Geek Kingdom : Persona 4 Golden
by Liam Lavoie
My name is Liam Lavoie, and I’m here to bring you another issue of…
GEEK KINGDOM!
Video games have a reputation for being overly violent and intense, providing fast-paced experiences full of mature content. However over the past few years, those sentiments have been proven false with the popularity of more cozy games, such as Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, The Sims and Night in the Woods. At the same time, the RPG series known as Persona, while seemingly being the complete opposite of these games, rose to prominence by combining a gripping coming of age story about saving the world and a cozy friendship simulator about making friends in a new town. This unique combination of concepts, along with the rising popularity of anime, has helped this series rise out of obscurity into the mainstream, becoming a must-play series for any die hard RPG fan. For those who are interested in starting the Persona series, the 4th game in the series, Persona 4 Golden, provides perfect entry. I’m here to give a review of the game, along with some reasons as to why it’s the best place to start playing Persona.
WHAT’S THE STORY ABOUT?
Persona 4 has a very simple start to what slowly becomes an incredibly complex mystery which will take an incredible amount of effort to uncover. The story begins with a young man going to live with his uncle while his parents work overseas for a year. However, he has visions of a strange limousine covered in blue velvet and its strange inhabitants. Slowly he starts to settle into his new life, yet his introduction is rudely interrupted by the unexpected murder of a reporter involved in a cheating scandal. Over time, the boy and his friends uncover an alternate universe within the television through the mysterious “Midnight Chanel” that seemingly predicts who will be the next to die. Soon they uncover the power inside them, known as “Persona” or the True Self, by accepting the parts of their identity that they deny. Slowly, the gang starts to uncover the mystery, and find the true culprit of the murder, yet it doesn’t seem to end right there… Now I could go on about the entire plot, but saying any more would ruin the experience for anyone looking to play the game.
WHAT’S THE GAMEPLAY LIKE?
The Persona series has a unique gameplay loop that manages to be incredibly engaging with content for every target demographic. Players are given free reign to do as they please around town, interacting with locals, spending time with friends, and purchasing equipment. However, you are also restricted by a time limit, as in a certain amount of days fog will roll over the town, signaling the death of the next victim. Within that time frame, you have to progress through a specific dungeon within the Shadow World, getting to the end and saving whoever is trapped there, while also defeating enemies for experience.
Combat is pretty standard turn-based gameplay, with characters and enemies taking turns hitting each other with spells and attacks. Each enemy and character has an elemental weakness, which, if utilized, drops the enemy down, allowing a follow up attack. If all enemies are knocked down, each viable character can join together and engage an “all out attack” - a powerful group strike that deals massive damage to all enemies in the battle.
Once combat is finished, you have a chance to enter “Shuffle Time”, which allows you to gain bonuses such as extra XP and the addition of different personas that can be equipped on the main character. These personas can then be combined to create even stronger personas with enhanced stats and abilities.
Another fascinating aspect of the Persona games are the Social Links. You can spend time with certain party members and NPC’s to increase your Social Links with them. By doing this, you can gain many benefits, from special abilities for party members to extra experience for your personas. Not only do you get gameplay rewards for increasing your social links, but you can also learn more about the backstories of those you spend time with, immersing yourself further into this wonderful, cozy world.
WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC?
If there is one thing that pretty much every gamer knows it is that the Persona series has some truly amazing soundtracks, and Persona 4 is no exception. The battle themes of “Time to Make History” and “Reach Out to the Truth” are absolute bangers expertly designed to get you pumped up during fights, while “Signs of Love” and “Your Affection” add a decent amount to the cozy atmosphere of the game, mellowing out after a long dungeon-crawling session as you spend time getting supplies or increasing social links. The intro themes are also amazing, with “Pursuing My True Self” focusing on the dark mystery aspect of the game, while “Shadow World” is a more upbeat song that feels lighthearted and fun. If you don’t plan on playing the game, listening to the soundtrack is absolutely a good idea.
ARE THERE ANY NEGATIVES?
While Persona 4 is an amazing game that is an absolute treat to play, there are a few issues that come up during the game. It is a very slow game, as it can take several hours before the core aspects of the game come into play, such as dungeon crawling and social links, which can be a turn off for people who prefer to jump right into the action. Not only that, but there are many parts of the game that can be completely forgotten about. There are hundreds of side quests to complete, yet you might completely forget they exist as you get swept up with increasing stats, attending school, exploring the TV World and increasing social links, along with other mechanics, such as gardening, that can be completely forgotten about quite quickly, despite the many benefits it can give.
SO, WHAT’S THE VERDICT?
Overall, thanks to its warm atmosphere combined with exciting dungeon-crawling gameplay, Persona 4 is a truly amazing game that is an experience that any fan of RPGs and cozy games should play. With challenging combat, intriguing stories, fun characters and a truly stellar soundtrack, it all comes together to form an amazing experience that will give you hours upon hours of fun.
VERDICT:
9.5/10!
Thank you so much for reading the article, and I hope to see you soon on the next issue of…
GEEK KINGDOM!
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