The Phantom Thieves have access to a unique environment in Persona 5 Royal thanks to the dungeons, which the game refers to as “palaces.” As the crew begins their journey to recover stolen hearts and make amends for societal wrongs, they find themselves submerged in warped yet iconic depictions of the mind of the person they are attempting to steal from.
The dungeons in the Persona series were first produced algorithmically for quite some time. This was most clearly seen in Tartarus, which had almost no discernible progression from one floor to the next. As a consequence of this, progressing through the levels of this enormous dungeon became a laborious and time-consuming process for players who were more interested in advancing the primary storyline.
This mechanism was enhanced in Persona 4 with the addition of a theme to each Palace; nonetheless, the flaws caused by the arbitrarily created dungeons were still apparent to everyone.
All of this, however, was rendered obsolete with the release of Persona 5 Royal, which came to the conclusion that the palaces required a greater degree of personalization. Because of this, each Palace that the players explore in the game offers an intriguing look into the psyche of the individual whose affections the Phantom Thieves are seeking to sway.
This indicates that not all of the Palaces within Persona 5 Royal are of the same high caliber. The difficulty of the levels, the layout of the levels, and the play time all play a role in determining which are the best and which are the worst.
In this article, we will discuss what exactly Palaces are and rank the different Palaces in Persona 5 Royal.
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What Are Palaces In Persona 5 Royal?
The Phantom Thieves’ infiltration of Palaces, manifestations of distortions within a person’s heart, is Persona 5 Royal’s unique take on the dungeon-crawl genre. Each Palace is a labyrinth guarded by “Shadows,” cognitive beings projected by the Palace’s host to ward off intruders, and “Treasures,” physical manifestations of the host’s twisted desires.
The Thieves defeat the hosts and steal their Treasures at the end of each Palace infiltration, successfully changing their hearts and ridding them of their distortions.
Each Palace is unique to its owner, with its own set of Shadows, obstacles, and puzzles in the Thieves’ path. Though the overall gameplay is identical in each one, some Palaces are more enjoyable than others. During the 3rd semester, an entirely new Palace was added with the release of Persona 5 Royal.
Each Palace In Persona 5 Royal (Ranked)
Persona 5 Royal includes 9 different palaces that you can go in. We will be ranking these Palaces from 9, all the way to 1.
9. Okumara’s Palace
In principle, Okumura’s Palace ought to be counted among the most attractive of all the palaces. The location in the future is quite cool, and the fact that Okumura views his fast-food staff as expendable mechanical drones is the kind of twisted villain characteristic that will make your final victory over him feel very good.
The fact that the Palace on its own is aesthetically different and offers a refreshing change of scene from the game’s other settings, both of which players have already experienced, is another factor that works in the Palace’s favor.
This palace, on the other hand, suffers from problems with its narrative that arise as a result of its excessive length. Even while the stakes are still quite high, this time they pertain to Haru, a character who was initially presented as Morgana’s sidekick throughout his period of rebellion.
The rapid introduction of Haru’s character, coupled with the fact that she is the final permanent member of the Phantom Thieves to join your team, further reduces the effect of this Palace. Haru is the last real member of the Phantom Thieves to enter your party.
When the player finally comes upon Okumura’s treasure, the player’s mission has already turned away from rescuing your new buddy from her impending marriage against her will. Typically, people are more concerned with moving past this stage in the game, which is fair considering that the story hits a pretty intriguing moment soon once Okumura’s Palace is finished. despite the fact that this is easier to say than to execute.
After all, the boss fight against Okumura is certainly one of the most tough in the game, and it will halt players unless they utilize smart techniques and don’t allow any good live for too long. After all, Okumura is a good boss.
8. The Final Palace
There is a lot of work that needs to be done at the Final Palace in Mementos. In addition to driving the Phantom Thieves toward their climactic showdown, it must also keep things moving in an interesting direction and maintain the audience’s interest. The most of the time, it performs admirably. The strong contrast between the red and black color palette, the engaging puzzle mechanism, and the grim realizations all contribute to the overall effect.
The moments in Persona 5 Royal in which the game’s protagonists are thrust into the action are among the series’ most memorable. Even if the hearts of Tokyo are in peril, a menace that may destroy the world is not as captivating nor as inventive as that of the Phantom Thieves’ more intimate moments in earlier palaces.
Having said that, facing the Holy Grail and also being defeated by such a formidable foe acts as a potent wake-up call that flawlessly prepares the player for the ultimate encounter… at least in the game’s starting mode.
7. Kaneshiro’s Palace
The most exciting part of Kaneshiro’s palace is the debut of the newest Phantom Thief, who goes by the name Queen (Makoto). The second greatest thing is the truly weird boss battle, in which an insectoid incarnation of Kaneshiro will try to spoil your day by calling out a gigantic mechanical piggy bank to attack you. This fight can be challenging, but it will never become unfair, and it will put all the player has acquired up until this point to the ultimate test.
