The Music Behind: Persona 5

Persona 5 has been one of the most anticipated games in recent years. The follow up to the incredibly successful Persona 4 released in 2008, fans have been itching for a chance to re-enter the world of Persona for nine years. Released to worldwide critical acclaim earlier this year it’s safe to say it was well worth the wait for Persona 5.

A role-playing JRPG, the game follows the protagonist as they move to a new town and begin adjusting to life in a new high school. Leading your high school life in the day and choosing how to spend your time in the evening, whether it be hanging out with your pals, heading to the batting cages or studying, gives the game a quality similar to the SIMs series. The action kicks in as the story unfolds and you’re introduced to the metaverse – a twisted take on the real world – where you, along with your friends and Morgana, a talking cat who appears to have avid knowledge of this other world, embark on missions as a phantom thief to steal people hearts and uncover their greatest desires.

With a brilliant story-line, an array of well-written characters and utterly beautiful presentation (even the menu selection screens are filled with graphics bursting with style and colour) it’s no wonder Persona 5 is a big contender for 2017’s game of the year. The music, however, personally makes the game for me.

Composed and arranged by Shoji Meguro, the sound director for the entire Persona series. Meguro has described the soundtrack as a ‘single continuous work’ mentioning that it flows a lot more in comparison to the past two games in the series. The opening theme ‘Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There’ is sung by jazz/soul musician Lyn Inaizumi, who also contributed vocals on numerous other songs, it is her first performance in a video game.

The games soundtrack was released in Japan on January 17th, 2017. The album featured 110 songs in total, spanning three discs. A special addition of the soundtrack with selected tracks was later released in North America and Europe, included as part of the collector’s edition of the game. The release is titled ‘Persona 5 – Sounds of the Rebellion’.

Meguro focused heavily on incorporating acid jazz elements to the score to express the mood of the game, this is displayed throughout the upbeat main theme ‘Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There’. Other highlights of the soundtrack include the haunting ‘The Poem of Everyone’s Souls’ that scores one of the game’s most prominent aspects, The Velvet Room. Meguro also bought in a hard rock influence for the games boss battle’s as he felt this would convey the struggle between the protagonist and a powerful enemy, this shines through most in the song ‘Last Surprise’. 

Filled with fire, wonder and variety the music brings an enriching element to the game that seems would be lost otherwise and only enhances the already brilliant gaming experience. Not only is Persona 5 one of the strongest game releases of 2017 but the OST is one of the best composed game soundtracks in recent years. 

                                              'Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There' 

'The Poem of Everyone's Souls' 

'Last Surprise'