Persona 4 Review

“The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate.

Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope.

Yet, the Arcana are the means by which all is revealed...

Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end.

It matters not who you are...

Death awaits you.”

Moments like the short speech given above before facing the ultimate boss define the game Persona 3, which can be described as more of an experience than a video game. Micro-managing the main character’s life for a year, you watch as friendships form, relationships evolve, mysteries are untangled, enemies are thwarted, and ultimately, the world is saved. Involving a cast of dozens of fictional characters who each contribute to the world around you and the quest you have undertaken, the story, and your understanding and appreciation of the ones there to help you, grows with each passing day. Resulting in an ending that I can only describe as “naturally epic”, Persona 3’s story layout was one that I thought could not be surpassed by any other game of its type for years to come...until I played Persona 4.

Everything that Persona 3 did, Persona 4 did to near perfection: The characters were a varied bunch, each with their own quirks and personalities that not only made them stand out, but made them seem almost like virtual reflections of friends you’d trust from the real world. The story, instead of being meted out throughout the year, naturally flowed as a new objective appeared roughly each month, and bits of the murder mystery slowly came to light. The catchy, upbeat soundtrack and strange dungeons also added to the unique flavor of this sequel, and helped to make Persona 4 not just great, but amazing.

Needless to say, this experience is my own, and the game isn’t for everyone, but for gamers out there who like a story and don’t think a game’s about how many combos or kill streaks you can get, I’d definitely recommend playing this game through its 80 hour campaign. I feel that it is difficult, if not impossible, for me to put into words why I believe this game deserves praise, not because I think it’s godly great (‘cause it still has its flaws), but because the good aspects of this game blend together in what is more than a sum of its constituent parts. I also feel bad for writing such a short review on a video game and not citing any evidence for my claims, but if I were to attempt to do so, I feel that I would do the game an injustice and fail to convey the experience I felt as I played through it. Though the graphics and gameplay are technically mediocre, Persona 4 is a classic PS2 game that I believe every RPG fan will want to play through to its completion.

Rating: 4.1

Graphics: 3

Music: 5

Narration: 4

Gameplay: 4

Atmosphere: 4.5

Pros:

--Excellent characters, story, music, and atmosphere

--Simple gameplay

--Control over party members’ actions (yay!)

--Social Links have more impact than in Persona 3

--Customizable Personas allow for personalized approaches to combat and bosses

Cons:

--Easy bosses (I think...I played on Expert, had a tough time. Don’t know how that translates to Normal mode.)

--Graphics aren’t exactly the most top-notch, and are reminiscient of Yu-Gi-Oh: Forbidden Memories but better