, a group of individuals who wield mysterious powers called Personas. Together, you will journey into the Dark Hour to save humanity from Shadows, find out what caused this phenomenon, and destroy it for good.
I reviewed Persona 3 Reload earlier this year and I already consider it one of the best Xbox JRPGs and a contender for 2024's game of the year. This an amazing remake that takes the original Persona 3's gameplay loop of balancing high-school life with otherworldly dungeon-crawling and refines it to near perfection.
The improved graphical presentation is simply breathtaking to behold. It is packed with tons of quality-of-life improvements that removed vexing aspects of the original Persona 3, and it features new gameplay mechanics to make the turn-based combat faster-paced and more in-depth.
Not to mention, the story and character development of Persona 3 has improved upon in Persona 3 Reload, thanks to the addition of new cutscenes that explore them in more depth while staying faithful to the source material's vision.
While the difficulty from the original Persona 3 is somewhat diminished thanks to Reload's quality-of-life it is sad to see the fan-favorite female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable not included in this game, these don't stop Persona 3 Reload from being an awesome game that both JRPG fans and Persona fans will adore.
Persona 3 Reload usually runs a high MSRP of $75.59 at most retailers, but CDKeys is offering a special 39% discount for the PC version (Steam), cutting the price down to $45.39 and saving customers $30.20.
These killer deals for Persona 5 Royal and Persona 3 Reload won't last forever, so you better act fast before they're gone for good.
