Persona 5 Scramble's new four-minute trailer is cool and chaotic

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This Persona 5 spin-off keeps looking better

Persona 5 Scramble just got a lengthy new trailer showcasing its fast-paced musou action and hyper-stylized art design. The footage is the first part one of four updates Atlus is releasing every day between January 9 to 12.

For the uninitiated, Persona 5 Scramble is a spin-off to the excellent Persona 5, but the more that's revealed, the more I feel like the term "spin-off" is selling it short. A two-hour stream from November surprised fans with fluidly-layered combat that incorporates each character's persona, and an involved story complete with its own new characters. This latest trailer adds even more color to an increasingly-attractive picture for Persona fans.

Judging from the footage, gameplay might be more than meets the eye. Combat can be loosely compared to Dynasty Warriors' hack-and-slash action, but we can also see some stealth and platforming mechanics. The trailer also demonstrates a snowboarding scene that looks wildly fun, as well as a motorbike you get to ride around the city. 

It's almost a shame it's called Persona 5: Scramble, because that can give the impression that it's just a repackaged version of Persona 5, ala Persona 5: Royal. But one look at Scramble reveals an entirely individual experience that just might stand on its own as a proper Persona 5 sequel.

The only downside for Persona fans in the west is that it hasn't been confirmed for release outside Japan at all. That said, Persona is an extremely popular franchise worldwide, and it's almost an inevitability that it'll leave Japan at some point.

Until then, we can look forward to the best upcoming games of 2020 and beyond. 

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.