Behind the closed doors of E3, Atlus showed off some new details about Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. So far, we’ve only gotten a couple of trailers and the fact that there will be a mapping functionality similar to the ones found in Etrian Odyssey. During E3, Atlus filled in more details about the game’s mechanics, like combat.

The Boost mechanic of combat is activated when a character attacks an enemy’s weak point. A character with Boost status can use any skill without expending SP points and gets to act first. The more party members that have the Boost status, the higher the chance that your party will perform the Persona staple, all out attack.

At first, you won’t be able to mix and match your party from both Persona 3 and Persona 4. You start out by picking one set or the other. After finishing the first dungeon, you can mix and match between the two. Each character comes equipped with their own Persona, but a sub-Persona can also be added to each character. The party consists of five members and is structured very much like it is in Etrian Odyssey. Three are in the front while the other two are in the back.

Finally, Atlus revealed that the story of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is canon and not separate from the Persona universe. How the characters in that universe will explain the fact that everyone suddenly looks a little bit squat that one time remains to be seen.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will be released for the 3DS later this year for both North America and Europe.

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