Thanks to rumors of an announcement before the end of this year,Persona 6is facing more anticipation than ever. Even if these rumors remain reputable,Personalikely won’t be receiving its next mainline game for at least a couple of years. If series tradition is any indication, there are plenty of spin-off series that could fill the gap, and a potentialPersona Q3would be the perfect way to signal the end of an era.
Persona Qcertainly has its fair share of factors counting against it, but its standout features make now a more perfect time than ever. Contrary to its counterparts,Persona Qfocuses on uniting the casts of multiplePersonagames into one grand adventure while maintaining RPG elements native to the mainline series. This factor alone makesPersona Q3a perfect last hurrah beforePersona 6.
Persona Q3 Release Could Pave the Way for Persona 6
Persona Q3 is a Worthy Successor to Persona 3 Reload
Personais certainly eager to embrace its deep grab bag of spin-offs whenever there is a waiting period between mainline games.Persona Q2was one of manyPersona 5spin-offsthat welcomed a more general audience to the series at large. However, the series now finds itself in a waiting period betweenPersona 3 ReloadandPersona 6, with no other releases in sight.
While other options may seem ideal at a glance,Persona Q3is much more up to the challenge of linking the two games together. After all, the nextPersonaspin-off won’t just tide fans over untilPersona 6;it will serve as a follow-up toPersona 3 Reloadas well.Persona Q3has the opportunity to make the most ofPersona 3Reload’s best improvements, while giving other generations of characters a proper send off.
For one,Persona 3 Reloadfeatured an entirely new voice cast to make the remake feel as fresh as possible.Persona Q3would offer another outing for these performers after they missed the window for games likePersona 3 Dancing: Dancing in Moonlight. More importantly, now that the cast ofPersona 3are featured in the most recent and accessible game in the series, these characters are at the height of their popularity.Persona Q3could keepPersona 3’s cast in the spotlight, and potentially even foreshadowPersona 6characters.
Persona Q Could be Facing an Uphill Battle
Not all Persona spin-offs are created equal, andPersona Qis certainly on the obscure side. Despite riding the coattails ofPersona 5,Persona Q2saw lackluster sales compared to its predecessor. Although Atlus may considerPersona Qa risk that is no longer worth taking, the spin-off sequel’s reception is hardly the fault of its own design.
Persona Q2was one of the final games released for the 3DS, while the Nintendo Switch was already overshadowing its handheld predecessor. If it had been feasible to develop a port and delayPersona Q2’s release by several months, the potential success of the game could have been a very different story. After all, handheld systems have done more than undercut the sales ofPersona Q.
AlthoughPersona Qadopts RPG combat and dungeons resembling the main series, these mechanics were necessarily watered down to accommodate the intended hardware. Consoles have gained a lot of power since the 3DS, andPersonahas stronger ties to the Nintendo Switchthan ever before.Persona Q3could take advantage of this dynamic to raise the fidelity of its visuals and the depth of its gameplay.
Persona Q3 is Not the Only Option for Potential Persona Spin-Offs
Perhaps the biggest roadblock standing in the way ofPersona Q3is its competition, yet the game comes out on top even in that regard. WhilePersona 4 Arena Ultimaxalso prioritized a crossover between multiple games, any successor to the fighting game spin-off seems very unlikely at this time. IfPersona Q3isn’t in consideration to begin with, it’s more likely Atlus would take a new approach entirely.
AlthoughAtlus may focus onMetaphor: ReFantazioinstead,Personastill has room to debut a brand-new series. In fact, there’s a recent precedent for that thanks to titles likePersona 5 Tactica. However, when compared to other spin-offs that have been more firmly established,Persona Q3is evidently the best way to feed players' appetites untilPersona 6.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
WHERE TO PLAY
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a spin-off of the Persona series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise, and a sequel to Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.
