2 Realities In 1 Game
by Sam Billot, Senior, iPreparatory Academy
by Sam Billot, Senior, iPreparatory Academy
Life is an adventure, as some would say, but Persona 4 takes this to another level entirely. Persona 4 is a Role Playing Game (RPG) or Japanese Role Playing Game (JRPG) in which the main character is fixed, who just moved to the town of Inaba from the city. As the player renames the main character, the new character soon finds out he has the power to enter a TV to a world where the inner desires of people manifest into physical places. He also finds out that this TV world is linked to a series of murder cases. So, he and a group of friends enter the TV world to solve the crimes and save others.
That's the game's synopsis, but what does the gameplay consist of? Well, the gameplay is divided into 2 parts.
That's the game's synopsis, but what does the gameplay consist of? Well, the gameplay is divided into 2 parts.
Part 1: The surface world
The first is that of the surface world where the player can buy weapons and armor, level the player up, and do side-quests. The most important thing the player can do however, are confidants. Confidants are the main selling point of Persona, as they talk with the confidants, they form bonds with them, which give the player special abilities while in the TV world. For example, forming a bond with the players party gives them a chance to block a fatal attack for him. Each character has a storyline in which the player learns their backstory and motivations in life and whatnot. But the game is deeper than a mere dating and shopping simulator.
The first is that of the surface world where the player can buy weapons and armor, level the player up, and do side-quests. The most important thing the player can do however, are confidants. Confidants are the main selling point of Persona, as they talk with the confidants, they form bonds with them, which give the player special abilities while in the TV world. For example, forming a bond with the players party gives them a chance to block a fatal attack for him. Each character has a storyline in which the player learns their backstory and motivations in life and whatnot. But the game is deeper than a mere dating and shopping simulator.
Part 2: The TV world
When the player enters the TV world, they must explore a labyrinth with multiple floors full of enemies and treasure. The labyrinths usually consist of 7-11 floors with mini bosses sprinkled in between and a major boss at the end of the labyrinth. The important thing to keep in mind is that the characters only have a limited amount of time to rescue those who were thrown into the TV. The player also has limited time in the surface world, the player can only do 2 things that take time a day. And if they decide to enter the TV world, they must do that for the entire day, no matter how long or little they spend there. So learning how to manage time is key. The gameplay is mostly running around the floors of the labyrinth trying to find the stairs to the next floor while fighting enemies in classic rpg turn based combat. It has all the basics, status boosts, elemental weaknesses, leveling up, etc. The player fights using the titular Personas, which take the form of ghosts of mythological creatures like Jack Frost or Anubis. There's a whole system of fusion and ability inheritance and much more the player can do to modify personas.
Graphics:
Graphically, the game has aged well, the game was originally from 2008, and was rereleased on Steam with a small graphical upgrade back in 2020. Overall the ingame models are a little rough around the edges but everything else looks good, even with a 16 year difference. The soundtrack is amazing, consisting of rock and electric jazz perspectives, and the music is very memorable; I recommend “Time to make History.”
Graphically, the game has aged well, the game was originally from 2008, and was rereleased on Steam with a small graphical upgrade back in 2020. Overall the ingame models are a little rough around the edges but everything else looks good, even with a 16 year difference. The soundtrack is amazing, consisting of rock and electric jazz perspectives, and the music is very memorable; I recommend “Time to make History.”
Overall, I highly recommend this game. It’s about 40-50 hours long on a regular playthrough, which, for 20$, is a massive steal. I highly recommend people who enjoy RPGs to pick it up if you enjoy dense character stories or the Persona series.