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‘Persona 4 Golden’ review: midterms are murder
It's time for you to make history (again)
| 4 |
By Andy Brown
18th January 2023
A wholesome coming-of-age story swaddled within a grim murder-mystery, Persona 4 Golden is a beast of two natures. A Japanese role-playing game (RPG), Persona 4 follows a high schooler that has gone to live in the small Japanese town of Inaba for that year. Before he receives a opportunity to unpack, a gruesome number of killings take place, with victims found strung from TV antennas and make contact with lines across town. In the meantime, a metropolitan legend known as the Midnight Channel helps make the rounds of his new school, promising viewers an opportunity to see their soulmate appear on TV when they stare into a blank screen on the rainy night.
There’s a dark ring of truth towards the rumour – though it’s not soulmates that show up on the Midnight Channel but flickering images from the killer’s next victim, writhing in pain and shrouded in fog. When the protagonists discover they have the ability to enter the cisco kid World, a warped realm in which the killings take place, they receive powerful abilities called Personas and start wading through randomly-generated dungeons and turn-based battles in the hopes of putting a finish towards the murders.
It’s not every grim. Persona 4‘s visuals are garishly colourful from its catchy opening movie, and when you’re not entering the Shadow World to fight monsters and save victims of Inaba’s murderer, you'll be doing everything an ordinary student does. You’re free to spend your free hours as you like – whether that’s working in a part-time job for cash, hanging out with your friends or studying for school – so long as you remain on top of the game’s deadlines, which requires saving the Midnight Channel’s reluctant stars by certain dates. Fail that, and it’s game over.
Again, though – it’s not only about the murder! By the time you roll credits on Persona 4 (expect that to take 65-75 hours), it won’t be the image of a body hanging from an antenna that lingers in your head. It will likely be Persona 4‘s relentlessly catchy original soundtrack that’s bursting with noughties pop bangers, or conversations with characters you’ll arrived at see as cherished friends during your amount of time in Inaba. Maybe it will be just a little murder, like a treat – the plot is correctly gripping before the pacing starts to wobble toward the end of Golden‘s bonus content – but thematically, it’s remarkable the number of plates Persona 4 seems to spin at once.
Though it’s been 15 years since Persona 4 first launched, you'd have a hard time guessing wear and tear. The game’s delightful cast and tense plot match 2023’s Persona 5 without skipping a beat, while much-needed additions like a quick-save feature get this to version of Golden the best way to listen to it. However, Persona 4‘s dungeon-crawling – while a noticable difference on Persona 3 – still lags behind the polish of 5, and it can grow tiresome to brush numerous floors in search of a randomly-generated way to progress. When you eventually crawl toward Persona 4‘s end, the dungeons can start to feel like a chore to accomplish with regard to progressing the storyline.
However, that remains a grating niggle when confronted with Persona 4‘s wider strengths. A decade . 5 later, Persona 4 remains a legitimately essential JRPG – and now developer Atlus has ported it bloody everywhere, there’s no excuse for skipping it.
Persona 4 Golden launches on January 19 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. We played it on Xbox Series S.
Verdict
There are few games as colourful, vibrant, or touching as Persona 4. Because of an endearing cast, near-unrivaled soundtrack and captivating plot, expect to leave a bit of your heart in Inaba when you finally get to the credits of the gem.
Pros
- Lively, entertaining characters who are a delight to bond with
- Fantastic soundtrack
- A high-stakes plot that still finds time for moments of sweetness
Cons
- The dungeons can become grating through the end
- Likewise, the story continued in Golden stretches a tad too long
