Persona 4 Golden

Persona 4 Golden is a port of the original Persona 4 on the PS Vita and now PC. The game has a great, suspenseful, and fun story. The game-play is a huge step up from Persona 3. Overall, the characters in this game are interesting throughout and special in their own right making the game more fun scary and joyful since they are around most of the time, and when trouble arrives and some characters are threatened you feel like they are a good friend that you need to save which is an impressive feat. This is my first Persona game I ever played, the nostalgic feeling I had for this game made be buy it again on Steam. The game is so good I had to play my 7th run on the game.

Overall, if you have 20 bucks I recommend buying it on Steam or the PS Vita store.

I decided to write this review to counter the one that said "it isn't as good as Persona 5".

That might be true (yet to play Persona 5 due to not opening a PS4) but it is sort of like saying "Back to the Future 1 is terrible because it isn't as good as Back to the Future 2" or "Godfather part 1 is terrible as Godfather part 2 is superior". You could technically say those statements but it is dismissing all the work that the previous entry put into establishing the universe and system.

Prior to playing Persona 4, I couldn't envisage how any game could top the story and characters of Persona 3. The overall system was a lot of fun, the characters and interactions memorable and the conclusion was brilliant. After playing Persona 4 though, I struggle to go back to Persona 3 as so many quality of life improvements were implemented in the 4 that makes 3 seem clunky by comparison. Somehow they also wrote even more engaging characters (Yusuke is more relatable than Junpei, Yukiko is more real than Mitsuru, Chie is more fun than Akihiko, Rise is less annoying and more helpful than Fuka, Margaret is way better than Elizabeth), a better location (spent a couple of years in rural Japan and Inaba is spot on for how these towns look and feel), and the gameplay was even better.

The main downside for the game is that once the mechanics are understood (which is not difficult, the game holds your hand quite a bit) it becomes relatively easy. A few battles are still complex but mostly you want the shadow world sections to finish so you can get back to the story. Spend a bit of time at the beginning grinding extra levels and the game is very easy as you are almost always ahead of the difficulty curve.

I can imagine that with everything that is great about Persona 4 is made even better in Persona 5 and the few problems are fixed up making Persona 5 seem like the better game. That is the nature of game development. But if you have played 5 and want more of the series, go back and play 3 and 4 but judge them on their own merits and enjoy the story and the people you meet along the way.

After playing Persona 5, I really wanted to play more Persona games. Persona 4 Golden released on steam last year, so I finally got the chance to play it. The story in Persona 4 is really good and very engaging, even if the writing is quite weak at times. The additional story in Golden is not anything special but it's fine. The gameplay on the other hand, not really. While the combat system itself is enjoyable, I'm gonna explain later why the gameplay overall is not as good as the story. The main characters are the best part of the game and their interactions are probably the best I've seen in any videogame. The music took some time to grow on me but I ended up absolutely loving it! The art style is nice, although the visual quality is a bit outdated. Also, it's worth mentioning that the dialogue is hilarious at times... like, it had me laughing out loud! Persona 4 Golden is undoubtedly one of the funniest games I've ever played. Now, Persona 4 has one issue that affects the gameplay though; the dull dungeon design. The dungeons in that game are literally copy/paste, empty corridors, which is something Golden could improve on but it didn't. For those who've only played Persona 5, imagine something like Mementos. Another issue is the saving system in the dungeons, it's unnecessarily complicated and it made me lower the difficulty in some parts.

Pros: + Great story + Awesome characters + Decent combat system + Exceptional music + Cool art style

Cons

• Inconsistent writing
• Poor dungeon design & complicated dungeon saving system

Narrative: 8/10 Gameplay: 6/10 Content: 8/10 Characters: 10/10 Music: 10/10 Art Style: 8/10

Final Rating: 9.5/10

• Outstanding -

I gotta say, playing Persona 4 Golden after Persona 5/Royal made me realize how much Persona 5 improved upon its predecessor.

Much like Persona 5/Royal though, Persona 4 Golden is one hell of an experience! One that I hopefully won't forget anytime soon, as it's truly one of my favorite games I've played in a while.

Do I recommend it?: Yes! Go treat yourself with some Persona, either 5 or 4, it doesn't matter.

The beauty of this game is it will take you back to a time when things were simpler. When friendships mean the world to people, when fighting for the greater good meant something, when planning your day slow and steady lead to greater things. This game is nothing less than perfection, which includes the music, which after almost a decade of me playing it, still actively listen to its soundtracks. This will go down in my family linage as a must play at some point in my children's lives, and beyond.

I played the original part four when it came out and loved it, even after playing five it was my favorite Persona game. Now, I have completed Golden and by golly it was actually better. At first the new touches are small, but then you get to play through the town while it is covered in snow, enjoy a ski trip with your friends, save Maria who adds a lot to the ending which makes the final boss battle better and the ending is even better! Of course, it easy for the ending to this one and five to be better than three the original and Reload as it tears your heart out.

The story remains roughly the same, as I said, most of the add-ons really enhance the ending more than the first portion of the story. You are a young man who is arriving in a small town to live with his uncle and the uncle's daughter. He meets Maria a new addition to the game and then soon makes friends with people at school like Youske, Chie and Yukio. Rumors of a strange channel begin, a murder occurs and soon our hero and Youske meet up with Teddie who lives in a strange otherworld, filled with yellow fog. Playing it now, this realm is a bit like the backrooms. You soon begin saving people like Kanji, Rise and Naoto as you try to figure out the person responsible for the murders!

The game play is great featuring turn based combat, exploiting weaknesses and going in for an all out attack. You also establish bonds and nurture them to the fullest. Honestly, I dude not do too well my first play through. I got all my party members and Mary's maxed out, but only one other. So, of course, I will play it again.

I think I enjoy this one the most because the characters are so good. All the girls are super cute, especially Rise. I enjoy interacting with them and the whole mystery really works well. The game has good humor too. I am going to play five again now as I did not get to enjoy that one as much as I could due to my fiance's passing, but i doubt it can overtake this one as my fave. I think the only Persona that could defeat this is a remake of this one done like Persona 3 Reload.