Persona 4 Arena Impressions
Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei series has always had a dedicated, though perhaps not excessively large, fan base here in the states. However, the Persona series has eclipsed its mother series in recent years. Persona 3, originally released on the PS2 in 2007, was followed up by two updated versions of the game, Persona 3: Fes on the PS2 in 2008 and Persona 3 Portable on the PSP in 2010. Both Persona 1 and Persona 2: Innocent Sin were re-released on the PSP in 2009 and 2011, respectively. Persona 4 released in 2008 on the PS2 and, despite arriving rather late in the PS2′s life span (the PS3 launched two years prior in 2006) was received with high critical acclaim and sold quite well. Most recently, Persona 4: The Golden, an updated version of P4 on the Vita, is set to hit shelves this fall and Atlus recently announced that its Persona team is beginning work on Persona 5. These are all great games, and I’m sure P4: The Golden and P5 will not disappoint, but the series has been one of RPGs since its inception, until now.
Persona 4 Arena (P4A) launched earlier this week on August 7th and, as a fighting game, distinguishes itself as the first non-RPG Persona game. P4A marked such a genre departure from the rest of the series that I was initially skeptical about how it would turn out. However, it’s turned out to be great fun so far. P4A was developed by Arc System Works, the veteran fighting game developer behind both the BlazBlue and Guilty Gear series. Arc System Works knows how to make a great fighting game and it shows. Attacks are flashy, the controls are tight, and the character animations are gorgeous and fluid. The control scheme is deceptively simple and holds a fair amount of depth. Simple combos can be performed by repeatedly mashing the light attack button (square or X) and most specials are pulled off with 1 or 2 quarter circles forward or back in conjunction with an attack button, so fighting game novices can quickly pick up the basic controls and perform a decent array of moves. For more experienced players, properly timed blocks can turn into counter attacks and Bursts can be used both to interrupt an opponents combo or extend your own. Each character has two attack buttons mapped to them and two mapped to their persona. Combining the shear versatility of using your fighter and their persona, the quick inputs for special attacks, the more advanced fighting moves available, and an Awakened mode that automatically activates once your health falls below a certain level, there is plenty of depth here for fighting game aficionados to delve into.
Despite being a fighting game, P4A will be instantly recognizable to persona fans. Character designs are faithful to the originals, with slight updates. Though it features original songs (composed by none other than Shoji Meguro), P4A also features music from P3 and P4. The games story mode is surprisingly lengthy, with each character having their own story line that can easily take a few hours to finish. Some characters even have branching pathways in their stories, encouraging you to replay and make different choices. Fans of P4 will be pleased as nods to P4 are scattered about the game with NPC cameos and references to past events. The dialogue boxes, humor and character’s personalities are all spot on from P4 and it’s great fun to have the cast all together again, so to speak. Characters from Persona 3 are also featured in the game, sure to please long time fans. While fans of P4 will likely appreciate the story mode, it is very text heavy so might not hold the interest of gamers interested in the game only as a fighting game. For them, the arcade mode will likely be a go-to game mode. A lesson mode is available to quickly familiarize fighting game newcomers to games mechanics. While I haven’t played any matches yet, the game’s online mode appears fairly robust. For those up to it, a challenge mode is also available.
The game’s presentation is great. Background art is nicely done, menus are slick and easy to navigate, and load times are low. Overall, I’m really excited to play more and it seems like there is more than enough here to please persona fans and fighting game fans. Expect a full review soon!
-
-
Do you have to know the plot of Persona 4 to enjoy the story here? People are saying that the game spoils a lot of plot points for P4 so it’s better to play it on the Vita first before getting into the story mode in Arena.
Nice impressions David. Sounds like a very complex fighter. Kind of intimidating.
-
I’d say yes and no. I do think playing Persona 4 first would enhance your appreciation for the story mode, which is surprisingly lengthy. But from what I’ve seen of the scenarios in P4A, they don’t explicitly spoil much of Persona 4 besides….well, the fact that you survived and solved the case. They don’t seem to focus too heavily on the plot points of the first game, but more of a general view of it. If you have an appreciation for the characters and their interactions though, which you would gain an understanding for by playing Persona 4, then I could see how you would like P4A more. The major plot twists are kind of left alone, it seems like.
If you have the means, I’d say play Persona 4 fist anyway, but it won’t ruin your experience if you happen to give it a try. And you can always play other modes, like arcade or versus and just wait on the story mode I suppose. I’m kind of surprised Ahmed, did you not play the game on PlayStation 2? I kind of assumed that you did for some reason. Anyway, you’ll definitely enjoy Persona 4, it’s excellent. I’m hoping to get a Vita eventually so I can play the Golden and see how it differs from the PS2 game.
-
-
-
-
#5 written by David Jensen 9 months ago
Thanks Ahmed! Tim says it well, playing Persona 4 first will definitely let you appreciate & get more out of P4A, but it has its own stand alone story, so it’s not required.
Honestly, I was intimidated at first too, I’ve never really gotten too into fighting games. The only ones I’ve played have been the Super Smash Bros. series and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom on the Wii. Aside from those, I’ve only played a little bit of multiplayer & the arcade mode in Marvel vs. Capcom III and Soul Caliber V a couple times, but that’s about it. The system is complex, but it makes pulling off some basic combos pretty straight forward, so it eases you into the experience since you don’t have to master all the advanced techniques hold your own. The lesson and challenge modes are great resources while you’re learning the game. Lesson mode is a fantasticly done tutorial mode that teaches you each technique. It’s really helpful and very streamlined. The early challenges in Challenge mode do a great job of introducing some good combos for each character. Another good resource is the online mode where you can just observe matches between other players if you don’t want to fight yourself. Simply put, the game provides a plethora of resources for players of any skill level to improve learn more and get better at the game.
I sadly haven’t yet played the Digital Devil Saga games, though I’ve heard good things about them. However, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne and the Devil Summoner games (all on PS2) are really good, as was Devil Survivor on the DS (haven’t played the sequel yet). Recently I borrowed DemiKids on the GBA from a friend, so I’m looking forward to playing that. The only SMT game I couldn’t really get into was Strange Journey. I loved the premise and story but actually playing the game was kind of a bore for me. I adore the Persona series, especially 3 & 4, so I can’t recommend them enough.
-
Leave a Reply
- Comment Feed for this Post
I’m really excited to play more of this myself! I definitely agree with what you’ve put down–this game is very faithful to the source material but manages to do something new, which is really neat. It’s not often that we get a spinoff that so easily transcends genres. Arc System Works managed to make it a very competent fighting game with a robust system. I love the four button input method they’ve used, with weak and strong attacks for both standard and Persona moves. It makes it feel more streamlined, rather than just adopting the typical 6-button system (light, medium, heavy punches and kicks).
Now the question is…since ATLUS and Arc System Works teamed up for a Persona 4 fighting game, will they return the favor and give us a BlazBlue RPG? Because I would DEFINITELY play that.