'Persona 5' Snags Near-Perfect Score From 'Famitsu,' Promises 80 Hours Of Pure Pleasure

Good news, Persona fans! In the game’s first official review, by Japanese game publication Famitsu, Persona 5 earned an impressive score of 39/40.

Gematsu and Persona Central also report the game will take about 80 hours to complete, and will include a large amount of optional content to keep fans amused. (Unfortunately, it’s not yet clear whether that means 80 hours with the optional content, like the Momento Dungeons, or just to finish the main storyline of the game.)

Famitsu’s review system gives the game to four panelists, who each assign a score from 1-10 in an attempt to ensure objectivity and balance. The latest game in the series outperformed its predecessors; both Persona 3 and 4 (the original versions) earned a respectable 33/40 at the time of their release. Persona fans on reddit greeted the news with tempered excitement, with many mentioning Famitsu’s alleged inconsistency with review scoring.

The single reviewer who gave Persona 5 a less than perfect (9/10) score noted, “The game is a sophisticated drama with stylish menus and more that fits the series’ appeal. However, guns and battle equipment are expensive. Overall, it’s a big step up from the previous entry” (translation via @MysticDistance for Persona Central). This complaint about the cost of weaponry likely won’t come as a surprise to fans of previous games in the series, where obtaining enough top-of-the-line equipment to outfit the entire party often requires a fair bit of grinding, or blind luck with item drops and gold chests.

Persona 5 hits stores in Japan on Sept. 15. The game will release in North America and Europe on Feb. 14, 2017. Gotta have more Persona in the meantime? Check out our rundown of everything we know about the Phantom Thieves, here.