Our schedule at TGS 2023 was quite packed today, but there was nothing more exhilarating than having the opportunity to experience Persona 5 Tactica (P5T), one of the most highly-anticipated games of the event, firsthand. We were granted the privilege to delve into the battle gameplay of what seems to be the initial stage of the game, introducing us to the distinctive tactical RPG spin-off of Persona 5. Regrettably, the TGS 2023 demo was only available in Japanese, thus there might be some key features that I’ve missed out on. Nevertheless, I'm very excited to share my brief impressions of the game with you.

In a familiar grid-style map typical of tactical RPGs, P5T takes a different approach. Instead of requiring us to designate a specific tile for our characters to move to, it allows us to freely control our characters' movement across the map before finally settling on a tile. This freedom enables us to strategize and position our units with greater flexibility and efficiency.

A crucial aspect of positioning in P5T involves strategically positioning your characters behind cover, which will trigger the Guard stance that could effectively reduce the damage they would otherwise take. Interestingly, judging from my experience in the demo, most enemies tend to start the battle behind cover and rarely venture out from it, make it hard for us to take them down swiftly.

However, there's an effective mechanic that could counter exactly situations where enemies simply refuse to come out from their cover, which is introduced through melee basic attacks and Morgana’s wind magic – the knockback effect. This mechanic can dislodge enemies from their cover, creating an opportunity for you to execute a Chance attack. Chance attacks not only deal greater damage but also grant you the 1-More bonus, a classic Persona series battle mechanic that allows players to take an additional action after exploiting an enemy's weaknesses.

Also, in P5T, the 1-More mechanic is intricately linked to a new battle system known as Tribangle, a tactical RPG twist on the Persona series' iconic All-Out Attack. When a character initiates a 1-More, you will have the opportunity to re-position that character and any remaining party members again who haven't moved during this turn. By moving them into a triangle formation, you can then unleash the Tribangle attack, dealing devastating damage to any enemies caught within it, making it an exceptionally effective mechanic to employ when confronted with large groups of enemies.

Even though I could only experience brief gameplay of P5T, I must admit that I'm genuinely impressed by the fluidity of P5T's tactical battles. The game's UIs are not only easy to understand but also accessible even for someone with limited knowledge of Japanese (don’t worry the full game will be available in English). Combined with the straightforward yet enjoyable gameplay mechanics like 1-More and Tribangle, in my view, the game successfully introduces a compelling TRPG twist to the beloved Persona series. Can’t wait to delve deeper into the game and explore more of what it has to offer.

Persona 5 Tactica is set for release on November 17 and will be available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC, as well as via Xbox Game Pass at launch.