Shacknews Best PS4 Game of 2021 - Persona 5 Strikers

With the first year of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S behind us, we won’t have many further opportunities to talk about the libraries of games made specifically for PS4 and Xbox One, but these last-gen systems still have some life in them and games worth playing. In terms of the PS4, there were quite a few to choose from, but one of the far-and-away standouts of the year was Sega and Omega Force’s Persona 5 Strikers.

Omega Force has really and truly stepped outside of their comfort zone in how they handle the licenses of popular IP when it comes to making games around them. Persona 5 Strikers still has Dynasty and Samurai Warriors-like gameplay in its DNA. You still throw out combo after combo against waves of enemies, but it also incorporates key elements of the Persona franchise into its execution. You still collect demons, power them up, and work elemental weaknesses and strengths into your combat to do the most damage against any given foe at any given time.

On top of that, Persona 5 Strikers is not just a throwaway story that runs through the motions of Persona 5 in a limited way. It’s actually more like a Persona 5 sequel. Picking up after the events of the actual Persona 5, Strikers brings a new threat to the attention of the Phantom Thieves, forcing them to return to the Metaverse and reform the hearts of terrible people once again. For Omega Force having been the developing force behind Strikers, it truly feels like a proper Persona 5 story sequel in every way.

It was a wild year for games and we likely might not have many more chances to recognize titles very specifically on the PlayStation 4, but Persona 5 Strikers was a resplendent one. Omega Force and Sega gave us more of a good thing and they did it well. It has the stylish action that Omega Force knows well, it has the Persona 5 characters, story, and RPG elements that made the original game fantastic, and it meshes these things together in a working, coherent way. Those looking to revisit the world of the Phantom Thieves and have another fantastic adventure couldn’t ask for much more, and that’s why Persona 5 Strikers is our Shacknews Best PS4 Game of 2021.

Watch the Shacknews Awards 2021 YouTube playlist or read our Year of the Games: 2021 article for all of the awards in one place. We will be announcing our Shacknews GOTY 2021 on December 31.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.