The internet is surprised by news of a collaboration between Persona 5 and Sword Art Online. Persona 5, the well-loved JRPG by Atlus, has been making the news as of late as Persona 5 Royal is nearing its release date this Mar. 31, while the other Persona 5 spin-off, Persona 5 Scramble is getting released in Japan next month.
What came as a surprise though, was a tweet regarding a Persona 5 and Sword Art Online Collaboration.
Persona 5 and Sword Art Online Collaboration
The tweet in question was made by the Sword Art Online Memory Defrag twitter for the Japanese version of the game. So the tweet itself doesn't necessarily mean that SAO will be in Persona 5 Royal and that the collaboration serves mostly as a promotion for P5R. The tweet only announces that the collaboration has been decided as well as including a link to the collaboration's website.
To no surprise, however, the internet has expressed very strong opinions either for or against the collaboration. For those not aware, Sword Art Online (SAO), is one of the most divisive anime on the internet, with the franchise following Kirigaya Kazuto (left), or Kirito as his online handle, as he survives a virtual reality MMO. The VRMMO goes awry as players are unable to log out of the game, and that players who die in the game also die in real life. It is one of the most viewed anime in the west but it is as popular to mock it as it is to love it.
Internet celebrities have also weighed in on the topic, one of which being Joey Bizinger, or simply The Anime Man on Youtube. Replying simply "please say sike" to the Crunchyroll tweet of the collaboration.
Persona 5 Scramble
Persona 5 Scramble, surprisingly, has been setting itself up to bigger news than Persona 5 Royal recently. The game was initially teased as Persona 5 S on the Nintendo Switch, but recent news has revealed it to be Persona 5 Scramble. It will not be a Switch exclusive as the game will also be released on the PS4, at least in Japan. Its Japanese release is slated for Feb. 20, with no word yet as of today of an English release. It might be time to brush up on Nihonggo, no?
Over the past week, the musou game has been hyped with daily teasers, and it appears that it won't just be the cash-grab musou that people feared it would be. It will certainly be a player vs. horde type of game, the likes of Fire Emblem Warriors Dynasty Warriors, but the recently released PV#02 has shown that it will be a fully fleshed out Persona 5 sequel.
With new characters, a new storyline, and new events with current Confidants, and what appears to be a Ferris Wheel date with Makoto, Persona 5 Scramble is a fully-fledged game. The teaser reveals some amount of gameplay as well, showing a mix of hack-and-slash common in musou games, Persona abilities and leveling, and some stealth and platforming mechanics similar to the original Persona 5.
Persona 5 Scramble will be available in Japan by Feb. 20, while Persona 5 Royal will be internationally released on Mar. 31.
