Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth (November 29th japan release)

[KHCast]

New trailer finally revealed earlier today 

Persona 3, 4 and 5 cast all confirmed along with FeMC(female P3 protagonist, possibly a now confirmed separate and canon character?) the movie theme has me so fucking hyped as it’s such a unique way to create new and unique levels. Looking forward to learning more and seeing these character interactions. I’m wondering if the casts from 3 and 4 will remember eachother, and if this is after the events of their respective games.(well, obviously regarding 3’s cast that can’t be the case since the protagonist is there, but perhaps it can with 4’s if it’s after the events of Arena.  ) if this is after arena for the 4 cast but the memory wipe from Q is still in effect then they’ll probably still remember everyone from 3 bar the main character, albeit be shocked at how young they are. If the memory wipe is lifted, and still takes place after Arena, well, that’ll definitely be interesting to see. And as for the 5 cast I’m not sure where this possibly will take place for them. After the main protagonist is released from jail and they head with him back to his home perhaps?

[Failinhearts]

> Cue Everyone Is Here joke (which, well, technically mot since still no P1 and P2)

Still, THIS is the game I wanted to see news of. While not playing the first Q game, I am in love with the style as well as the concept of having multiple Persona games cross over. With P5 and FeMC joining the fray, this is just going to be more and more fun.

Plus, movie aesthetic. Me liiiiike.

Something people did notice, that would indicate when in Persona 5 Q2 will take place is that...

PERSONA 5 SPOILERS

Spoiler

Goro is seen in the game footage.

 

[KHCast]

15 minutes ago, Failinhearts said:

> Cue Everyone Is Here joke (which, well, technically mot since still no P1 and P2)

Still, THIS is the game I wanted to see news of. While not playing the first Q game, I am in love with the style as well as the concept of having multiple Persona games cross over. With P5 and FeMC joining the fray, this is just going to be more and more fun.

Plus, movie aesthetic. Me liiiiike.

Something people did notice, that would indicate when in Persona 5 Q2 will take place is that...

PERSONA 5 SPOILERS

  Hide contents

Goro is seen in the game footage.

 

Spoiler

So probably somewhere between sai’s Palace(or a little before that), and before it’s revealed he’s the traitor more than likely. Well that’ll be interesting, as the entire group is aware Akechi by that point is a backstabber.(unless he survived that gunshot and he’s redeemed and it takes place still after 5’s events)

Also keep in mind that the persona q events tend to take place within their own time. It plucks the groups from different points in their own adventures. (In Q1 the 4 cast was plucked from during the events of the school festival for example, whereas 3’s cast was brought from the time during that big thunder storm literally right before shinji dies)

[SgtBloxx]

I've been waiting for news of PQ2 after finding out that PQ exists. I love crossovers, and I'm interested in how the new characters will interact with each other.

[Polkadi~☆]

2 hours ago, Failinhearts said:

Something people did notice, that would indicate when in Persona 5 Q2 will take place is that...

PERSONA 5 SPOILERS

  Reveal hidden contents

Goro is seen in the game footage.

 

Persona Q took place during the school festivals of Gekkoukan and Yasogami High, where all of the cast assembled. The same could be happening for PQ2.

And guess what happened in Shujin's school festival?

 

Finally, FeMC is back and is acknowledged. Her absence from P3D hurt, but this helps fix the pain (especially considering there could be DLC to add the PQ2 tracks with FeMC as a playable dancer). And with the Q spin-offs having a weird relationship with the Persona canon... She was saved from non-canon hell.

geeeeeetttt dunked on, trinity soul losers

[KHCast]

I’m honestly still kinda hoping for the 4 cast, this is after the events of Arena Ultimax, as that would create a lot of interesting moments between them and the 3 cast who would still be in high school. But yeah, I’m sad for the lack of Persona 1&2 love regardless of my hype for this 

[Salamander]

Pretty wild that in the time between this being announced and it finally being revealed, Etrian Odyssey X went through the full announcement-promotion-release cycle; even stranger that Atlus are releasing what are effectively two Etrian Odyssey titles within four months of each other.  Actually, considering the timing with EOX being released literally less than a week ago, it looks like they were deliberately waiting for that to come out before ramping up the publicity on this.  Makes me wonder how it'll play with the localisation; Q2 comes out less than four months from now, so I wouldn't be surprised if it hopped the localisation queue and came out in the west before EOX - though that's assuming we get either or both of them at all.

