So I was pretty big into the RPG genre when I started to hear about the Shin Megami Tensei games. And when I hear people talk about it, a lot of snobs tell me to go for Nocturne, but some people recommend I try out Persona. I heard about it, and I also heard about some things about it, and I decided to start off with what was considered the most popular, Persona 4. And I loved it!
Persona 4 follows Yu Narukami, the only protagonist so far with a consistent name, as he arrives at the small town of Inaba to stay for a year while his parents are on a business trip. He goes about a normal school life until murders start to happen around town, as well as a mysterious rumor about the Midnight Channel. It’s not long before Yu finds out that the murders and the Midnight Channel are connected due to the victims being thrown into the TV into a dangerous world filled with monsters called Shadows. So, with the help of his friends, Yu has to find the killer and stop the murders to protect the town of Inaba. It’s a game that I was not expecting to put a lot of time in. In case it wasn’t clear before, Persona games have a habit of going from day to day depending on what you do, and Persona 4 is no exception. I was expecting this game to be done within a week, but it ended up taking two months. I almost flunked my classes in high school cause I was so addicted to this game. That is not a joke, and seriously, don’t do that. But no other game had me this gripped in the story and characters before. Most games, I can limit myself and say, “That’s enough for now”. Not Persona. I was invested in this game from start to end, even through all the bad stuff like some terrible Social Links like Temperance and that goblin creature in band class. The game also has a ton of fun Social Links, however. My favorites being Kou the basketball loving student, Ai the rude popular girl, Dojima, the detective in the murders and Yu’s guardian, and of course, all of the members of the Investigation Team. Persona 4 honestly has my favorite of the cast in the Persona franchise. While I think the best characters of Persona 3 and 5 are better than the best characters of Persona 4, I don’t hate anyone in Persona 4. Persona 5 has the talking Nyquil itself, Morgana, and Persona 3 has cancer-Yukari, but no one in Persona 4 I hate. And let me tell you, this game can get dark at times. It’s a real happy game, with fun characters, and when you aren’t thinking about murders, your thinking about which friend you wanna hang out today while listening to that funky pop soundtrack, but the game gets uncomfortably dark at times, from existentialism, denial, and talk of burying the truth just to look good in the eyes of others. And the last few months of the games gets real disturbing, from seeing a child in the hospital, a delusional but innocent man accused of the murders, and finding the real killer. I won’t spoil who for those who aren’t familiar with my conversations about it, but having to guess who the killer is is one of my favorite moments in games. And speaking of which, The Killer is easily my favorite villain in any video game, just for his motivation and how he pushes that motivation, hard. Better than say Shido from Persona 5, and WAY better than Strega from 3.
Persona 4 was my first entry into the Persona franchise, and what a great way to start it up with. It had the right amount of RPG goodness, fun characters, and a story that gripped me so much I had to retake some of my tests in school. I loved this game that much and I still love it to this day. I have yet to play Golden, and since no one owns a Vita, I doubt many have either, but maybe I’ll give it a chance. I’m always up to try out new things in this amazing game. Also Adachi is best girl. Prove me wrong!