Formerly known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, Persona is a renowned JRPG franchise that features a group of high school students as the major protagonists. The most recent entry to the Persona series is Persona 5 Royal, which was released in 2019, and fans are eagerly anticipating Persona 3: Reload, the upcoming remake of the 2006 game, Persona 3.
While we wait for the upcoming Persona game, here is a list of games that you should try if you’re a huge fan of vibrant anime styles mixed with contemporary aesthetics.
Catherine
In this ‘romance’ puzzle game, players take on the role of Vincent Brooks, the protagonist who is tormented by nightmares after he becomes involved with multiple women sharing the same name. This storyline-driven game forces players to choose between different dialogues, which will essentially affect the narrative and ending of the game.
Naturally, since it was developed by the same studio behind the Persona series, Catherine has to be on this list. The visuals are strikingly similar to Persona mainly because the man behind each character design is Shigenori Soejima, an artist known for his smooth, classic anime drawings.
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Trauma Center: Second Opinion is a simulation video game that is also developed by the aforementioned Atlus studio, which specialises in role-playing games. It is a simulation video game that serves as a remake of the 2005 Trauma Center: Under the Knife.
The visual combines anime design with visual novel elements using static scenes and character portraits with text boxes to deliver its storyline. The game itself revolves around multiple operations and procedures with rising difficulty with each level.
Honkai Star Rail
If we’re strictly recommending games based on their animation styles, Honkai Star Rail is a must-have on this list. The recently released game is known for its colourful character designs and meticulous world-building.
Honkai Star Rail features a similar art style to Persona and incorporates the turn-based mechanics in traditional JRPGs. In battles, players can control up to four party members and the turn-based system also strongly emphasises exploiting enemies’ weaknesses, much like in Persona 5.
Tower of Fantasy
This game greatly resembles other popular JRPG games such as Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail and even Persona. The bright colours, combined with the anime-inspired aesthetic, are what makes the games on this list so similar visually.
Tower of Fantasy is an MMORPG game that can be played across various platforms. It features a vast open world along with sci-fi-themed worlds and interactable environments that are fun to explore and discover.
Scarlet Nexus
Scarlet Nexus is an action RPG developed by Bandai Namco that follows a member of the Other Suppression Force (OSF) that is tasked to defend New Himuka, a significant place within the game. Scarlet Nexus boasts a captivating and visually appealing art style that showcases a cool and futuristic aesthetic.
The character designs in the game are also highly detailed, featuring a diverse cast of characters with unique appearances and fashion. Every aspect of Scarlet Nexus, like the games mentioned before, are rendered smoothly to give players an immersive experience.