Having said that, the entire experience is let down by a number of unpleasant features that are inherent to this Palace. At first, solving the problems on the keypad is fun, but after a time, it just becomes tiresome. Additionally, robbing a genuine bank seems a touch monotonous following the peaks of Madarame’s palace (both narratively and also in terms of art direction), which you had just experienced.
Considering how interesting a Palace Kaneshiro might have created, it’s a pity that caring about him isn’t as fulfilling as caring about the other monsters who had more emotional conflict with the Phantom Thieves.
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6. Maruki’s Palace
The new semester and the Palace in Persona 5 Royal are both shrouded in mystery. Kasumi’s awakening of her Persona coincides with the excitement of her first visit to the Palace.
When the true monarch of the Palace is exposed to be none besides Takuto Maruki in the third semester, a number of exciting story twists follow. These lead up to the reveal that the Kasumi the players have been dealing with the whole time is actually Sumire Yoshizawa. This is a fascinating stage of the infiltration, but it’s important to remember that it also coincided with the Palace’s zenith.
Once the Phantom Thieves team up to eliminate Maruki, the rest of the Palace becomes a tedious slog. It’s inefficient to block players from removing a barrier until they visit Mementos.
In addition, the question section inserted at random throughout the invasion irritates players rather than giving a welcome diversion. It’s annoying to find out that this dungeon is so lengthy after arriving at the Palace, which is intended to be the last destination on this magnificent adventure.
5. Shido’s Palace
Many of the game’s most memorable and exciting events occur at Shido’s palace. Everyone Shido has forced into his inner circle may learn a valuable lesson, and that is quite fulfilling.
When players learn that these entities exist only in Shido’s head, the shock value quickly fades. Despite this, the showdown with Akechi in the end is both exhilarating and tragic. The difficulty of defeating Shido adds to the sense of accomplishment felt upon achieving success.
What a drag it is to have to deal with those annoying mouse riddles. Turning into a (albeit charming) rodent in enemy-infested chambers makes backtracking and touring the already lengthy castle a pain. It’s a rather boring and annoying part of the Palace.
Most gamers would be annoyed if their otherwise flawless infiltration process suddenly ended. It’s the one thing that holds the Palace back from being perfect, despite the fact that it may drag on for a while at key moments (mostly owing to the aforementioned rodent parts).
4. Futaba’s Palace
Futaba’s palace gives you a practically comprehensive image of her mentality from top to bottom, and this is typical of the greatest palaces in Persona 5 Royal. A quest to get Medjed off of the Phantom Thieves’ behind turns into a poignant tale of helping Futaba deal with her own guilt.
It’s also a ton of fun, albeit a little repetitive, to crawl through the pyramid. The Egyptian-themed characters you meet enrich the palace’s atmosphere, while the game’s puzzles serve to advance the plot and provide a welcome diversion. This tomb is the most touching dungeon, despite some rough spots in the level design.
3. Madarame’s Palace
The splendor of Persona 5 Royal is unveiled for the first time at Madarame’s palace. While the central theme of each palace is the theft of a priceless gem, this is among the rare palaces that seems like an actual robbery. Everything about the museum seems complete; there’s a complex security system, confusing modern art, and even a service desk.
Each part of the museum has its own identity. Like few other palaces in the game, this one requires the Phantom Thieves to cross over into both the Metaverse as well as the actual world.
In addition, this does a great job at telling Yusuke’s tale. His conflicting feelings for Madarame and art set him out as one of the most emotionally complex members of the group. The icing on the cake is the palace’s last, Escher-like portion, which has both stunning aesthetics and a delightful navigation system.
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2. Kamoshida’s Palace
There’s a warning in a lot of games that says something like, “it doesn’t become good until around 10, 15, 30 or more hours in.” Right from the bat, Persona 5 Royal deviates from this pattern by having you enter Kamoshida’s palace. Despite being an extended lesson, each visit to the castle is engaging and informative about the setting, the rules, and the characters.
Conversely, while Ryuji, Morgana, and Ann grow on the player, Kamoshida proves himself to be one of the most annoying villains in gaming. Defeating him gives the player a satisfying sense of accomplishment and launches them into their career as more than just a student and a member of the Phantom Thief for the following 90 hours.
1. Sae’s Palace
Using the word “boom” to represent Sae’s palace is the finest method to do it. This palace has been designed to highlight and enhance the finest features in Persona 5 Royal. Now that Akechi has come, we can begin! There’s a smack in the beat. It’s your chance to roll the dice and use your cheating skills! By this time in the game, the Phantom Thieves are completely established, the plot has progressed to the opening scene, as well as all systems are functioning normally.
Navigating inside casino can be challenging if you aren’t prepared, but the final meeting with Sae is so rewarding since, for a time, everything seems to be going as planned.
Conclusion
And there we have it! Full list of all available Palaces in Persona 5 Royal. We ranked them from our least favorite to most favorite but all palaces are super well designed and a big step up from any previous Persona game. They are definitely one of the most fun parts of the game!
