Persona 4 Golden Review: A JRPG Classic Now Available on Contemporary Consoles

When it was first released in 2008, Persona 4 was a remarkable accomplishment by Atlus, offering PlayStation 2 users another formidable title to savor towards the end of the system's existence. Critics adored it, and gamers had more chances to experience it when Persona 4 Golden, with extra material, was eventually released on the PlayStation Vita in 2012 and Microsoft Windows in 2020. However, Persona 4 Golden is now available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Series X|S for the first time, making it more accessible than before.

Persona 4 Golden is What Kind of Game?

Mainly a Japanese role-playing game (JRPG), Persona 4 Golden also has slice-of-life aspects and a significant social structure. You need to carefully arrange your daily schedule, with two primary activities often accessible in the evening and after school. In the game, you may develop Social Links with friends and acquaintances to strengthen your social skills as a concrete set of five stats, explore challenging dungeons while solving a sinister mystery.

Getting all of your class assignments right to develop your knowledge and expression, as well as working jobs to develop your diligence, understanding, and courage, are only two of the everyday responsibilities that will help you enhance your social skills. As you level up these attributes, deeper social interactions with important characters become available, rewarding you more. A complicated turn-based fighting system that allows you to combine and gather Personas—game-based representations of personalities that support you in battle—is added on top of all of this. Better Personas may be created the more Social Links you have with the game's cast, which will directly pay you for your social investment.

Persona 4 Golden is not only a slice-of-life RPG, but also a highly organized story. As you solve a series of murder mysteries, you'll be faced with a number of deadlines, so you'll need to plan each day with those deadlines in mind. The game has many possible endings, some of them are harsh and unfortunate and show how effectively you manage your choices. However, if you play carefully, you'll reach the most fulfilling endings and finish the game with many more tales to explore.

First rule: be authentic. Rule 2: Make Sense of Everything!

The story of Persona 4 Golden centers on the students amid a horrifying string of killings that are afflicting the town of Inaba, which is modeled after the Japanese city of Fuefuki. Everyone in the little town seems to know one another, either via their shared employment at the Junes department store or as employees of nearby businesses. Although the mystery complicates the lives of the police, including the protagonist's uncle, the game's plot also centers on the player's relationship with people who seem to be the near victims of these atrocities.

You must travel the enigmatic TV World to find many dungeons constructed by your companions' brains, some of which may need saving. You may help those who require saving from self-destruction inclinations, anxieties, or oneself by strengthening your relationship with them. Being there for the people in your life is just as important as solving crimes and rescuing your community, friends, and loved ones in this game.

My Superpower Is My Friends!

A key component of Persona 4 Golden's narrative and gameplay is the wide range of allying individuals that you may form relationships with. Some of the most truly engaging interactions in the game also have practical advantages, such as making fights simpler and more enjoyable when specific suitable buddies are in your team. Speaking with these people reveals the profound and recurring theme of the power of acceptance—both of oneself and of others.

Some of the strongest examples of this have nothing to do with party members at all, but rather with important figures like Ryotaro Dojima and Nanako. This father and daughter are a strong duo that show you that the person in their life actively makes a positive difference in their lives by overcoming loss and sorrow. When I saw folks like the Dojimas, learned about their backstory, or received something as basic as a cup, I couldn't help but cry. In Persona 5 Royal's Confidants, I was surprised by how powerful the incidental sequences were.

More on the supporting cast, however, who seem to be some of the most lively and enjoyable characters despite being well-rounded and aware of the significance of the narrative. As you make friends with characters like Yukiko Amagi, they start to feel more at ease with you and sometimes they laugh so hard that they cry. Not only the protagonist, but also other characters like Yosuke and Teddie or Naoto and Kanji, form bonds with one another.

As the plot takes a dark turn, these people' most intriguing traits are on full display, and their emotional limits are really put to the test. It seems natural, like you're seeing a community come together to face this evil menace. Even though they come with vile adversaries like conceited predators and strange, supernatural entities, they manage to maintain a positive outlook and a relationship that is full of joy, laughing, love, and acceptance as they heal.

