Building comparison
head to head
Persona 5vsShin Megami Tensei V
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.
Persona 5
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Stylish JRPG where phantom thieves steal hearts on a tightly optimized school calendar.
Shin Megami Tensei V
Optimization · Pure Optimization
Open-area SMT where essence customization and Press Turn mastery turn demons into solvable math.
Persona 5 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Shin Megami Tensei V leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Persona 5Shin Megami Tensei V
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Persona 5
Stylish menus, not reflexes
Shin Megami Tensei V
Open-field exploration, but combat is pure menus.
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Persona 5
Palace enemies use fixed weaknesses
Shin Megami Tensei V
Magatsuhi and bosses are scripted patterns.
Variance3 vs 4
Shin Megami Tensei V leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Persona 5
Fusion alerts and negotiation rolls
Shin Megami Tensei V
Crit and negotiation RNG add manageable noise.
Optimization8 vs 9
Shin Megami Tensei V leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Persona 5
Confidant calendar routing and baton-pass weakness chains
Shin Megami Tensei V
Essence fusion and Press Turn builds reward perfect planning.
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.