You need to play the best anime-style RPG on PlayStation Plus Collection

While Octopath Traveler is one of the prettiest RPGs of the last decade, Persona 5 is the most stylish.

This JRPG from Atlus oozes style in every part of its design, from its art to its gameplay and even its menus. This is a game that turns its anime-like aesthetic up to eleven and just makes you feel cool just for playing it. If you haven’t given Persona 5 a try yet, you need to give it a shot as it’s on the PlayStation Plus Collection.

Persona 5 was first released on PlayStation 4 in North America in 2017 and still remains a Sony exclusive four years later despite the fact that its protagonist is in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It is one of the games that established the PS4 as arguably the best console for single-player story-based games.

The story follows a formula somewhat similar to other Persona games, with a high school student thrust into a supernatural world after moving to a new place. In this case, the player is sent to Tokyo after falsely being charged with assault. They soon get wrapped up in a supernatural adventure with his high school friends.

They go into the internal “Palace” of evil people to steal the “treasure” that’s the source of their gross desires. And they look damn good while doing it.

Over the course of the game, players recruit other high school students in their quest, with the group ultimately dubbing themselves the Phantom Thieves. It’s a ridiculous but exciting adventure held up by the wacky cast of characters players come across. Oh, and there’s a talking cat too.

When you’re not in the Palace of a wicked person, you’re going about your day-to-day life in Tokyo, passing classes and strengthening your bonds with people around Tokyo. These mechanics not only make the game part Japanese life sim but can give helpful bonuses once you delve into a palace.

When the Phantom Thieves are in action, the game becomes a dungeon-crawling turn-based RPG where players can capture the titular Personas and use their skills in battle. While this isn’t mind-blowing in terms of gameplay, the game’s visuals make every move look as badass as it can be, and the Phantom Thieves’ designs are all memorable and iconic.

Persona 5 is so visually distinct that you’ll never want to take your eyes off the screen. On top of that, it has an engaging story and fun RPG gameplay that’s accessible to people new to the genre. It’s critically acclaimed and definitely up there with some of the best RPGs of the last decade, so it’s one of the most worthwhile games in the PlayStation Plus Collection.

If you find yourself enjoying Persona 5 and want more, you can also check out Persona 5 Royal, an enhanced version of the game with even more characters and things to do. The basic version of Persona 5 on PlayStation Plus Collection is still a fantastic experience on its own though, so don’t worry about missing out.

After that, a pseudo-sequel that’s more of an action game than an RPG, Persona 5: Strikers, just released on PS4 and Nintendo Switch in February. Persona 4: Golden is also on PC and PS Vita if you want to see where the series came from. Persona 5 made this series more popular than ever because of how engaging and stylish it is.

If you’ve yet to experience Persona 5, you should give it a shot through the PlayStation Plus Collection on PS5. Once you do, you’ll have an awesome new series and fanbase to engage with.

Persona 5 is currently available for PS4.