D's Thoughts On... (31/8/15) · 1:38pm Aug 31st, 2015
Persona 4 Golden
OK, the first thing you all need to know, is that I went into Persona 4 Golden blind. I had never played the original PlayStation 2 game, I'd never watched the anime, heck, the most exposure to the Persona franchise I had at the time was Persona 3 Portable! However, going in blind, for me, was probably the best decision I could have made, because I had no expectations going in; just a burning curiosity to see what happens in a sequel to Persona 3.
Ladies and gentlemen and others, my name is darkponyD, and welcome to D's Thoughts. This weeks review is on Persona 4 Golden. So lets go. ALLONS-Y!
Story
Persona 4 Golden's story is best described as a supernatural murder mystery. It begins with the protagonist, whom, in the anime series is named Yu Narukami, having recently moved out to a peaceful town out in the boonies, where everything is all fine and dandy... Except for the rather bizarre string of murders that has left the local police, well, rather baffled. Normally one would just ignore these goings on, if not for the fact that the murders could be predicted. All of the victims were featured on the mysterious Midnight Channel, a sort of TV program thats half static, and half nothing at all, that airs only at midnight for about a minute on rainy days, and is rumored to show the viewer their destined lover. Naturally these rumors aren't quite what they seem, and on one of these rainy nights, the protagonist attempts to view the Midnight Channel, only to find himself almost dragged through the TV. Upon further investigation, and testing, the protagonist and his friends travel through the TV to another world similar to their own, gaining the supernatural ability to summon creatures called Personas, and attempt to unravel the mysteries behind the TV's other world, and the murders before anyone else gets hurt.
Naturally, theres a lot more to the game than just that synopsis. Honestly its one of the longest games I've ever played, with enough plot twists to leave Adrian Monk baffled. That being said, lets move on to the characters.
Characters
Persona 4 Golden's cast of characters is huge, and each character is so important to the plot that I cannot go into detail with them without giving major spoilers. That being said, I will try my best to say what I liked and disliked about this diverse cast.
The first thing I need to say, is that each main portion of the plot revolves around going into the TV World, and rescuing the character trapped inside, from twisted, Shadow versions of themselves that represent their repressed thoughts, feelings, etc., and boy are there some crazy ones, ranging from the sheltered girl long for freedom, to the closet homosexual who likes to sew. This is one of the things that makes this game great, as it dives into the human psyche, and explores human thought, while creating the most unique, and lifelike characters I have ever come across in gaming.
With that said, let us turn our attention to the gameplay.
Gameplay
As many of you may know, the Persona franchise is not really known for its gameplay. Rather, it focuses more on its storytelling and character development. That being said, I thought the gameplay for this game was perfect for what the game was trying to do. I have seen many games that are like this use a motion comic system, and nothing else. I'm looking at you Puella Magi Madoka Magica Portable! I hate games like that...
Anyway, back on topic.
The main aspect of gameplay in Persona 4 Golden, and what you will spend the most time on, is the Social Link system. Essentially you need to explore the town you are living in, and meet 23 specific individuals, and spend time with them. This seems boring, I know, but its worth it, since each character represents a different arcana. If you fully rank each Social Link, it allows you to create powerful new Personas to summon.
The secondary aspect of the gameplay is the dungeon crawling. There are a total of 9 dungeons in this game, each themed after a different character, reflecting what their repressed thoughts and feelings are, though in a very subtle way that leaves newcomers to the game guessing.
Audio
Persona 4 Golden's soundtrack is, in a word, incredible. The composer, Shoji Meguro, attempted, and succeeded in creating a soundtrack that was dark and sinister in the TV World, yet cheerful, light and mysterious in the real world. This, along with its primary colors of red and yellow, sets the game apart from its more depressing predecessor, Persona 3.
In terms of voice acting, it was solid. The only thing to note, is that one of the characters, Teddie, in the original Japanese release had an interesting verbal tick, where he ended all his sentences with the word "Kuma", to emphasize the fact that he was a large anthropomorphic bear. In the English release, they translated this into, shall we say, diabolically terrible bear puns that will leave you groaning in agony. A truly bear-ifically horrible move on the production team's part...
Final Verdict
Persona 4 Golden is a true Gem that should be found in every gamer/nerd/otaku's library. Its signature blend of storytelling that was found in the original game was beautifully ported to the PS Vita, and the added elements really fleshed out and tied up a few loose ends. Not to mention the music was spectacular and the graphics got a much needed face lift.
So, with all that in mind, I have meticulously calculated values for the categories of story, characters, animation, sound, and my own personal enjoyment, which after having been tossed into a TV and bludgeoned to death with bear puns leaves me awarding Persona 4 Golden with a 9.4 out of 10, with a Certified Gold rating. Anime/movies/TV shows/games with a Golden rating are things that you cannot ignore and must see within your lifetime.
And that is all from me, so until next time.
Onwards and Upwards!
What is a reader driven story?
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A Reader Driven Story is something that I came up. Its similar to a comment driven story, in the sense that the reader/commenter helps to make critical choices in the story. The difference, is that a reader driven story allows the reader to write entire chapters for the story. Basically, at certain points during a story, I will ask the readers to write a chapter, or chapters, depending on how much I want to happen before I write something again, and then I read through the submitted chapters and decide on which chapter(s) to use. Its a fairly simple concept on paper, but in practice, its a heck of a lot more difficult.
Also, on a separate note, if you have a question like this again, either send me a PM, or post it on the story you are curious about. Please and thank you.