This week's issue of Weekly Famitsu included the first official review of Persona 5, and it's quite enthusiastic. Since we're still far from the western release, we thought you might want to know what the editors of the prominent Japanese magazine think of the game.

First of all, the review notes mention that the average clear time is over 80 hours, and there are several side-activities that you can enjoy for many additional hours.

You can read the review itself below, but before you proceed, here's a note on how reviews work on Famitsu. Each game is judged by four editors, each of whom writes a separate blurb, and assigns a separate score from one to ten. The scores are then summed to form the overall score. In this case 10+10+10+9=39/40.

The length of the development period is apparent in the quality that permeates the game. Notably, the commitment to production surfaces in many ways, including the character animations, event scenes and camera angles, or even the design and display of text, that sets the game apart from other Japanese RPGs, creating a stylish, high quality game.

There are many fun elements, like the thieves that steal the rotten heart of humans, persona fusions and negotiations with the shadows.  (Yoshida)

Score: 10

It’s easy to empathize with the story of the youth rebelling against the evil adults, In addition to this, the story is displayed with great production value for every scene, and has kept me involved from the beginning to the end.

And it’s not only the story, but also the battles were thrilling and fitting with the criminal theme, with the ability to target the weakness of enemies and the all-out-attacks. I was also very happy with the volume of content. (Ashida)

Score: 10

Leading with the traditional elements of the series, there are also plenty new ones. My expectations were not disappointed. The chivalrous thief-like drama was exciting as I moved stealthily in the disguise of the phantom thief.

The life of the student in the city was fun. Battles were colorful, and did not feel like a chore due to mechanics like the baton-touch to companions and negotiation with the shadows. There are drawbacks, like the fact that at times it’s difficult to understand what actions do at a given time, but they’re far outweighed by the game’s charm. (Namu-ko)

Score: 10

As expected, it’s packed with the charm of the series, its sophisticated drama and its stylish direction of the menus. From the middle of the game onward, the various cooperation characters provide  more and various advantages, increasing the fun further.

About combat, guns and equipment are expensive, and hey feel a bit like they don’t mean much. You can do more than in the previous game, but at times it’s hard to understand the benefits. (Bunbunmaru)

Score: 9

Overall Score: 39/40