Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth is a dungeon crawler role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a spin-off of the "Persona" series, itself part of the larger "Megami Tensei" franchise, and a sequel to "". It was released in Japan in November 2018, and worldwide in June 2019. Plot. The story of the game focuses on the cast from "Persona 3", "Persona 4", and "Persona 5". During a trip to Mementos, Joker and the rest of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts find themselves in a film, which  is connected to a theater that is locked from the inside. With Makoto and Haru kidnapped, the Phantom Thieves meet Nagi and Hikari in the theater, who are also locked in with them, as well as Doe, a Shadow in the projection room. As the Phantom Thieves venture through movies, they meet allies along the way: the "Persona 3" female protagonist in "Kamoshidaman"; the Investigation Team in "Junessic Land"; and SEES in "A.I.G.I.S", all of them who have fallen into the movie world during a routine trip to the TV World and Tartarus. Each of the films the group travel  through have morals surrounding discarding individuality and personality and conforming to others expectations. Whilst traveling, the group changes the films' endings, giving them happy endings as Hikari and Nagi watch from the theater. Upon returning, Doe presents them with a key that unlocks each of the 4 locks on the door. Upon unlocking the 3rd lock, Hikari is presumably kidnapped by Doe, who escapes into the 4th film, a musical with a blacked-out title. While exploring the film, the group discover Hikari's memories; throughout her life, she repeatedly suffered traumatic experiences that made her believe individuality is worthless , culminating in extreme-depression and with her locking herself in her room as a result. Her father bought her a notebook to cheer her up, but instead ended up causing her to break down. Doe is revealed to be a representation of Hikari's father, and the two share a hug after a battle with a rampaging Doe. Doe then transforms into the final key, and the film's title is revealed to be "Hikari". With all the locks unlocked, the group exit the cinema, only to discover a world of film before them. Nagi then reveals her true nature  as Enlil, a being that draws depressed people into her world and has them re-watch their memories, trapping them there with their own lack of desire to escape. Using Hikari's edited films, the group purify the Theater District, and send a calling card to Enlil. After a climactic battle with Hikari's help, the group defeat Enlil and make her realize humanity's possibilities. The people in her domain are freed, yet their memories are wiped and they have no recollection of the events. Before leaving, the groups bid their farewells and leave, with Hikari tearfully bidding them  all goodbye. Hikari wakes up in reality, and she makes up with her father while expressing her desire to create her film. The P3 and P4 casts wake up and watch their respective films, including the alternate version of the P3 cast. The P5 cast wake up and later receive an invitation to a movie festival which they attend. As they attend, Hikari steps out and announces her new movie, "New Cinema Labyrinth". Development and release. "Persona Q" director Daisuke Kanada had originally envisioned the game as the foundation for a larger spin-off series rather than a standalone project . Following the release and positive reception of "Persona 5", Atlus decided to create a "Persona Q" sequel featuring the cast of "Persona 5". Full development for "Persona Q2" began following the completion of "Persona 5" in 2016, with Kanada returning as producer; the director was Yuta Aihara. Based on feedback from "Persona Q", the team refined the gameplay mechanics and balanced the difficulty for its sequel. They also brought in both new original characters and the "Persona 5" cast. Due to fan demand, the female protagonist from "Persona 3 Portable" was also included as a character. To keep the story  focused, there was no option of choosing which group of protagonists to choose from. Instead the story focused primarily on the "Persona 5" protagonists. As part of his original pitch, the original game's horror elements were toned down or removed, and the overall gameplay was simplified for new players. Aihara included the story-based "Special Screenings" elements based on his liking of the "Strolls" from "Persona Q". Composer Atsushi Kitajoh, composer for "Persona Q" and other "Persona" games, returned to create new tracks for "Persona Q2". His key words for the music were "Retro", "Pop", and "Kitsch". The vocals  were provided by Yumi Kawamura ("Persona 3"), Mayumi Fujita ("Persona 3 Portable"), Shihoko Hirata ("Persona 4") and Lyn ("Persona 5"). Rapper Lotus Juice, who contributed to the series frequently since "Persona 3", was also featured in several tracks. The opening theme "Road Less Taken" was a quartet performance by Kawamura, Hirata, Lyn and Lotus Juice. "Persona Q2" was first announced in August 2017 alongside fellow spin-off titles "" and "". Its official reveal came in August the following year, where it was released in Japan on November 29, 2018. The game was released in North America and Europe on June 4 , 2019, along with a "Showtime Premium Edition" for the former. This was one of the last physical 3DS games released in North America, and is the final completely original physical game released for the Nintendo 3DS in North America. Unlike previously localized "Persona" games, the game does not feature an English dub. Reception. Accolades. The game was nominated for "Game, Franchise Role Playing" at the NAVGTR Awards.