The Persona series might want to rework how Shadows are fought

When players aren’t reliving their high school glory days in Persona games, they are busy fighting Shadows in another world. Born from what can generally be described as the darkness in human souls, Shadows take on various forms. From the snowman-like Jack Frost to the demonic Belphegor that sits on a toilet, the Persona series has some of the most unique enemy designs in video games. 

Each Shadow has its strengths and weaknesses – some of which are more obvious than others. The aforementioned Jack Frost is resistant to ice-based attacks like Bufu but weak against fire-based ones like Agi. A key component of combat is learning these aspects and using them to your advantage. While this trial-and-error process can be fun for some, others may find it outdated and in need of a rework. 

Persona combat is a guessing game

Whenever players face a new Shadow, the enemy’s info page is pretty much blank. Strengths and weaknesses are learned by dishing out different kinds of damage. Shadows cannot be knocked down unless players hit them with attacks that they are weak against.This prevents the “1 More” mechanic that allows multiple player turns to be executed, which can lead to a high-damage All-Out Attack. With so many of Persona’s combat mechanics riding on hitting Shadows’ weaknesses, it is imperative that players find them as soon as possible. 

This trial-and-error period during the start of a fight is when the party is most vulnerable. This might not be so bad when fighting against regular Shadows like those found in Persona 3’s Tartarus or Persona 5’s Mementos but mini-bosses and bosses are another matter. Many strong enemies like Persona 5’s Shadow Kamoshida can apply buffs and debuffs before wailing on players with their strongest attacks. Other bosses like Persona 3’s Priestess put players on a literal time limit– making it a race against the clock to figure out their weaknesses. 

Finding Shadow weaknesses could be more integrated into the game 

So, what is the fastest way to learn a Shadow’s weakness?  

Simple: you search for it online. There are thousands of guides detailing each Shadow’s stats and all players need to do is look them up. Doing this before each encounter can trivialize certain aspects of the game but it also removes the need to waste valuable resources like SP and healing items just to find an opponent’s weakness. This way, players can immediately get on equal footing with enemy Shadows and properly manage their turns and resources. 

There have been attempts to alleviate the frustration of Persona’s trial-and-error combat. Some characters can scan foes after a set number of turns while certain enemy types have been given general weaknesses (flying shadows in Persona 5 for instance are almost always weak to gunfire). Using the narrative to give clues about enemies’ weaknesses would be a great way to make Persona’s story and combat feel more connected. Another method would be for the majority of enemies in each dungeon to have a single type of weakness. Given that each Persona game features major improvements over its predecessors, hopefully Persona 6 will fix this polarizing combat mechanic.