Persona 4 Golden on PS Vita, I had no idea

Although I was still enjoying Atelier Ayesha Plus a lot, gently puttering away gathering things and crafting, I felt it was time last week to finally give Persona 4 Golden on the PS Vita a try. After all, I had it downloaded for some weeks now, and I hadn’t even looked. Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting myself into! Ever since I have been glued to the screen, playing every chance I get.

I have some knowledge of the Persona universe. At least, so I thought. I’ve played Persona Q on the 3DS and Shin Megami Tensei IV too, so I know about Personas to use in battle and about fusing them. I was prepared for a psychedelic color scheme like in Persona Q where lots of things totally baffled me. I enjoyed it, enjoyed the battle and the map making but found the story a bit confusing at the time. So I expected the Persona 4 Golden game to be along the same lines: not true at all!

Persona 4, Shopping District, Junes, Inaba What struck me first are the beautiful graphics, which might be due to the quality of the Vita. The clips are good, like watching a little movie, and I noticed the details. I mean, when someone whips out a cell phone from his pocket and you see that he really chooses a phone number to dial, that’s the sort of stuff I like. Very lifelike. Like way back in Animal Crossing, where you could see the kitchen appliances really working when you put them on. The music is good, and this is the one game where I put on my headphones to be able to hear the voice acting. ( normally I play games with the sound turned down)

I know some people might think the intro to the game much too long, but it was perfect for me. A lot of things that baffled me in Persona Q were cleared up. Now I understand the Velvet Room, and the fusing of Personas. I like that I can swap Persona in battle with my main character, trying to find the best spells available. The battles don’t differ so much, but what surprised me was the social interaction in the game. I had no idea that I have to build social links with my fellow students who are with me in my quest, allowing me to make better use of the Personas. That I have to do activities like making a meal, getting a job or reading a book to develop my skills was a surprise too.

Persona 4, Golden, Cie, Teddie, RPG, socialThe scene they set in the intro of the game creates a bit of suspense, people actually dying and nobody who knows why. The constant fog in the little village of Inaba, being able to see on the midnight channel on your tv who would be next. I really felt the need to save  Yukiko as soon as possible, poor girl so alone in that scary place. My team didn’t get much rest till she was saved! Anyway, I’m still at the beginning of the game, once I’ve played it more extensively, I’ll get back to you with my review.Persona 4 Golden, Vita, Teddie, fun game

11 comments

  1. Well, looks like you’re enjoying Persona 4! I presume that you’ve gotten a few game overs already (Thank goodness you’re playing Golden. In the original Persona 4, Shadow Yukiko didn’t have a weakness against Bufu as she does now.) so be pre-BEARED *Shot* I guess that’s what I get for such a terrible pun.

    1. Haha, great pun! Nope, no game overs yet, maybe because I choose to play in normal mode. I made sure that my team was leveled high enough for the Yukiko shadow. Still, it was a long and arduous battle, I was so glad to have bufu!

  2. Since you didn’t mind the slow introduction (personally I hated it), I’m sure you’ll love Persona 4. Despite the game’s over-chattiness, I enjoyed this game quite a bit. It’s super-addictive, and just a brilliant twist on the RPG genre.

      1. Once you’ve done it a few things I expect you’ll get used to the unusual pacing. It’s definitely an improvement over Persona 3, which gave you a special level/boss fight every in-game month at a set time. That could get annoying because the stuff you do during the rest of the month just feels like grinding that you have to do in order to get through the setpieces.

  3. Awesome game on every level! Gameplay, graphics, music, characters, etc. I’ve played till halfway when the culture festival takes place and then switched to Persona Q to play them chronologically, since the events of Persona Q take place during that festival. Currently halfway into Persona Q and I love both games!

    1. I played Persona Q first, and I must admit that some things were a mystery to me, not knowing the background to Persona. Now, it makes much more sense to me!

  4. I played the first couple hours of P4G then was sidetracked by something. It’s one of those games I have sincere intentions about getting back to. I was hooked by the story, absolutely.

    I’m glad you are enjoying it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *