‘Persona 5 Tactica’ sound director talks blending acid jazz with rock in new Dev Diary

In a Dev Diary from Atlus, sound director Toshiki Konishi has discussed bringing the music of Persona 5 Tactica to life – check it out exclusively at NME.

As Tactica is a strategy role-playing game (SRPG), Konishi explained that scoring it with traditional RPG music wouldn’t work as players spend more time listening to the same song in battle. However, the sound director still wanted to keep elements of Persona 5‘s music alive in different ways.

“I wanted to focus on the horizontal connection of the music,” shared Konishi. “What I mean by that is using similar phrases and riffs for multiple songs. In terms of texture, I didn’t want to use too much variety – I really wanted the songs to feel connected. Ultimately, I think I was able to succeed with that.”

Konishi added that while Persona 5‘s sound took “heavy inspiration from acid jazz,” Tactica‘s music has taken a slightly different shape.

“There was an inspiration from acid jazz, but I really wanted to incorporate the rock guitar flavour,” said Konishi. “I hope those who play both titles will experience the gap and differences in music.”

Those who have already played Persona 5 will notice the return of Japanese singer Lyn Inaizumi in a number of Tactica‘s tracks. Konishi believes Lyn’s voice “really carries the music in Persona 5,” and her return helps Tactica feel like a connected part of the Phantom Thieves’ story.

Following its launch last week (November 17), Persona 5 Tactica is now available on PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch.

NME gave the strategy spin-off four stars in our review, and described it as “an emotionally resonant story full of engaging twists”.

“Tactica summons the same emotional depth you’d expect from the series, with plenty of endearing comical moments, vibrant visual design and sparkling music accompaniment,” the review reads.

Elsewhere, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio – Atlus’ sister studio at Sega – recently spoke to NME about Like A Dragon‘s popular karaoke series.