Summary
Atlus' two largest franchises are theShin Megami Tenseiseries and thePersonaseries, and each has its own dedicated groups of fans. While thePersonaseries started as a spin-off ofShin Megami Tensei, it has grown and evolved into a separate franchise for the developer in recent years. While there are some clear similarities between the two, like how bothPersonaandShin Megami Tenseishare many of the same collectible creatures, JRPG fans looking to get into either series will want to know how these series stack up in terms of how long it takes to beat them.
AlthoughPersonahas eclipsed its parent series with the popularity ofPersona 5,Shin Megami Tenseihas also seen a resurgence in popularity with the release of titles likeShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne RemasteredandShin Megami Tensei 5. Both series have also gotten a handful of spin-off games fairly recently as well, withgames likePersona 5 TacticaandTokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encoreamong them. However, for players looking to just finish the main series of games, they’ll need to take a look at the time to beat each of the definite versions of each entry.
101 Hours
HowLongToBeat
To beat the entiremain series ofPersonagames, players are looking at upwards of 364 hours of in-game time, which is a massive time investment. There is a clear jump in game length starting withPersona 3, likely due to the addition of the calendar system in this entry that would go on to become a staple mechanic of the series. Having to play out a year’s worth of in-game days along with the additional content present in the definitive versions ofPersona 3,Persona 4, andPersona 5greatly extends the time to beat this series when compared to other JRPGs.
45.5 Hours
TheShin Megami Tenseiseriesmay have more mainline entries than thePersonaseries, but the total time to beat all mainlineShin Megami Tenseigames only barely beats thePersonaseries, with a total of 367 hours. However, the games in theShin Megami Tenseiseries are much more consistent with their time to beat, with most entries clocking in at around 30–40 hours, which is much closer to the length of a standard JRPG.Shin Megami 3: NocturneandShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journeyare the longest in the series at over 50 hours, but neither of those compares to the longestPersonagames.
Players looking to complete the entire mainlineShin Megami Tenseiseries will have another issue to contend with that makes them more difficult to beat than thePersonagames. SeveralShin Megami Tenseigames, includingShin Megami Tensei 2,Shin Megami Tensei if…, andShin Megami Tensei: NINEwere never released in the West, meaning they are difficult to access for players outside Japan. While there are fan translations available for these titles, there are no official ways to play them outside of their Japanese releases and re-releases.
