Summary
One of the most difficult parts ofPersona 3 Reloadis managing the free time granted to the player during each in-game day, given the wide number of activities they can participate in during this limited time frame. Between hanging out with Social Links inPersona 3 Reload, working part-time to raise the player’s social stats, progressing through Tartarus, and many other activities, it can be overwhelming trying to decide how to manage this limited free time. However, players don’t have to worry about time passing during their hangouts withPersona 3 Reload’s Elizabeth, since outings with her follow a trend started byPersona 5 Royal.
ThePersonaseries' iconic calendar systemis a core part of its modern entries, andPersona 6will likely continue this trend. Players are usually given two slots of free time each in-game day: one during the day after school and one in the evening, although the availability of this free time can change based on in-game events on certain days. However, bothPersona 3 ReloadandPersona 5 Royaloffer players certain activities that don’t take up one of these free time slots, giving players more flexibility in their schedule thatPersona 6should build upon.
Although Elizabeth isn’t a Social Link like other characters inPersona 3 Reload, players still get the opportunity to spend time with her, taking her on excursions outside the Velvet Room so she can experience the real world for herself. In order to unlock these outings, players will need to complete a set number ofElizabeth’s requestsbefore they become available. Luckily, these hangouts with Elizabeth don’t take up any of the limited time players have in the day, so they are free to spend time with her whenever she becomes available.
Persona 5 Royalstarted this generous trend of including activities that didn’t take up a time slot in the player’s daily schedule. While several locations offer non-time-consuming activities,Persona 5 Royal’s Leblancintroduced a handful of useful activities to help players raise their social stats without expending any of their available free time. Activities like watering the houseplant or doing the crossword puzzle increase the player’s Kindness and Knowledge stats, respectively, making it easier to unlock future content gated behind certain social stat requirements.
Persona 6will be in the tough position of having to build upon the immense amount of content available in bothPersona 5 RoyalandPersona 3 Reloadwithout overloading players with choices during their limited free time. To get around this issue,Persona 6should follow in the footsteps of these previous entries with their approach to making certain activities not take up a time slot.Persona 3 ReloadandPersona 5 Royalwere already very generous with this mechanic, andPersona 6could go one step further to make the calendar system even more approachable to players.
Spending time with theVelvet Room attendant inPersona 6should go the same route asPersona 3 Reloadas opposed toPersona 5 Royal. While spending time with Elizabeth inPersona 3 Reloaddidn’t consume any free time, spending time with Caroline and Justine inPersona 5 Royaldid take up a free time slot, likely because they were the Confidant of the Strength arcana. Depending on how many social stats are inPersona 6, the game should also followPersona 5 Royal’s lead and give players certain activities that can help increase their social stats without spending any free time to ensure they can access all content available in the game.
