Persona 5: Japanese Audio

    Speaking of games with weird supernatural stuff, Persona 5 came out a month or two ago and it's already being lauded as the most stylish game ever. Have you seen the menus? Have you heard the soundtrack? Have you heard the Japanese voice tracks? Wait, you haven't heard that last one? That's probably because the Japanese voice track wasn't exactly advertised and getting it to play isn't intuitive.

    Japanese is everywhere in this game. Locations, like subways, and shops signs are all left in the original language.

    If you go to the PlayStation Store on your PS4 you can set the game to play with Japanese audio instead of the default English. All you need to do is download the "Dual Audio Track" DLC and install it. Then from the main menu > system options > config menu you can set the voices to Japanese. From then on, not only will you be saved from the controversial localized dialogue, but you'll be able to practice your Japanese listening skills along with the already very literally translated English game text.

    More and more games are letting players listen to the Japanese voiceovers, like Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Persona 5 has way more dialogue than Zelda and the subject matter can be a little out there, but if there's any series of games I'd describe as "very Japanese" it would be the Persona franchise.

    Japanese is everywhere in this game. Locations, like subways, and shops signs are all left in the original language. So even if you aren't ready to switch the text and controls completely to Japanese, you can ease your way into playing in the native language with just the audio.

    Unlike Stardew Valley, Persona 5 is best for passive Japanese learning; it's just kanji in the background and voice tracks. Not understanding these won't stop you from playing, like a game entirely in Japanese would. Still, this is a great way to reinforce what you're already studying. Hearing a character use a word you just learned is adding to life's natural SRS. And seeing a kanji character you looked up the other day in the background of the game gives context and a boost to morale!

    Game
    Playstation 4