Unveiling the Intriguing World of Persona 5: The Phantom X

Persona 5: The Phantom X is an upcoming mobile and PC game spin-off of the popular Persona 5 series, currently only slated for release in China. Publisher Perfect World and developer Black Wings Studio are collaborating with Atlus and Sega on the game's creation. While there is no release date or announcement about an international release, a closed beta was held on March 29-31, revealing some details about the gameplay and story.

The main character, Wonder, encounters P5X's new mascot, an owl named Luffy, and meets a man "twisted by desire." He enters the man's baseball-themed palace to steal his treasure. Wonder's persona is Janosik, a hero who robs the rich but doesn't kill innocents. The closed beta's story centers on Wonder and a classmate named Motoha Arai.

While some players criticized the closed beta's short and incomplete story, the developers have addressed criticism and may make changes before the full release. Combat in P5X is still turn-based but has some changes, including a new "One More" mechanic and a weakness "meter." Mementos, an exploration area in Persona 5, is expanded in P5X, and players can unlock new areas with "map parts" found by ramming the Luffy bus.

There is no word yet on when Persona 5: The Phantom X will be released or if it will be localized for an international audience. Nevertheless, fans are eagerly awaiting more information and hoping for a wider release.

After the closed beta, the developers held a post-mortem discussion on Bilibili to address the issues and feedback from players.

Storytelling: The developers acknowledged the feedback regarding the abruptness of the story and explained that the closed beta only revealed the first palace's story. They promised that the story would be more cohesive and gradual in the full release.

Graphics: Players also had some issues with the graphics, particularly the character models, which some felt were not up to par with Persona 5. The developers promised to improve the graphics for the full release.

Localization: A big concern for non-Chinese players was whether or not the game would receive an international release. The developers did not give a definite answer but stated that they would consider it if there was enough demand.

Microtransactions: The developers confirmed that there would be microtransactions in the game but emphasized that they would not affect gameplay and would only be for cosmetic items.

With the Persona franchise's popularity exploding in recent years, the big question for non-Chinese players is whether or not Persona 5: The Phantom X will receive an international release. While the developers did not give a definite answer, they did state that they would consider it if there was enough demand. For fans of the series and Persona 5 in particular, P5X is definitely worth watching.