Gacha style and mobile games can be hit or miss. A lot of times, they hide content behind progress gates using energy or monetized methods. Or, the pull rates are so low for the best characters that it takes forever to get anything worthwhile.
Now, I’m not going to say Persona 5: The Phantom X is perfect. It’s not. But I am having a blast playing and it’s about as close to a true Persona game as one might expect. But my favorite part is that it’s available cross-platform. I’ve been able to swap between mobile (Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra), PC, and Steam Deck, seamlessly. After linking accounts, your progress stays with you, which is nice.
I do have to warn you, some of the controller controls settings are abysmal. Getting around the menus and in and out of contextual updates can be a pain in the ass, especially on a Steam Deck or with a controller plugged into your PC. The Deck benefits from the touchscreen, though. You can swap seamlessly between mouse-keyboard and controller on the Deck — which is great because you can tap the screen quickly. On a regular controller, though, there’s definitely work to be done by the developers to streamline the experience. But the shitty menus and controls aren’t enough to drag down the gameplay and the story, in my opinion. It’s not a fast-paced action game where button mashing is important. You may feel differently.
Cool, but what is it?
The Phantom X is a continuation of Persona 5 with new characters, a new plotline — albeit tangentially related — and an entirely new gameplay focus. There is some crossover. The Persona 5 characters do show up here, like Mona, Skull, Joker, and more. Plus, there are some storyline overlaps through flashbacks, side quests, and so on. Also, you can pull some of the original characters to pad out your team in the gacha campaigns.
Now, the main story does follow the same basic mechanics as Persona 5. You’re changing people’s hearts by stealing treasure in their palaces, exploring Mementos, which is basically the underworld.
It goes without saying, if you don’t like the Persona series or Persona 5, you’re not going to like this. The cutscenes tend to be long and sometimes overstay their welcome. There’s a heavy focus on social interactivity with the in-game characters. You spend a lot of time doing mundane things like working, collecting toys, grinding in the same dungeons, and so on. But that same Persona charm is here, and it’s practically oozing.
It’s also totally free to play. On Steam, via PC or Steam Deck, or on mobile. Just download and dive in. If you don’t like it, you can uninstall.
The Persona you know and love
Taken directly from the game’s official site, the story can be described as something “fans and newcomers alike can enjoy.”
“After awakening from a nightmare, the protagonist is thrust into a changed world drained of hope… And the new faces he encounters are no less strange: an eloquent owl named Lufel, a long-nosed man and a beauty donned in blue.”
“As he navigates the mysterious realms of the Metaverse and the Velvet Room, and grapples with ruinous visions that threaten his everyday life, he must discover what there is to take from this new world—and all in true Phantom Thief style.”
Like I said, it’s very similar to Persona 5. Lufel, the owl, is the new Mona. The main character (you) has a lot of similarities to Joker. I’m only two palaces in so far, but I’m having a lot of fun. I can’t say if I’ll run into a power road block somewhere. I may, and if I do, I’ll update everyone here.
For now, I can say it’s a lot of game for no cost. If you do enjoy this one, I recommend giving the real series a try.
