Code, the New School RPG Developed by Persona Veterans?

A team lead by former Atlus developers, including studio co-founder and Persona co-creator Kouji Okada, is releasing an ambitious JRPG later this year called Villion: Code. While the experience and pedigree of the game’s staff is certainly on display in its decidedly Persona-esque qualities, it promises to offer something different from Atlus’ turn-based RPG empire.

In addition to Kouji Okada, Villion: Code is being developed by Tadashi Satomi (scenario writer) and Tsukasa Masuka (composer), both of whom have extensive experience working on the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, respectively. These creatives have clearly demonstrated their talents in the past, and their involvement in Villion: Code ought to inspire some confidence, even if developer Compile Heart has struggled to land a major success in the past. But will Villion: Code be a pale imitation of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games that ostensibly inspire it, or will it manage to carve out a more firm, unique reputation for itself?

Is Villion: Code a ‘Persona-Like’?

The first thing that’s important to know about Villion: Code is its setting: the game takes place in the not-so-distant future, on a self-sustaining island town called Adhvan Resilience Research Academy City, off the coast of Tokyo. The town’s namesake, the Adhvan Resilience Research Academy, was originally formed to help humanity stave off extinction, but some of its staff and student body took the mad scientist route, experimenting with advanced gene-editing technology and transforming into monsters called GEMs. As a result, the island is enclosed in a bubble that prevents further egress or ingress.

In typical JRPG fashion, rather than some sort of military task force or group of highly trained operatives, the fate of Adhvan Resilience Research Academy City, and perhaps even the whole world, is in the hands of a group of teenagers. Attendees of Adhvan Resilience Research Academy, Villion: Code’s core ensemble makes use of partial gene-editing tech to transform parts of their bodies into unique, powerful weapons, making them unprecedented tools of destruction, heroism, or perhaps both.

Villion: Code’s Main Cast

• Protagonist: The player-character, 17 years old, is quite advanced, having skipped a year in school. He (gender and sex choice are not part of Villion: Code) is a member of the basketball team, is closest with Susilo, and is the older cousin of Rika Hayashi.
• Rika Hayashi: A 13-year-old 1st year student, Rika is a member of the Occult Research Club and known for her erratic, easily excitable personality.
• Susilo Sugiono: The oldest of the group, 19-year-old Susilo is an Indonesian student on the basketball team with Protagonist. His relationship with Protagonist is akin to that of an older and younger brother.
• Anastasia Ivanovna Valerievtskaya: Witty and competent, this 18-year-old is a popular cosplayer and social media personality with a tough outer shell. Her superstitious nature is likely to inform her adventures in taking down the GEMs.
• Chloe Berjhe: A passionate animal rights and ecology activist, Chloe has been suspended from school several times for refusing to partake in animal experimentation. The 14-year-old 3rd-year is a good student, but struggles with interpersonal relationships.
• Oliver Heath: Oliver is just 15 years old, but he has the jaded cynicism of a much older man. A sharp-witted member of the Debate Club, he is academically and intellectually talented, but also widely disliked because of his harsh, nihilistic worldview.

Like any good Persona or Megaten game, Villion: Code presents a colorful cast, but it will be interesting to see what sort of role each character will play in the game’s story. All but Rika are confirmed to live in the same dormitory, and with Rika being related to Protagonist, it’s likely that she will find a way to fraternize with this larger group as well. As such, it’s safe to say that players will get to know these characters quite intimately throughout their time with the game, but whether Villion: Code will have romance, a Persona-like Bond system, or other specific social sim mechanics remains unclear at this time.

Real-Time, Not Turn-Based, Combat Is at the Center of Villion: Code

While Villion: Code‘s ensemble cast, science-fantasy narrative, and core party of exceptional teens align it with previous Atlus works, its moment-to-moment gameplay greatly distinguishes it. Unlike Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, which are dyed-in-the-wool turn-based games despite their respective innovations, Villion: Code is a real-time action-RPG, described as being fast and intense. Its dungeons, which are procedurally generated and, oddly enough, tube-shaped, are filled with GEMs that will conjure battle arenas upon contact. Within these arenas, players can take control of different party members, hacking, slashing, and unleashing special powers upon their foes.

Hopefully, this combat system will introduce some nice variety to the ARPG combat shown in Villion: Code‘s trailer. There are definitely some interesting and unusual design choices on display already, such as the 360-degree aerial repositioning mechanic, so I’ll be eagerly waiting to see how the game shakes out.