The cinema theme looks great; I was wondering how they'd construct the game in parallel to Q without repeating its plot beats too closely, but having the cinema as a hub and the dungeons be based on films (with clown Jurassic Park presumably as the first) seems like a really strong approach with a lot of potential for creating memorable labyrinths.  Having a mystery new party member at the heart of the game's plot was one of the elements I liked from the first game, too, and it seems we're getting that as well - though hopefully the reveal will be less ridiculous this time.  With all those characters, though, I am concerned about whether they'll be suitably differentiated both in terms of writing and gameplay; poor characterisation was a major complaint from Persona fans in relation to the first game, though as an Etrian Odyssey fan my problem was more that character construction was so basic.  Persona fusing was seriously disincentivised, too, because it never seemed to want to preserve the moves you actually wanted.  All problems we can only hope they'll have taken into account and fixed based on the reception of the first game.

[Danj86]

I'm...actually sort of hype for this. It was sure a pleasant surprise to see FeMC back, which should've happened earlier, not that I'm bitter or anything....*cough*

I do hope that this new character isn't suffering from amnesia. I didn't even notice how frequently they use that trope until it was pointed out. Though I wasn't expecting the P3 and P4 cast to return. I thought they might go a different route...or maybe I'm hoping for some P1 and P2 limelight for a change. I get that they are different to the other 3, but...if you're going for a crossover, why not go the whole way? The Q series doesn't suffer from any timeline issues with it doing things differently.

15 hours ago, KHCast said:

I’m wondering if the casts from 3 and 4 will remember eachother, and if this is after the events of their respective games.(well, obviously regarding 3’s cast that can’t be the case since the protagonist is there, but perhaps it can with 4’s if it’s after the events of Arena.  ) if this is after arena for the 4 cast but the memory wipe from Q is still in effect then they’ll probably still remember everyone from 3 bar the main character, albeit be shocked at how young they are. If the memory wipe is lifted, and still takes place after Arena, well, that’ll definitely be interesting to see. And as for the 5 cast I’m not sure where this possibly will take place for them. After the main protagonist is released from jail and they head with him back to his home perhaps?

That had to be the most confusing statement I've ever read, yet I did understand it.

The pace of the game would be effected if P3 and P4 had to reintroduce themselves to each other again. Unless these PQ2 events happen directly after PQ...like the second they walk through those doors, they find themselves in a cinema or something.

Though I would also like some kind of continuation of the Arena story. It feels like it has much more to tell with Elizabeth acting on her own and Sho running off.

[KHCast]

5 hours ago, DanJ86 said:

Though I would also like some kind of continuation of the Arena story. It feels like it has much more to tell with Elizabeth acting on her own and Sho running off.

The only downside to this would be that Labrys couldn’t be there since she’s on the Persona 3 side and the 3 cast and Elizabeth would still be the ones from during the events of 3.

[Polkadi~☆]

I can't help but point out... But FeMC's line translates to "I am him... And he is me?" It's quite obvious that "he" refers to Makoto Yuki, P3's male protag.

This can mean two things,

1. Both P3 protags will show up at the same time, you don't choose between the two.

2. FeMC is canon, she's just from an alternate universe, and happened to stumble upon this pocket dimension where PQ2 takes place.

[KHCast]

I wouldn’t be shocked at all if it’s 2. Given time travel, alternate timelines/universes being a prevalent thing in persona lore 

[KHCast]

NEW TRAILER ALREADY! Kamoshida confirmed! Shinji is here, so this definitely is taking place during or before the storm probably again for them 

HYPE

[Salamander]

Website details courtesy of Persona Central:

Quote

Story

Being trapped in the movie world, is it one girl who holds the key? One day when the Phantom Thieves were exploring Mementos, the Morgana Car suddenly loses control and is transported to a mysterious, unknown space. where enemies they’ve never seen before roam.

The thieves manage to escape after finding an exit into a strange movie theater. What they find there is a black-haired woman called “Nagi” in a white dress, along with a despondent looking girl called “Hikari.” This movie theater without an exit attracts “people with the same power,” an encounter which strengthens them as well.

Gameplay Details

The game will feature characters from Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, and the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable, for a total of 28 characters in all. It is possible to freely create multiple partner combinations.

The game features the familiar Persona series battle system, focused on exploiting weaknesses to open the way for an All-Out Attack. This system is combined with the hand-drawn maps from the Etrian Odyssey series, using the stylus. Additionally, there is a new system which focuses on tactics.

So from the sound of things, instead of having separate routes for the different game casts we might just start off with the P5 characters and pick up the others along the way.  It's not like it made a difference in Q after the first dungeon, barring a few side-exclusive sidequests which nobody was happy about the exclusivity of anyway.

The promotion seems strangely quiet on Nagi; we only see her in one brief clip in the trailer, and, Velvet Room attendants excepted, she's the only character not on the boxart.  Maybe she's non-playable, but even so, they're being strangely hushed about her considering she's one of exactly two new characters; and I'd have otherwise assumed she and Hikari acted as a single party member as with Rei and Zen in Q.

[KHCast]

Sounds like the gameplay will be more in line with traditional persona style, or at least take more inspiration from that vs the first person maze/rpg style from the first. I can get behind that if that’s the case.

