Collector's Editions

Persona 5 Royal Phantom Thieves Edition

Persona 5 Royal Phantom Thieves Edition
Platform: PlayStation 4
Year: 2020
Region: PAL

Persona 5 Royal is an expanded version of the hit RPG from 2017, Persona 5. It adds a ton of new stuff, including a new playable character, an extra palace and semester, new locations and more. The game was released in March of 2020 to universal acclaim, with many critics considering it worth a purchase even for those that played the original.

At the game’s launch publisher Atlus released two different physical editions: the Launch Edition, which comes in a steelbook, and the more elaborate and pricier Phantom Thieves Edition, which includes a lot more goodies.

The Phantom Thieves Edition comes in a large collector’s box featuring a beautiful drawing by Shigenori Soejima, the man responsible for much of Persona’s distinctive artwork. This illustration is based on Joker’s ‘all out attack’ in the game: the protagonist in a dynamic pose surrounded by pieces of shattered glass, reflecting the faces of the other characters.

Lifting the lid reveals the first item in the box, the steelbook containing the game itself. There’s also a voucher with a download code for a dynamic theme.

The steelbook sits inside a paper sleeve with the same artwork as the case itself, an illustration of Joker removing his mask. The back of the case shows a collage of the different characters, and the inside is decorated as well, with the same artwork as the one found on the collector’s box.

Underneath the steelbook is a soundtrack CD containing 10 tracks. Music is yet another aspect this game has been lauded for, so including a soundtrack is a logical move. The CD comes in a paper sleeve featuring a variant of the game’s cover art.

The next item in the box is a hardcover artbook. Kasumi’s persona, Cendrillon is featured on the cover. It doesn’t have that many pages, but there is a nice variety of sketches, character art, promotional artwork, in-game icons and more. At the end is a message by Shigenori Soejima and art designer Azusa Shimada.

Lastly, there’s a shiny red box that holds a replica of Joker’s iconic mask, as found in the game. It’s in actual size, and even comes with an elastic band so you can wear it. But in case you just want to display it, there’s also a rather nice looking stand included, with a red backdrop featuring the game’s logo as well as Joker and Kasumi.

As far as presentation goes, this is a great collector’s edition. Every aspect of it looks stylish and seems to be made with a lot of care, from the box itself to the individual items. Considering what you’re getting, the asking price is also very reasonable. All in all a really attractive collector’s item for Persona fans.

You can check out the Take Your Heart Premium Edition (the collector’s edition for the original release of Persona 5) below.