The Images

With its most recent installments, Persona has built up a tremendous reputation for being visually spectacular, and Persona 4 Golden is no exception. Yellow is on show here, a bright and cheery hue that helps lift even the darkest scenes, much as how red is employed for Persona 5 and blue for Persona 3. This serves as a reminder to the player that despite the most depressing circumstances—including some really horrifying tragedy and anguish for the main cast—they nevertheless make an effort to find pleasure.

In addition to color selection, the game has some very cool design elements. Because of the game's PS2 beginnings, the sprites and textures often have an outdated appearance, yet the dungeon design—especially from Void Quest onward—feels unique and ingenious. The usage of anime images in the UI and certain cutscenes is another method the game combats bad visual aging. This keeps the game appearing new even though it is 15 years old and benefits from Golden's enhanced quality of life. The Xbox Series X version I was given had a clear 60 frames per second framerate, and the visible scanlines gave the impression that you were exploring the environment within a TV.

The Sound

Persona 4 Golden's soundtrack is as distinctive as ever, adding to the game's lively feel. You'll sense it while chatting with pals at Junes or simply in the upbeat vibe that permeates your post-school routine. Although the dungeon music was a bit of a disappointment at first, there are some very great songs in the latter stages of the game.

The game has a remarkable quantity of recorded voiceover work in its speech in addition to the music. The pop idol resident of the game, Rise Kujikawa, has 250 unique navigational lines that you will find throughout the game. The game wants you to identify it too. These voice lines help sell players on the emotional significance of certain scenes, give these characters life, and portray Teddie as a charming goofy rather than as someone much stranger or more eerie.

The Problems

is the imageThis is a difficult subject simply because I had very few problems with the game. Though some players may find it offensive, there are instances in the game when some characters display casual homophobia, such as Yosuke's treatment of Kanji's apparent secretive gay or bisexual sentiments. It may be hard to appreciate, which is understandable, even though it seems like two people are only learning to embrace each other and themselves over time.An other concern is to the way the game handles sexuality overall in its story, since it places an unsettling emphasis on sexualizing kids, especially Rise. The character is a charming, if a little too flirty, supporting role who is uncomfortably oversexualized at times. This is probably due to the actually unsettling and predatory nature of the Japanese pop idol industry and the people who run it.Naoto Shirogane, a crucial buddy and supporting character, also has an intriguing journey throughout the game. However, with a more accepting society, particularly among Western viewers but even more so in Japan, Naoto's identity is a hotly debated but intriguing subject. Although the game discusses their background and the reasons for their outer appearance, this could just as well be the narrative of a famous nonbinary figure in the current context. Ultimately, it's more of a matter for discussion and argument than a clear-cut problem, which says a lot about how much I still adore the game.Lastly, the game may be more challenging for gamers who are returning to the series after seeing Persona 5, which is a more popular title. Nonetheless, the curve is forgiving, and players will quickly find themselves flying—the late game is particularly simple. Comparing the early dungeons to Persona 5's palaces, they may likewise be a little dull, but because of features like Shuffle Time, their combat often seem significantly more satisfying.The verdict

For lovers of Japanese role-playing games as well as those who value a compelling story with a lovable supporting cast and a well-designed fighting system that feels just as current as its renowned follow-up, Persona 4 Golden is a must-play. You will be struck by the characters' poignancy in their interactions with you, and it will probably make you laugh or cry several times. It's thrilling that gamers in the current day can appreciate this, and if you have access to Game Pass, you really should play it.However, you'll also get to witness amazing tales, unearth profound rewards, and—if you've made enough friends—taste some of the most repulsive chocolate ever created with the purest love possible. While it may not have the same unquestionable flair as Persona 5, it still has all the depth and replay value that fans have come to expect from a Persona game.On January 19, 2023, Persona 4 Golden will be published globally on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. It has previously been released for the PlayStation Vita and PC.