My Persona 4 Review

After racking up 50 hours in P4, I've decided to finally do a review of it. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is the 4th installment (5th if you're in Japan) of the revived Persona series. You play the as the silent and nameless protagonist who just moved from the big city to the rural town Inaba. You where sent there to live with your Uncle and cousin while your parents are off working, When you get there, you start hearing things about murders and this thing called the Midnight Channel. You begin to realize, along with some of your classmates, that you guys are the only ones that can prevent the murders from happening.

The story is my favorite part of the game. It's better than Persona 3's since it's a murder mystery and you're always trying to figure out who the killer is. It's like once you figure out who it is, the game flips the script and you're completely wrong. Another thing I like in this game are the characters. They are much more likable than P3's were. Yes, they are basically copies of them (Yukiko is obviously a less snooty Misuru) but you really start to care for them and worry about their well being. Social Links return in this game and they improved on an already great idea. For girls, you can decide what girl you're going to date and which one you're not. You don't get the option to until the 9th rank but it's a nice addition so you can get your social link up with a girl but you don't have to date them in the process. Something new they did with the S.Links for party members is that when it reaches the top level, your party member will get a upgrade to their Persona. In 3, it automatically happened within the story, but now Atlus has made us choose which party member's S.Link we have to get up.

The gameplay has changed much, but there are many new additions. For example, you can fish, get part time jobs, and read books. These things are done to raise your 5 stats (Courage, Expression, Diligence, Understanding, and Knowledge) which you'll need in the game. Some decisions in the main story require high Courage, so if you're a wimp, you will miss out on certain actions. The battle system isn't much different, except you now have the choice to control you're own party members. Since you can do that now, be prepared for much harder battles throughout the game. The fights are the same, kill an enemy by using elemental or physical attacks, rinse ,repeat. It's a repetitive system, but fights never get old. This time, you're not just exploring one place. There are multiple dungeons that you explore this time and they each have different looks and music. Speaking of music, it's so catchy in this game. you'll probably be humming this themes while your in the shower or in school or w/e. Persona 4 definitely has the best music.

This game can take anywhere from 60-100 hours long, depending on your game skill. I'm 50 hours in and I can tell the game is about to end. Without a doubt, Persona 4 makes great use of the SMT name and is without a doubt one of the best experiences this year. You'll be so sucked up in the world. you'd swear that these things were happening in real life. 10/10