Persona’s writer returns with PS Vita exclusive JRPG The Caligula Effect, out 2nd May

Escaping a virtual world ruled by an intoxicating virtual idol may sound kind of crazy (ok, it is crazy), but that’s exactly what players will need to do when JRPG The Caligula Effect comes out digitally on 2nd May exclusively for PS Vita.

That’s not all, because we’re giving the game the digital deluxe treatment when it comes out! That’s right, The Caligula Effect will launch as a deluxe bundle that includes the game, a PS Vita theme featuring the virtual idol µ and various characters, 19 avatars, and a swimsuit costume DLC pack for €39.99/£29.99!

So what’s up with The Caligula Effect? Long story short, it involves a bunch of students at Kishimai High School who realize that their entire life is a lie. I don’t mean that in a teenage angst kind of way. They stumble upon the fact that their reality is literally a digital construct, known as Mobius, created and ruled by an omnipotent virtual idol known as μ (pronounced myoo)!

These enlightened students call themselves the Go-Home Club, and they’re determined to do whatever it takes to break out of this virtual hell. That means they’ll need to fight crazed students known as Digiheads, defeat evil music producers, confront the all-powerful μ, and face their deepest inner-traumas before breaking free.

This sounds kind of heavy, right? Well it should, because the story is penned by Persona series veteran Tadashi Satomi (the writer of Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment).

Besides the… dark story, what else is there to love about The Caligula Effect? Well, there are over 500+ NPCs to recruit into the Go-Home Club (each have unique back stories to uncover), a very cool battle system called “Imaginary Chain” that lets players preview attack chains, and original songs by celebrated Japanese producers such as OSTER project, 40mP, 164, cosMo@Bousou-P, and more!

Basically what I’m saying is if you’re looking for a deep JRPG to sink your teeth into on the Vita, you can’t go wrong with The Caligula Effect.