Coming from P5R, the dungeons being randomly generated hallways is very disappointing. Shuffle time is sort of interesting but I do prefer the interrogation style of P5R but I do admit this probably wouldn't fit here!

Yes, the graphics are dated, but I still like the visual design here. The story and especially the main characters are also more interesting here, although there are still some social links I don't particularly care for. There are also some outdated social views present here, but not to a particularly offensive extent.

Ultimately, I'm not really sure how to explain it but although P5R is the more refined and "better" game this one feels much better and more engaging despite its flaws.

I came in a Persona hater and I left renouncing my miscreant ways. Many people must have had the same experience but even though Yu can't escape the usual flaws of silent protagonists, he hits the spot. He's laissez-faire and proactive, nonchalant and a real homie. Cherry on the cake is the drip mod where he has the Goku drip jackets while doing an all-out attack with a smirk that just feels right. Narukamicore.

When something bad happened and my sibling was not in the right-place long-story short this was the game we were playing around that time and i took a laptop to the hospital as well so I guess it helped get things back to normal? Massive dub. The hospital was nicer than the one in-game... or the one in the first Persona, these hospitals are cooked ong.

Speaking of long-story short this game do be long-story short except remove the "short" part. Never gets boring. I prefer this game over Persona 5 and I don't know how Persona 3 compares yet (i will not buy the remake if no femc!!)

Hey I can't pick PC platform lmao thx for telling me i picked the wrong entry in the comments. We need an IGDB overhaul fr this is a port with the same content!! I think!! Slightly off-topic I got.

Otro juego de 80 horas en el que me lo paso super bien.

Es un juego que no podía parar de jugar. Gracias a la experiencia de Persona 3 he sabido llevar mejor aprovechar los días para conseguir los social links, y conseguir el final verdadero (con guía, si no imposible).

La banda sonora y el opening son Jesucristo, la jugabilidad y el compendio son muy divertidos, la historia cumple y los personajes no son del todo malos (hay momentos del Persona 3 que me gustan más, pero los Social Links de este juego me parecen mejores).

En definitiva, un juego de muchísimas horas super adictivo.

One of my favorite Persona games, right under Persona 3 Reload. The cast of characters in this game are by far my favorite in the series, and the story is pretty good! The setting is also a highlight in the series, and unlike being a big city like in Persona 5, it's just a small town, which, if you're coming from P5 to P4, is a welcoming change. The story, in my opinion, is better than 5. It's a fun story that engages the player, and it's not as predictable as I thought it would be. Gameplay wise, yes, it's not as good as 5, but it's still really good. The OST is my favorite soundtrack from a video game ever. I heavily encourage playing this through from beginning to end, and try to avoid spoilers too. This game is amazing when played blind.

I had a playthrough while using the P4G Community Enhancement Pack - which, while I recommend as a great way to play be it for the first time or returning, I should point to its new FAQ regarding the recent Steam update to 64Bit for added information - but it's been a few years and my drive to continue the replay has swelled up, so I don't see it happening for a while. I have been racking my brain about it this morning though, so I at least wanted to get my thoughts out once it clouded my mind during work. Consider this an off the cuff ramble instead of a structured review, especially since I think most people have uh, already said what I want to illuminate which I'll highlight when I get to them.

Persona 4 is game I've had a turbulent relationship with. First I thought it - as in, the OG PS2 release - was a major step down than Persona 3 FES, then followed up by thinking it was the weakest of the nu-trilogy once I finished Persona 5 vanilla. Then I tried replaying it via Golden after my honeymoon with P5 and I realized it was a big mess that didn't know what it wanted to be, and I ended up really liking it more. Bit of time passed and now my passion for it is waning to the point it's good but I kinda don't want to think about it much. This has resulted in very different scores, where this now stands as to where it is now instead of the 8/10 I once had it on. Some of you are probably thinking this has to do with THE DISCOURSE, and while I don't shy away from saying that I fucking hate it and consider it to be a major annoyance that I avoid as much as possible like the Xeno series, that's not a part of it, especially since to reiterate, I think people within it have said some good points I agree with. Still, lemme talk about what I still like first. I find the dungeon design to be alright, definitely could've been more to it and I'm not a fan of every dungeon such as Void Quest and Secret Laboratory, but applying the randomization element Tartarus had onto more linear dungeon crawling is cool, and they make each one distinct in vibe and aesthetics similar to how that sprawling tower did it with each 10-story flooring. I still like some of the characters, Nanako's one of the more enjoyable child characters, and her dad Ryotaro Dojima is a big favorite in terms of Dads Doing Their Best archetypes, and even characters I didn't like before, such as Teddie, Rise, and Kanji, grew on me after ruminating and delving more into what they are and how they work within the context of the game.

