Personal best
Through the clever mixing of high school drama, traditional role-playing game features and some innovative little quirks of its own, the Persona series of RPGs has built up a cult following over the last few years. There are some who put Persona 3 up there with the all-time greatest games in the genre. But if you're never played one of these wonderful titles before, don't worry - Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 presents a whole new story. And more importantly, it is probably the best of the lot.
The plot follows a young student who turns up in the quaint rural town of Inaba to spend a year with his uncle. It all seems quiet at first, but then a horrific murder takes place, kickstarting a sequence of awful crimes. Only the lead character (who you choose a name for) and his school friends can get to the heart of the mystery and stop the killings.
School drama
So the game is a murder mystery of sorts. But it's also a high school simulation. Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 has its own basic in-game clock, with the action taking place over a sequence of days. In the daytime, your character is just a normal kid - he has to go to school, make friends and get involved in activities like drama club, fishing, and earning money through part-time jobs.
So wait, Persona 4 is a murder mystery, oh, and a social simulation. But it's also a traditional 'dungeon crawling' RPG!
It all sounds mundane, but this is only part of the experience. On rainy nights (there's a weather system that plays a vital role in the action...), the lead character and his pals are able to stare into a TV screen and enter the bizarre Midnight Channel, a sort of unconscious fantasy realm, inhabited by shadowy monsters. Every time you warp in to the channel you enter a new dungeon area, which you'll need to explore, picking up items and using the turn-based combat system to fight evil creatures en route. It's in the Midnight Channel that you'll discover clues about the murders taking place in the 'real-world. Then it's time to put a stop to them...
The devil inside
So wait, Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 is a murder mystery, oh, and a social simulation. But it's also a traditional 'dungeon crawling' RPG. It sounds weird and fractured, but it all fits together brilliantly. For example, the stronger the social links you've formed with your friends in the 'real' world, the more powers you all have access to in the Midnight Channel. Every character has to come to terms with their own hidden selves in order to release their inner demons or 'personas', which boost their stats and provide new moves and spells. So all the teenage traumas everyone goes through in the high school part of the game feed into their nocturnal demon-battling. It's very manga-esque, but it will also strike a chord with Buffy fans, used to a similar mix of hormones and hellmouths.
The fun animated cut-scenes help to bulk out the story so you really feel like you're there, taking part in this weird adventure
Confused? Well, that's really the only problem with Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4. The game has so many elements to tell you about, the first few hours of play is a bewildering mass of instructions and explanations. Which is a shame because, really, it's all very intuitive. The turn-based combat system is powerful and wide-ranging, but it's also extremely straightforward, and the fun animated cut-scenes help to bulk out the story so you really feel like you're there, taking part in this weird adventure.
Old skool high school
Also, Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 isn't the most visually arresting title out there - it's on PS2 after all. But it does have enormous amounts of charm, the high school characters are genuinely likeable and the plot rattles along intriguingly for all the 60+ hours of gameplay. The music is excellent, too, taking in everything from dotty J-pop to sleazy jazz and pounding techno.
The Persona series is unique - a real Japanese oddity that has somehow survived into the 21st century to seduce a global audience. If you're looking for a game that'll challenge and surprise you constantly, Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4 is a strong candidate. You'll play more fashionable games this year, with better graphics, cooler weapons and deathmatch multiplayer modes-aplenty, but few of them will stick in your mind like this one. Just come in and try it.
GAME's Verdict
- Innovative mix of game styles.
- Compelling story and great characters.
- Over 60 hours of gameplay.
- Still quite a hardcore RPG.
- Can be confusing at first.
- Visuals are dated.
Review by: Keith 'Old Skool' Stuart
Version Tested: PS2
Review Published: 19.03.09