‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’ Brings the Series to Your Phone—and It’s Shockingly Good

Persona games are herculean efforts to finish. A single playthrough of any game in the main series, which includes everything from saving the world to studying for finals, frequently clocks in at around 100 hours. Much of that time is spent building relationships with the game’s characters and world by hanging out with friends, doing mundane tasks like laundry, or finding new parts of the city to explore. It creates a dedication that leaves many players so attached to each game’s cast that they’ll eagerly jump into new experiences just to get more time with them.

Persona 5 was no exception. Since its launch in 2016, the JRPG has inspired spin-offs across a variety of genres, from rhythm game Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight to the strategy-based Persona 5 Tactica. On June 26, codevelopers Atlus, Sega, and Perfect World released Persona 5: The Phantom X—a spin-off for PC and mobile that mirrors the original game so closely, it works as both an easy introduction to the series, and an enjoyable re-entry into Persona 5’s world.

Much like with Persona 5, Phantom X s follows a group of teenage vigilantes known as Phantom Thieves who gain the power to summon powerful entities, Personas, to fight evil forces. More directly, the game feels like Persona 5, adopting its turn-based battle system, music, visual style, social links, and more to deliver an experience on PC and mobile devices that works surprisingly well for a series with so much to do.

While The Phantom X opens almost identically to the original game, it quickly veers away from Persona 5’s cast to establish its own. Something is off in the world of high school student Nagisa Kamishiro, where people are losing the desires that guide their free will and dreams. In order to help people reclaim their lives, Nagisa and his friends will need to crawl through the Metaverse, a foe-filled alternate reality only they can enter, and fight back.

The Phantom X is free-to-play, but is a gacha game, meaning it has in-game purchases and relies on randomized pulls for things like characters from other games in the series and items. It’s a controversial style that can prompt players to fork over cash endlessly to get the experience they want. Because of that system, The Phantom X is best played at a daily pace, rather than long stretches. The game has daily activities and awards to earn, and developers plan to continue releasing content for it over the coming months. Right now, the game only features Japanese voice acting and English subtitles, which may be a deterrent for some fans.

Although the Persona series is available on handheld consoles, like the PS Vita or Nintendo Switch, The Phantom X is the first time the more traditional JRPG version is available on mobile. The game uses touch controls to move through its world and select commands. Its cutscenes work well even on a small screen, and though its menu can feel at times cramped (depending on your screen size) it’s an experience that flows seamlessly. Mobile platforms are well-suited to the dungeon crawling aspects of the game especially, allowing for much needed breaks and the ability to quickly jump back in at any time.

For players who want to relive the highlights of the Persona 5 universe, The Phantom X is an easy recommendation. Its faithful recreation of the original game’s best elements, mixed with a new story, makes the experience feel like a premium one—and a promising look at what a Persona game could look like on your phone.