Originally posted on Meteor Media.
Charlie Vogelsang takes a look at Persona 4 Golden, a remaster with plenty to love that smashed Steam records.
Recently released on Windows for the first time ever, Persona 4 Golden follows a young teenager who is forced to move from Tokyo to a small little town. The teenager soon learns that the town has been shook by a string of strange and gruesome murders. The release of the game smashed the record for the most concurrently played JRPG on Steam in the platform’s history.
Starting at a new school is difficult for anyone, but combine that with murders and shadows (monsters) - you get Persona 4 Golden. Following an unnamed protagonist, you discover the Midnight Channel and find that you can go inside the TV. In the TV World, characters must acknowledge their Shadow Self (a manifestation of their darkest secrets) and accept this to transform it into a ‘Persona’ that’s loyal to them.
Once their ‘Persona’ has been awakened, it becomes a supernatural power in which they can summon and fight with. Each of the protagonist's friends soon discover they gain mystical powers in the TV as well and they band together to investigate the mysterious murders.
How does it play?
The gameplay is pretty good for a game that originated on the PS2 and PlayStation Vita. Persona 4 Golden blends traditional JRPG gameplay with life simulation elements. You control the protagonist’s life for a year whilst he lives out his life in Inaba. Days are broken up into various times, with “After School/Daytime” and “Evening” being the times that you can do the most activities.
During these times, you can do real world activities such as school clubs, part-time jobs, making friends through Social Links and visiting the TV World. Whilst the player is free to choose how they spend their time in Persona 4 Golden, if they fail to rescue someone trapped in the TV World then it’ll be game over.
Each person rescued in Persona 4 Golden has their own unique dungeon which represents them. The gameplay in the TV World is essentially a stylised dungeon crawler but with amazing music and some unique visuals. Unfortunately, these dungeons have multiple levels which can make the game feel a bit repetitive. They’ve improved the dungeons compared to Persona 3’s Tartarus that consists of 264 floors to explore, but they lack the finesse of Persona 5’s dungeons.
The battles in Persona 4 Golden are vastly improved from previous games. While it still has turn-based combat of four party members and All-Out Attack (group attack), the improvement of Shuffle Time makes the battles feel less grindy. Shuffle Time gives players additional rewards after battles such as items, money or EXP bonuses (to improve leveling up your characters and Personas). It feels more like a reward in Persona 4 Golden rather than a surprise punishment that results in fighting the Grim Reaper like in Persona 3.
The heart of Persona 4:
Whilst the gameplay isn’t perfect, the characters and overall story compensate for that. Persona 4 Golden’s characterisation is so strong that it drives the plot. As the protagonist, you live with your uncle Ryotaro Dojima and your cousin Nanako. These two characters become a huge part of the story - and it doesn’t hurt that Nanako is simply adorable. The main party members that you can befriend as the game progresses are unique and interesting whilst being entirely relatable teenagers. Everyone is believable in this world and that’s how you get so attached to the story.
As it’s a Persona game, I have to give a shout out to the incredible music. Persona 4 Golden has one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard making the tedious and endless dungeons bearable. Shoji Meguro composed and arranged the stunning score and vocals by Shihoko Hirata. On the surface, the music seems like bubblegum pop music that is infectiously happy but the deeper lyrics and the tone shifts convey the dark reality of what is actually happening. Backside Of The TV and Heartbeat, Heartbreak are incredibly catchy, you’ll have trouble getting them out of your head.
If you don’t mind a game that has likeable, developed characters, phenomenal music with over 60 hours of gameplay - then Persona 4 Golden is a must play. Don’t expect Persona 5 level of polish but the Steam version has enhanced the graphics making it enjoyable and playable. Persona 4 Golden has a solid plot and is a JRPG that is immediately unforgettable.
8.5 / 10
Persona 4 Golden is available now on Steam, buy it here.