This 2017 JRPG Opening HITS Like a FREIGHT TRAIN – JRPG Haters INSTANTLY HOOKED! 🎮💥

JRPGs infamous for SLOW, BORING intros that drag forever? WRONG! One 2017 masterpiece drops you STRAIGHT into chaos: High-stakes heist, betrayal twist, stylish combat tutorial – all in MINUTES! No tutorials, no fluff – pure adrenaline that screams “This genre SLAPS!” Critics call it the BEST intro EVER, turning skeptics into 100+ hour addicts.

Click to uncover the game that FIXED JRPG openings forever – and why it’s STILL unmatched in 2025!

Japanese role-playing games, or JRPGs, have long carried a reputation for sprawling worlds and epic tales – but at what cost? Lengthy, tutorial-heavy introductions that test even the most patient players’ resolve. Games like Final Fantasy X or Persona 4 ease you in with hours of exposition before the action ramps up, often leading to drop-offs among newcomers. Enter 2017’s Persona 5, developed by Atlus and released worldwide on PlayStation 4 (later expanded to other platforms), which shattered this mold with an opening sequence so electrifying it single-handedly revitalized interest in the genre.

Persona 5 launched April 4, 2017, in Japan and September 15 internationally, topping charts with over 3.2 million copies sold by March 2020 – boosted further by Persona 5 Royal (2019), which refined its formula and pushed lifetime sales past 10 million. A recent CBR retrospective dubbed its intro “the best of any JRPG to date,” praising how it “immediately cuts to the chase” in a 100-hour epic about high schoolers forming the Phantom Thieves to reform corrupt adults via a supernatural Metaverse.

Unlike predecessors – Persona 4‘s sleepy rural setup dragged for hours – Persona 5 opens in medias res inside a surreal casino Palace, mid-heist. Protagonist Joker (Ren Amamiya) navigates velvet corridors, dodges shadows, and summons his Persona in a tutorial boss fight that’s pure spectacle: stylish animations, jazz-funk OST by Shoji Meguro, and All-Out Attacks that pop like comic panels. It culminates in a gut-punch betrayal by a radio ally, flashing back to Joker’s police interrogation – framing the entire story as a confession. Players are suspicious of every new confidant from minute one.

Critics raved. IGN awarded 10/10: “A stylish masterpiece.” Metacritic: 93/100. Famitsu named it Japan’s best RPG ever in a reader poll, edging Chrono Trigger. Its hook? Emergent gameplay teaches mechanics organically – stealth, negotiation, turn-based combat – while building dread. No hand-holding; you’re a thief on the run.

This wasn’t accidental. Director Katsura Hashino learned from Catherine (2011), emphasizing bold starts. The Velvet Room – a liminal hub – recurs thematically, tying cognitive psychology to Shadows representing distorted desires. Voice acting shines: Xander Mobus as Joker, Cherami Leigh as Makoto Niijima.

Commercially, it exploded. PS4 exclusive initially, ports followed: Switch/PC (2022 Royal), PS5/Xbox (2024). Spin-offs like Persona 5 Strikers (8M+ sold) and Persona 5 Tactica cemented its empire. Atlus reported 15M+ series sales post-launch.

Influence? Massive. Persona 5 inspired “stylish” JRPGs: Metaphor: ReFantazio (2024 GOTY contender) apes its flair. Reddit threads hail it as “gateway drug” – newcomers hooked, diving into Persona 3 Reload or Shin Megami Tensei V. X posts echo: “P5’s intro made me love JRPGs.”

Flaws? Late-game pacing dips; some call social links “padding.” Royal fixes with third semester, new Palace. Still, its 97% user score endures.

Opening Element
Why It Hooks
Vs. Typical JRPG Intros

In Medias Res
Casino heist + betrayal; instant stakes.
Slow world-building (e.g., P4‘s town).

Mechanics Intro
Stealth/combat tutorial feels epic.
Dry menus/tutorials.

Narrative Frame
Interrogation builds paranoia.
Linear exposition dumps.

Style/UI
Comic-book flair, jazz OST.
Bland fantasy tropes.

Replay Value
Multiple endings, NG+ confidants.
One-and-done prologues.

Eight years on, Persona 5‘s opening remains a benchmark – proof JRPGs can evolve without losing soul. Amid 2025’s Metaphor hype, it reminds: A killer start turns skeptics into superfans. Play it; fall in love.