 

And I guess this takes place then right before the mission on sae’s palace. Definitely interesting choice considering A. That’s during some pretty heated and intense events story wise going on in 5 and B. Akechi is still evil then and the group is well aware of that. I’m wondering how they’ll work with this into the plot in a not confusing or out of place fashion that won’t require a “lol memory wipe” cop out(like if Akechi turns legit good at the end and doesn’t wanna kill the protagonist or some shit lol)

[Salamander]

Famitsu scans for the game and summaries of the information contained within are out; scans here and information here; the big takeaways are that there's no route select, and the new characters aren't playable, both presumably because the playable cast is already so enormous.

Quote

Story

• New character Hikari (white hair, dressed in black) will be voiced by Misato Fukuen.
• New character Nagi (black hair, dressed in white) will be voiced by Kikuko Inoue.
• Unlike in the previous game, there will be no route selection based on the characters from which Persona game players want to follow. Persona 5 will be the focal point.
• By focusing on P5, the relationship between characters and the story could be improved and have more of a focus instead of separating the story into two paths. Encounters between the characters are linked to Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.
• The male and female protagonists of Persona 3 are not selected at the start of the game, as both will be present at the same time, crossing over in the same story. The female protagonist will be significantly involved in the story.
• The story is completely independent, so even those who did not play Persona 5 or see its anime adaptation will be able to enjoy it.

Gameplay

• There will be a total of 28 playable persona users, organizing a party of five to battle enemies.
• The main protagonist can be removed from the active party.
• The original characters will have a different role from participating in battle, unlike last time with Rei and Zen.
• A new mechanic involves party members being equipped with a second persona (sub personas), which can be summoned in battle.
• Because the game’s story is centered on the protagonists of Persona 5, the battle background music is P5 themed at the beginning. However, as members of Persona 3 and Persona 4 join the party, the variations in music will change.

Development

• Planning and development for the game entered full production after the completion of Persona 5.
• “By focusing on Persona 5, they were able to improve the deepening of character bonds and completeness of the story. Character encounters are more connected to the story than the first game.”
• The feature includes an interview about the story with producer Daisuke Kaneda. He was the director of Etrian Odyssey IV:  Legends of the Titan.
• The composer will be the same as the one for Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth: Atsushi Kitajoh.
• The game’s development is 80% complete.

Also, screenshots on the website confirm that it's still an Etrian Odyssey game, which of course it is as that's what the Q in the title represents; first-person perspective, mapping, F.O.E.s, the lot.

[KHCast]

So does being independent from 5’s story mean not many references/ties to any of the events in 5 period? So Akechi I guess is just to be assumed as a good guy throughout this game? I’m fine with it being first person traditional EO, though I do hope they’ll still be able to somehow take elements from 5 and implement it here

[Salamander]

I think it's probably more that they'll fill you in on everything you need to know rather than just assuming that you know everything about Persona 5 already.  We know that Kamoshida is in the game in some form, after all, which if anything would seem to indicate the story will be pretty closely tied to the original P5 narrative.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Out of all the complete pricks in Persona 5, they ran with the worst prick of them all. I guess Kamoshida is getting his ass kicked again in Q2.

[KHCast]

I wonder if themes of change of heart and Palaces will be intertwined in this given how Persona 5 will be the main focus. Would be interesting to possibly see one of the persona 3 or 4 characters have a Palace

[KHCast]

new trailer, and the animation is already lookin better than the P5 anime lol. Jk

[Failinhearts]

Something I didn't notice is that the main theme is gonna be a collab with Lyn and Lotus Juice.

10/10.

[Salamander]

It looks like we can in all likelihood pencil this in for a localised release around June next year.  The Japanese release date is November 29th; Persona 5 and Persona 3/5 Dancing both appear to have seven-month gaps between the Japanese and western release dates, and Atlus's other Etrian-Odyssey-based 3DS title, Etrian Odyssey Nexus, just got announced for a February 5th release date, almost exactly six months after its Japanese release date a couple of weeks ago.  EON is, in a first for the series, not getting an English dub, which I gather is consistent with Shin Megami Tensei: Deep Journey Redux; but EON apparently has an unusually high amount of dialogue for the series, so I can see why for the more niche of their tail-end 3DS titles Atlus decided to forego dubbing in order to get it out the door.  Q2 I'm presuming will be dubbed, as Atlus seems pretty consistent at the moment in their Persona dubbing and has voice actors attached to most of the characters already.

[KHCast]

I’m not ready to see insane looking Akechi with this adorable chibi design lol oh shit.

[KHCast]

highlight video for...Junpei? Okay I guess lol? Seems like a weird one to start off the individual character trailers with but the remix playing in the back is chill lol 

[KHCast]

English subbed Morgana trailer! So if Justine and Caroline are here in the plot...does that mean we’ll be seeing evil fake Igor haha????