Summary
The next game in the mainPersonafranchise,Persona 6, could learn a lot from the CRPG,Baldur’s Gate 3,in terms of its romances. In previousPersonagames, the romances were a little rinse and repeat, and although the different romanceable companions all had their unique routes and personalities, the recipe of those routes has essentially been the same throughout thePersonafranchise.
There are a lot of things thatPersona 6could learn and draw fromBaldur’s Gate 3’smemorable romances. AlthoughPersona 6likely wouldn’t go as far asBG3when it comes to sexual content, the game could still improve and add more immersion to its romances in ways that don’t break those restrictions.
How Baldur’s Gate 3 Approaches Romances
No Gender or Sexuality Qualifier
InBaldur’s Gate 3, companions have no sexual or gender preferences, meaning that protagonists of any gender or sexuality can romance them, unlikePersonaor most other games that feature romance.Personahas almost always been limited to heterosexual romances, and since mostPersonaprotagonists are male, that means almost all romances in the franchise are with female companions.
Larian Studios including this mechanic in the romances ofBaldur’s Gate 3boosted its diversity and allowed players to play the game how they wanted to, without any restrictions, such as needing to play as a female character to romance a male character or needing to play a specific gender to romance a specific character. Although having no gender and sexual qualifiers does minimize the immersion in that area slightly, that does not mean it’s as limited as having only straight romances like thePersonafranchise has.
Players Must Have High Approval With a Companion
To romance a companion inBaldur’s Gate 3, a player must have high approval with them, meaning that certain dialogue choices and actions can either increase or decrease their approval or the player. AlthoughPersona’s romances can be easier to achieve, it does take away the immersion of good or bad choices. The correct dialogue choices insidea social link eventmust be made to romance a companion, meaning that whatever choice the player makes outside the social link and romance wouldn’t matter and would not affect the companion’s opinion of the player.
If the protagonist is rude to others inBaldur’s Gate 3, then characters such as Astarion and Lae’zel will approve, whereas characters such as Gale and Karlach will disapprove. However, there are alsoways for a friendly protagonist to impress Astarion, the morally gray companion inBaldur’s Gate 3. This approval system is seen in many games that feature romances, and it creates a deeper immersion for players having to live with the consequences of their choices.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Romance Features that Persona 6 Could Draw From
Persona 6 Could Include Male Romances And Bisexual Characters
ThePersonafranchise is known for having its strictly straight romances and male protagonists.Persona 4andPersona 5briefly hinted at a possible bisexual character, but quickly brushed those moments off as a joke. AlthoughPersona 4’sYosuke Hanamurawas originally intended to be a romance option, the romance was scrapped and didn’t make it into the released game.
Persona 3 Portableincluded a female protagonist who could romance male characters andPersona 2: Innocent Sinfeatured a romance between male characters, Tatsuya and Jun.
IfPersona 6adds male romances alongside its female romances and includes bisexual or even gay romances, then it could create even more immersion, as well as give more flexibility for players of all backgrounds and sexualities, just likeBaldur’s Gate 3did with its romances. If it has both a male and female protagonist option,Persona 6could even remove the gender qualifier likeBaldur’s Gate 3did, giving a deeper role-playing element.
Persona 6 Could Take Inspiration From Baldur’s Gate 3’s Approval System
Baldur’s Gate 3features an approval system for its companions where they will approve and disapprove of certain choices and actions, and the higher a companion’s approval, the more chance the player will be able to romance them.Persona 6could include a mechanic like this, and it could affectaPersonacharacter’s social link. If the player progresses through the social link but doesn’t have a high approval rate for the romanceable character, then a romance might not occur. AlthoughPersona 6features multiple choice dialogue, this dialogue doesn’t really affect a character’s approval, but with an approval system, it would certainly ramp up the choice and consequence of the dialogue choices inPersona 6.
Persona 6 Could Add More Romance Events
Just likeBaldur’s Gate 3and games that featured immersive romances before it, likeDragon AgeandMass Effect,Persona 6could add more events that are specific to its romance. For example, it could add new events such as helping the player through rough times (just like howAstarion and other romanceableBG3companionshelp the Dark Urge when they’re resisting their urges to kill) or charming new dialogue events that takes place once the player goes to sleep for the night.
Persona 6’s Romances Could Impact the Story More than Previous Games
If there’s one thing thatthePersonafranchise has lacked regarding its romances, it’s impact on the overall story.Persona 6could learn a lot fromBaldur’s Gate 3regarding how the romances interacted with the main story. There is no new dialogue from a character if they were in a romance or not, and no new dialogue choices if the player was in a romance with a character.
AlthoughpreviousPersonaromanceshave had events that intertwine with the calendar system, such as the Summer Festival, Christmas, and Valentine’s, the romances don’t impact the main story.Persona 6’s romances could impact the story more by having romanced characters add new dialogue that coexists with their relationship, or at least an acknowledgment of the romance in the story outside social events.Persona 6could certainly find that adding more flavor, immersion, impact, and diversity to its romances would be successful, just like it is withBaldur’s Gate 3.
