Persona x Spongebob Squarepants: Beyond the Depths

Persona x Spongebob Squarepants: Beyond the Depths is a role-playing game developed by Atlus. It is a collaboration between Atlus and Nickelodeon, and a crossover between the Persona and Spongebob Squarepants series. It was released for the Playstation 4 and Playstation 5 on September 20th, 2021, to coincide with the Persona series’ 25th anniversary. It follows the misadventures of Spongebob Squarepants, after he discovers a gate leading to a mysterious world void of water, yet seeming to be parallel to their own in nearly every other way.
==Gameplay==
===Daily life===
The gameplay follows the same structure as the main Persona series, with elements of social simulation and dungeon crawling. Instead of a typical Japanese high school setting like the Persona series is used to, instead the main character lives in Bikini Bottom, working at the Krusty Krab on weekdays and attending Mrs. Puff’s Boating School on weekends. Similar to Persona 5, you only have access to a select amount of locations at the beginning of the game, but you can unlock more by progressing through the story and reading about spots to hang out with your friends. The game is ruled by a day and night cycle, in which the player can participate in various activities, including taking part-time jobs, exploring dungeons, and deepening bonds with their allies through the “Social Link” system, an element taken from the Persona series, in which you can spend time with specific allies to boost your relationships with them and unlocking differing bonuses. Improving ranks with members of your party typically unlocks abilities in the dungeon crawling and battle segments of the game, including follow-up attacks, in which an ally can perform an incredibly powerful attack after you’ve attacked an enemy. Improving ranks with allies that are not members of your party generally give random benefits varying in usefulness, from boosts in yen gain to access to new techniques.
Choosing to perform an action such as spending time with a Social Link or passing time at a restaurant takes up a time slot, which either turns the time to night during the day or makes the day pass during the night. During the day, you can also choose to enter the O-Gate, which allows you to enter dungeon crawling segments of gameplay.
===Dungeon Crawling===
Alongside the social elements are dungeon crawling and battle segments, in which you enter the O-Gate, a gate that connects to the O-Dimension, a world completely void of water, yet appearing to be similar in every other regard. This world is populated by Shadows, manifestations of parts of people that they themselves do not fully comprehend that take the shapes of various figures in mythology and religion. The O-Dimension itself is an expansive dungeon with an end, however certain pockets in the O-Dimension must be completed to open up new areas in it. These pockets open up as you progress through the plot.
Like the rest of the Persona series, this game uses a turn-based combat system, in which you select which actions you’d like to take from a menu. Battle is initiated in the dungeon crawling segments of the game by interacting with a Shadow. A battle can be initiated when you hit a Shadow from the front or side, giving no side a specific edge, when a Shadow hits you, giving the enemy an edge in battle, or when you hit an enemy from behind, giving you an advantage in battle. In battle, you have the option to either use melee attacks, guard, use an item, flee, or make use of Personas, representations of a person’s true selves. If in battle a party member strikes an enemy’s weakness, they are awarded with a “1 More” and permitted to use another action. If all enemies are knocked down, they are able to perform an “All-Out Attack”, an incredibly powerful attack typically resulting in a win for your side, or you can negotiate for money or items. You can also reason with a Shadow to join your side, allowing them to enter your heart as a Persona. Only Spongebob can use the abilities of multiple Personas, however, due to his Wild Card ability.
===Velvet Room===
New Personas can be gained in battle like previously described, but they can also be obtained in the Velvet Room, a realm existing between dream and reality and propertied by Igor, a long nosed man appearing in every other installment of the Persona series. Here, you can fuse Personas together, resulting in the birth of new Personas. There are two methods of fusion, those being standard and group. Standard fusion involves two Personas coming together to create a stronger one, passing down stats and skills to the newborn Persona. Group fusion involves the fusion of three or more Personas, creating an incredibly powerful Persona. Different group fusions are unlocked as you increase your Social Links and obtain items in the O-Dimension.
During fusion, a phenomenon occurs called "Arcana Burst", in which, depending on the Social Link you have with the corresponding arcana the new Persona will result in, the new Persona will gain bonus experience points. You also obtain the ability to itemize Personas, turning them into rare items depending on the type of Persona. Finally, you can also talk to Gary, your pet snail who turns out to be an attendant to the Velvet Room. He is in charge of keeping records of the player's journey and keeping various tomes, including the Persona Compendium, a book filled with past Personas you have obtained, and the Skill Card Collection, a binder filled with Skill Cards you have given him. When interacting with the Persona Compendium, you can summon Personas you have previously held within, as well as view stats and background for them. When interacting with the Skill Card Collection, you can either give Skill Cards not in the collection to Gary, or you can create a copy of a specific Skill Card in the collection for a fee.
==Synopsis==
===Plot===
TBA
==Characters==
===Explorers of the O-Dimension===
	Name 	Description	Arcana 	Persona
	Spongebob Squarepants	TBA 	XXI - The World 	InvincibubblePoseidon (awakened)
	Patrick Star 	TBA 	IX - The Hermit 	Mr. SuperawesomenessYmir (awakened)
	Gary 	TBA 	I - The Magician 	NudibranchFlamel (awakened)
	Squidward Tentacles 	TBA 	IV - The Emperor 	SournotePiper (awakened)
	Sandy Cheeks 	TBA 	VII - The Chariot 	RodentCalamity Jane (awakened)
	Mr. Krabs 	TBA 	V - The Hierophant	Pinch-a-LotKarkinos (awakened)
	Karen 	TBA 	XIV - Temperance 	2.0Colossus (awakened)
	Plankton 	TBA 	XV - The Devil 	TonJonah (awakened)
===Social Links===
	Name 	Description	Arcana
	Igor 	TBA 	N/A
	Grandma 	TBA 	II - The Priestess
	Mindy 	TBA 	III - The Empress
	Pearl 	TBA 	VI - The Lovers
	Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy	TBA 	VIII - Justice
	Fred 	TBA 	X - Fortune
===Antagonists===
==Locations==
==Personas==
:Main article: Persona x Spongebob Squarepants: Beyond the Depths/Personas
==Items==
:Main article: Persona x Spongebob Squarepants: Beyond the Depths/Items