Persona 6 looks like a horror game, and I couldn't be happier

Persona is one of the most iconic RPG franchises for a reason. Since Atlus released the first game in the series, Revelations: Persona in 1996, the series has been a critical darling and fan-favorite for years. We've had countless spinoffs and remakes over the years, but there have only been six main entries in the Persona series, with the last, the phenomenal Persona 5, releasing back in 2016. Ten years later, we’ve finally got a teaser trailer for Persona 6. It’s extremely dark – so much so that it looks like Persona is finally ready to take a surprising leap into horror. And I, for one, couldn’t be happier.

The teaser gives virtually nothing away, but it’s got a seriously sinister energy. There’s a green tint over the proceedings, as we're taken to a shadowy graveyard. Ominous music builds as eerie discordant sounds flood our ears. The camera moves slowly, lurking in menace towards a large, ornate gravestone in the middle of the cemetery. The shadow of a hand is seen outstretched towards it. Before the hand can make contact with the grave, the teaser cuts to a rapid montage of footage and cutouts of body parts that wouldn’t feel out of place in the Resident Evil franchise. Then, in bright, toxic green, “P6” flashes on the screen before the title “Persona 6” appears below. This may not be the Persona we've come to expect.

Reach out to the truth

The teaser's description makes vague but unsurprising promises: Persona 6 is a “new standalone story blending heartfelt daily life and new characters with pulse-pounding, supernatural adventure. Whether it's your first Persona game or you’ve been here since the beginning, this one's for you." “Heartfelt” is the only word that suggests this might not be horror, but plenty of great horror has heart. And “pulse-pounding” certainly suggests things are gonna get intense. I don’t know a genre more pulse-pounding and nerve-shredding than horror.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking: Persona has never done horror before. It's had plenty of spinoffs, including two fighting games, Persona 4 Arena and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax as well as three rhythm games, Dancing All Night, Dancing in Moonlight, and Dancing in Starlight. But no horror. But Atlus’ fascination with taking these characters into different genres is all the evidence I need to know it's capable of diving into the deep end of horror.

For those quick to say that Persona would never take the jump into horror, there’s something important to address here: Persona has always been a degree or two away from being a true horror game. Throughout the main series, you battle with twisted manifestations of your own psyche called shadows at night. Persona 3, arguably the darkest game of the series, is about coming to terms with the inevitability of death. Every Persona game has enemies that look like they’ve come straight out of Silent Hill, with plenty of murder to boot.

The farthest Persona has strayed from horror was Persona 5, with its infectious upbeat jazz soundtrack, but even that game dealt with heavy topics. Atlus has steadily pushed the boundaries with what we can expect from turn-based RPGs, and I seriously doubt Persona 6 would be an exception to that rule. Horror is precisely what Persona needs to take things to new heights. With a few tweaks, the dungeons we’ve come to know and love could become dense, relentless nightmares, while the daytimes at school could be used to grapple with the psychological impact of the horrors that await at night.

Now, Atlus is no stranger to delivering a creepy teaser trailer for a new Persona game. For Persona 5, the all-red trailer showcased five chairs with shackles on them. On screen text reads “You are a slave. Want emancipation?” before revealing the title Persona 5. It was undeniably sinister. Yet when you compare the two, the Persona 5 teaser comes off looking like an episode of Peppa Pig. If the Persona 5 teaser promised the chance for freedom, the Persona 6 teaser offers a full descent into darkness. And I can only hope Persona 6 delivers on this promise of a full-blown horror game. It’s been a long time coming.

With Atlus keeping quiet on Persona 6, we've ranked the best Persona games you can actually play