This year’s Game Awards were filled with exciting game announcements and trailers, though it’s fair to say that one announcement may have overshadowed the others. When Joker, the main character of last year’s RPG masterpiece Persona 5, was announced as a playable DLC character for Super Smash. Bros Ultimate, every gaming Twitter feed (and all the MonsterVine group chats) exploded with excitement. Joker is coming to Smash Bros., and he’s bringing a stage and musical tracks with him (and hopefully some spirits too). As a pretty big Persona fan (and a burgeoning Shin Megami Tensei fan), I have a few ideas and predictions for just what kind of content we may get from the two series.
Stage
If Midgar is anything to go off of, I feel Joker’s stage will be based specifically on Persona 5. I think the obvious choices for a stage would be a certain character’s Casino Palace or Mementos. The Casino Palace is colorful and loud, two things that Smash Bros. relishes in, and it’s the most recognizable location due to its appearance at the beginning and end of Persona 5. The background of the stage could have different Shadows and bosses burst through the stained-glass windows of the Casino, while slot machines with Morgana or Jack Frost’s face spin endlessly in the background. The enormous chandelier and upper level of the Casino would give the non-Omega version of the stage some verticality, while the Omega version of the stage could just take place on a stained-glass platform.
Mementos is a bit less exciting to look at, as it’s a series of railways and tunnels underground with voids and Shadows around every corner. Morgana (in car form) could drive around the background with the Phantom Thieves inside (including Joker, if no one is playing as him). Car Morgana could be a stage hazard as well, akin to the reckless driver hazard on the Onett stage. I think having swirling black and white patterns in the background’s tunnels would sell the unsettling but stylish essence of Mementos, but I think the Casino would still be a better choice for a stage, unless we dive into earlier Persona games.
While I think Ultimate will have a Persona 5 stage specifically, I think a stage based on Persona 4’s TV world (specifically based on the stage from Persona 4 Arena) would be an interesting choice that could represent Persona as a whole. Alongside lurking Shadows, the majority of the background could be taken up by numerous TV screens surrounding one large television screen. These could display different fighters like the Punch-Out! stage’s screen, or icons/emblems from throughout Persona, like the Phantom Thieves’ logo or the S.E.E.S. emblem.
Music
The Persona series is filled to the brim with amazing music, and I’m hoping to see music from all Persona titles and numerous Shin Megami Tensei games. Obviously there should be plenty of Persona 5 tracks, like “Last Surprise” and “Life Will Change”, as well as a couple remixes from Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight.
Persona 4 music is a breeze, with “Reach Out to the Truth”, “Time to Make History”, “I’ll Face Myself ~Battle”, and the “Junes Theme” coming to mind first. Persona 3 offers up “Mass Destruction” and “Burn My Dread ~Last Battle” for starters, though I’d love an action-packed remix of “Jika Net Tanaka”, even if it’s just the remix from Persona 4 Dancing All Night. Throw in the Boss Battle theme from Persona 2 Innocent Sin and “Maze of Life” from the 3DS exclusive Persona Q, and you have some swell Persona representation.
Shin Megami Tensei is a pretty enormous series, so there’s no shortage of music that could work well in Ultimate. I like the main battle themes of Nocturne and Strange Journey in particular, though I think the main battle themes of Shin Megami Tensei IV and Devil Summoner would fit in with the chaos of Ultimate’s battles quite nicely.
Miscellaneous
I don’t recall the DLC announcements saying anything about Assist Trophies or spirits, but there are a few Shin Megami Tensei demons that would serve as nice inclusions. Jack Frost, a demon enemy in the series and Atlus’ icon, would be a great assist trophy, as he could use Mabufu to freeze any fighters that are in his general area.
Spirits from the Persona series are pretty easy to pick, as the main characters and their Personas are all readily available. Makoto and Orpheus, Narukami and Izanagi, Teddie, and Aigis are all easily identifiable characters that would fit in, as well as the necessary inclusion of Igor and his many attendants.
The best picks for spirits from Shin Megami Tensei would be some of the more well-known demons the series, like Pixie, the Jack Bros., Mokoi, and Mara Matador. Characters and demons from across the series would hopefully be included as well, like Bugaboo, Demi-Fiend, and the SMTIV Protagonist.
Now do I expect even a fraction of all these suggestions to get into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? No, this is a big list of ideas and predictions. But if even if only a fraction of these ideas make it into the game, it would be yet another fantastic representation of a series (or subseries, technically) in Smash Bros.
