ThePersonaseries is one of the most popular JRPG series out right now, andPersona 4played a huge part in its popularity. Its updated version,Persona 4 Golden, was exclusive to the Playstation Vita in 2012, which made it hard for many fans of the series to play.It was finally released on Steam in 2020, giving a whole new generation ofPersonafans a chance to play the game.
SincePersona 4 Goldenwill soon be 10 years old, it’s a good chance to look back and see what the game has done for the series. Despite being almost a decade old, there is a lot about the game that has aged well.
8The Vox Populi Mechanic
Every day, the player has several choices to contend with. Should they meet with their social links, build up their social stats, or go grind in the TV world? Sometimes the choices are just too numerous for players to deal with, especially when trying to max out all social links orsomething that requires a lot of time optimization.
Persona 4 Goldenintroduced the Vox Populi mechanic, which allowed players connected to the internet to see what other players did on any specific day. This mechanic makes deciding what to do each day a lot easier. This feature was so helpful that it returned inPersona 5 Royal.
7The Shuffle Time Mechanic
The Shuffle Time mechanic was introduced inPersona 3, but it was especially refined inPersona 4 Golden. Shuffle Time offered players the chance to get Personas from random battles, as well as temporary buffs and even experience and money boosts. Originally, Shuffle Time forced players to choose their options at random, butPersona 4 Goldenchanged that for a system where players could choose whatever they liked, but could also take cards with negative effects for more cards.
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Shuffle Time did not return forPersona 5 Royal, but that doesn’t mean that it was unpopular as a mechanic. In fact, it makesPersona 4 Goldenfeel more like a unique experience compared toPersona 5.
6The Characters
A lot ofPersona’s appeal is how the player can interact with so many characters, andPersona 4 Goldenis no different. Just like its predecessor and successor,Persona 4 Goldenfeatures Social Links that allow the player to get to know and experience the development of various side characters.
The main playable rosteris also a big part of the appeal, andPersona 4’s cast is particularly popular due to feeling a lot like a real friend group.Persona 4 Goldenalso has a lot of events in which the player can spend time with the main cast outside of in dungeons, which really allows for a stronger connection between the main characters.
5The Cutscenes
Personahas had a very strong connection to manga and anime, and every game sincePersona 3has had an anime adaptation of some kind. The games themselves also feature a number of anime cutscenes, andPersona 4 Goldenis no different. While there are not that many cutscenes in the game, there’s still a decent number, andPersona 4 Goldenadds even more in its update.
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The cutscenes may not be brilliantly animated, but they still look great even ten years later, and they contrast well with the slightly dated PS2-era graphics. It’s easy to see why these series constantly get anime adaptations.
4Extra Party Member Skills
For the most part, most party memberswill generally only learn skills by leveling up. In mostPersonagames, it is rare for a character to learn a skill outside of that — except inPersona 4 Golden, which gives party members a lot of ways to learn skills outside of leveling up.
The first method most players will encounter quickly is Social Link skills, which are obtained when the player reaches a certain Social Link rank with a party member. Riding bikes with a particular party member will also grant them skills. The best part about these skills is that they’re quite different from the usual skills these party members will learn, giving them a new niche.
3The Side Activities
Part of what makesPersonaso enjoyable and appealing to fans is the “daily life” aspect of its gameplay, in which players can experience part of a normal life in a Japanese city. While dungeon crawling and battling Shadows is still a big part of the game, players can also spend time talking with friends and experiencing the town’s many activities.
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Persona 4 Goldenalso has a fishing mini-game, which allows the player to go fishing in the Samegawa river. The fishing mini-game is a lot of fun, and fans of fishing games can spend a little time enjoying it on the side when they don’t want to go to the dungeon or visit their Social Links.
2The Turn-Based Combat
Despite the move of many modern JRPGs towards a more active style of combat, thePersonaseries still uses the classic turn-based combat system.While that may seem a bit datedfor some new generation RPG fans, the turn-based combat inPersona 4 Goldenis anything but.
The big game-changer is the “One More” mechanic utilized inPersona’s combat system, which allows a character to take an extra turn if they down an enemy. If all enemies are downed, the player can execute an All-Out Attack that deals massive damage to all enemies. This makesPersona’s combat a lot of fun and a very different experience from other turn-based games.
1The Music
ThePersonaseries is well-known for a lot of things, but one aspect it is most known for is its music.With composer Shoji Meguro at the helm, eachPersonagame sincePersona 3has had its own musical aesthetic.Persona 4 Goldenis no different, sporting a bouncy, sunny, and melodic style reminiscent of J-pop music.
ThePersona 4 Goldensoundtrack boasts some really great tracks such as “Shadow World,” “Your Affection,” “Time to Make History,” and more. These tracks do a lot to affect the mood of the game, and it is an irreplaceable part of the experience.
