Persona 4 Golden evaluation: a welcome change of tempo from Persona 5

A calming environment permeates its starting Persona 4 Golden. The protagonist doesn’t journey to a big Shibuya or the Sangenjaya-inspired streets that result in Persona 5‘s Café Leblanc. As an alternative, he’s on a practice heading in the other way, forsaking the bustling metropolis to spend a 12 months within the countryside.

First launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2008, Persona 4 will quickly be accessible on Nintendo Change, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, the latter through Sport Go. It marks a brand new period for the Japanese RPG basic, which, apart from a 2020 PC port, has been nearly inaccessible to anybody with no PS2 disc or PlayStation Vita. It is a foreboding, pastoral journey and has a very totally different tone to its city sequel.

Inaba is nothing like Tokyo. You may simply see every little thing the town has to supply in a day — or in a couple of minutes in-game. However its slower tempo makes the seemingly mundane features of farm life all of the extra fascinating. In consequence, your relationships, each with folks and the town itself, are nearer. And as soon as hazard begins to loom within the background, the stakes turn into extra private in consequence.

It helps that the protagonist has a way more grounded story than Persona 5of the Joker. He isn’t being transferred due to a take a look at, however as a result of his dad and mom moved overseas for work. His uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, alongside along with his cousin Nanako, welcomes him with open arms right into a welcoming residence. He isn’t compelled to dwell in an attic, neither is he frowned upon by everybody he meets due to his “prison” background. If it weren’t for the sequence of murders and disappearances that happen quickly after his arrival, it might need been a pleasing, bucolic getaway.

The grotesque occasions come as a shock to the folks of Inaba – particularly the scholars of Yasogami Excessive College. Yosuke Hanamura, the celebration’s first new member, or confidant, was notably near one of many homicide victims. This prompts the protagonist, together with Yosuke and several other different college students, to type a workforce and examine.

The group quickly discovers one thing known as the ‘Midnight Channel’, which portends the dying of anybody on the display. Thus begins a countdown in your calendar, a interval during which you will have to totally discover a dungeon and defeat the ultimate boss earlier than a lethal mist units in. Persona 5the dungeons right here focus (largely) on folks near you.

The palaces of Persona 5 they’re equal elements outrageous and foreboding, and sometimes include set items and puzzle patterns to interrupt up turn-based fight. Persona 4 Golden‘small The dungeons, alternatively, can be extra just like the Mementos sections of it Persona 5 — procedurally generated mazes with intermittent battles. In 2023 they really feel considerably monotonous. However by placing you within the psychotopias of your shut buddies, who’re compelled to carry up a mirror to their hopes, fears and targets, Persona 4 offers a extra introspective expertise than its sequel. It is a cathartic story about self-reflection and honesty.

Picture: Atlus/Sega through Polygon

Everytime you’re not delving into dungeons, going to high school, or investigating crime, you are free to spend your evenings and holidays as you please. There may be all kinds of actions at your disposal, from sports activities and cultural golf equipment to a protracted checklist of facet quests. Some focus solely on rising your stats, whereas others, like sure part-time jobs, can unlock new Social Hyperlinks utterly. Usually, you may earn factors in direction of each development programs in a single go, which leads to a synergy that makes a satisfying use of time.

Within the unfold out Persona 5, I’ve utterly skipped actions and even secondary areas. In Persona 4 Golden it is simpler to spend time on easy duties together with your confidants. It is also simpler to stay to the nooks and crannies of Inaba, sticking to the quiet corners the place you talked to a confidant: the pretty easy riverbank the place you and Chie apply combating collectively. the restaurant you’ve got eaten at dozens of occasions that sells a particular bowl throughout wet days. or that one desk in Junes meals court docket the place the group wins and displays on previous errors.

In case you misplaced Persona 4 Golden on PlayStation Vita or Steam, it feels proper at residence on Nintendo Change (the model I examined myself). Photographs are sharp in each handbook and docked mode, there are many quality-of-life tweaks round issue choices and file saving, and it runs at 60fps more often than not, aside from scenes involving fog.

Picture: Atlus/Sega through Polygon

Sadly, Persona 4Its most problematic content material has not been up to date or revised in its new iteration. It is nonetheless mired in sexism tropesand its illustration queer characters stay is lacking at finest, and dangerous within the worst case. It could be simpler to choose up and play than ever, however its content material remains to be often arduous to abdomen.

Some folks will understandably be delay by all this. Nevertheless, for all the issues in his script, Persona 4 Golden manages to mine heartfelt tales from different veins. Persona 5 Royal is an actual amusement park with facet actions which might generally be overwhelming. In Inaba, nonetheless, having fewer distractions lets you focus in your bonds way more intently. It can take a while to regulate to being away from the town, particularly with no smartphone continuously buzzing to let you realize the place everyone seems to be always. However there isn’t any want for one. You are sure to fulfill a pleasant face in your option to the riverside.

Persona 4 Golden can be launched on January nineteenth on Nintendo Change, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Sequence X. The sport was reviewed on Change utilizing a pre-release obtain code offered by Sega. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These don’t have an effect on editorial content material, though Vox Media could earn commissions for merchandise bought by means of affiliate hyperlinks. You could find extra details about Polygon’s ethics coverage right here.