Today I want to go over something that has absolutely swallowed my life as of late, that being the game I had to wait months for after purchasing; Persona 4. I already knew this was going to be kind of game that I would like; hell, I've know since before I ever even saw the game. All the way back when I first heard about this series. It was the reveal trailer for Persona 5, all anime and glorious, and I knew this was something that I had to get my hands upon. Of course, this was another victim of the trashbag know as Sony waving their exclusivity card around meaning that this was a title unique both to their brand and the console. (Yeah, a JRPG that's exclusive to the console. And people wonder why I consider the guys in Sony human trash.) Since then I've been one of many begging for a PC launch of these games for literal years, until early this year when we finally got it. A PC port of Persona- 4. "Well, it wasn't what I asked for but I'll take it." I thought at the time, reasoning that this game has to be decent enough.
Of course, then I found out the hard way that the port was inconsistent, with myself being unfortunate enough to land in the camp of folk who get the buggy version of the game. Okay, admittedly the issue was limited; the anime cutscenes would lag and stutter to a halt although people told me they were far and few between anyway. But I paid for the full experience and that's what I wanted; I didn't want to sacrifice the cool animated moments because of some tech difficulties, so I spent literally weeks looking for answers and came up blank. Eventually I just gave up and choose to spend my time with another game I had put off forever; Yakuza 0, although in the months that followed there was a small update finally to my version of the game. At the time I hazarded a small reopen of the game and saw the intro animation play without a hitch, but I was enraptured in the world of Yakuza at that point and so I put it away for another day.
In fact, it was only really a week ago when I finally dipped my toes into this game, and since then I've played 39 hours. (And unlike with Far Cry 5, most of those were actually spent playing the game rather than standing around the pause screen working up the desire to resume) Needless to say I am hopelessly hooked and obsessed with the town of Inaba and it's residents, as a fellow who seeks escapism so often in the hobbies he partakes, Persona 4 is one of the best fulfilments of that goal that I have ever played. Already I've found myself invested and caring about the people of the everyday as well as completely sold on the premise of managing my daily activities between fighting and socialising. It proposes a world in which the ordinary have the potential to become titans and mean something, and at the end of the day isn't that something that everybody wants?
Though I'm not nearly done with the game yet, I'll try to nail the basics of the premise. There is some sort of supernatural killer working their way through the sleepy country-side town of Inaba with murky motivation and a curious methodology. The police are stumped and soon it falls into the lap of the main character to solve the murders whilst saving those in the crosshairs and managing his schoolwork at the sametime. (Sort of sounds like a more grim version of Kim Possible like that, doesn't it?) The thing which makes this title so different and unique to other RPGs is the way that it places heavy emphasis on the average day to day life, with the bouts of actual action being the rare exception which breaks the tranquillity. Even then, it's never a surprise; the player has to embark on that adventure themselves, meaning that there's this clear divide between the peaceful moments and the nail-biting ones which the game's mechanics bridge between.
As the master of Personas, the player's combat is driven by the way they manage and swap between these powerful manifestations of will known as Personas. Most people have but one to their name, a representation of the face they wear to show the outside world, but the Hero can don many, given their blank-slate personality. Each of these personas come with their own stats, abilities, and vulnerabilities that the hero inherits when they equip them, bringing strategy into the equation. Also, the strength of the Persona is really dependant on the level on which they were summoned, encouraging the player to summon a variety of new Personas as they themselves start to become more powerful, ensuring that your moveset is rarely ever static.
That alone makes for a pretty diverse and interesting RPG side of the game, but the way it relates to the hanging out side of the game is truly inspired. You see, every Persona is tied to a certain Tarot card which categorises their theme and abilities, although that's something you won't think a great deal about when you're actually fighting. This does come into play, however, because everyone you form a connection with in the town is also linked to a Tarot card. As you spend time with these people and grow closer to them, your bond to the corresponding Tarot card is strengthened, which means that when you summon a Persona of that Tarot category they'll be instilled with tremendous strength that can give you a heavy advantage. (Spending the whole day planting carrots with your cousin doesn't feel like a waste of time!)
Speaking of time, that is another element of Persona 4 which I find enthralling. The whole game takes place over the length of a single year, with daily activities progressing the player through the two stages of the day (day and night) relentlessly. This creates this atmosphere in which you feel encouraged to manage your time and who you spend it with wisely, because there's always a calendar counting down. Of course this becomes a lot more relevant once people start getting kidnapped, and suddenly you have to race against the clock of a few weeks to grind up your character before the deadline. (Which automatically ends the game.) It solves the problem of a lot of RPGs wherein you feel little drive to hit at the main goal and feel like you could stop and grind whenever you want to; instead you know you have to play clever and actually feel productive when hitting the grind.
There's so much more to talk about with this game although I fear I risk going into details that I should probably save for a review. TLDR; Persona 4 is shaping up as a truly interesting title which subverts a lot of genre tropes and is currently still delivering an emotional ride. I have a few issues with it, such as the fact it's one of those games where if the hero goes down the entire party wipes, (I hate that) but for the most part I'm swept away by the adventure and find myself wanting to spend more time in that world then the real one. It's always special when you find that new obsession which has the potential to alter your outlook for what makes a great experience, and already Persona is proving to be one of those games. I can't wait to see where it goes next.
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