As for the Golden side of the equation, while I do agree some of its additions harm the game more than help it - again, we'll get to those.... - I also think it's silly to act like the changes are akin to the ones found in Ninja Gaiden Sigma or even in its own series, Persona 3 Portable. Those are versions that strip or erroneously adjust the base game's content into something that's now different from it entirely, despite them by itself still being adequate. This is still the same P4 ethos, regardless on its added content, which is why I'm comfortable giving both versions the same score. With that out of the way, I find its rebalancing (why Chie's attacks and Bufu spells were never implemented as they were in the original's first dungeon despite their thematical and mechanical importance is something I'll always question), new elements such as hanging out at night, gardening, expanded months, an added bad ending to tie into one of the new SLs that I also very much enjoy, and some of the events like the School Concert are all welcome additions to the story that spice it up. Also, all cards on the table, I find Marie to be the single best addition in this rerelease. The fact that a character who's completely and utterly optional yet also reinforces the game's themes of facing and coming to terms with yourself has become the scapegoat to all the baffling and bad choices Golden makes is genuinely insane, and makes it seem like these detractors don't want to have an active discussion about WHY this version harms the original's vision. I'd rather see the stuff about this having less fog due to using a new engine instead of RenderWare, or having one of the literal worst title screen downgrades than see the regurgitation on what are honestly memepoint critiques.

However, Golden very much does shit I do not like. Operation Babe Hunt Redux? A new beach being added in, alongside Okina City being explorable? The pointless Scooters and Halloween event? Some ""jokes"" that crop up because of all that? Yea, those are all Golden originals. Far from the first to say it, but this really does harm P4's distinct, rural atmosphere of chilling in a small, pocketed town where going outside of it feel like major events instead of a quick hop and a skip over on the road. Also, since I never really found P4 to be that funny of a game for reasons I'm sure you're already aware of, the double down on this aspect not only worsens the milquetoast comedy, and it not only makes the already awful Camping Trip and School Festival sequences stand out much more from this heightened appearance, it also makes the already troubling pacing even more of a slog. Adding another deck onto the table, I find myself agreeing with those that say Persona 4 does not, in a majority of the time, benefit from adopting P3's calendar system. That game utilizes its mechanics for maximum story and character-driven moments, and while we can sit here and argue all day about whether or not those in themselves are good, it's safe to say it was built with those in mind. P4 (and P5, but since most of my ire originates here...) doesn't really add or make tweaks to the formula that justifies it. Yea, I like the final third as much as the next guy, but it doesn't justify the first third (April->Early June) dragging its heels teaching you things and ideas in a way that feels jittery and unnatural by comparison, and a chunk of the second third (July and August) contributing so little of value to the overall story despite its tangent and twist being sound. Now, P3's pacing wasn't perfect either and it also has moments of dead air, but P4 accentuates the flaws of the calendar that makes the stop-and-go feel of the pacing worse to experience.

As for the rest of the cast, they're aggressively adequate. Yosuke has the most obnoxious bits in the game, but I find his arc and stake within the serious moments to be pretty good. Chie's fine, I think she's rather enjoyable but she's also flanderized too much for me which again, Golden unfortunately doesn't try to remedy. Yukiko... man, if there's a character that showcases the disconnect of the Party SLink to the main story, she's the one. The problem with her is that her arc of realizing that there's ways she can contribute to her role as the successor to her family that isn't strictly within the rigid lifestyle felt like it skipped several rungs of the "she want to break free from the tight shackles and try to make do with her own sense of being and free will" point it started as. Like, I get it's supposed to be the endpoint, but it feels unnatural as to how she got there, if that makes sense. Naoto? Well, I dunno how to state my opinion of her without SOMEONE being set off, so I'll just leave it as "I like her but I also understand the way she gets presented should've been handled much better". The rest of the SLinks follow a similar philosophy here, in that while P3 had higher highs yet low lows and P5 I actually remember so little confidants over, P4 has some consistently mundane yet overall decent ones. I like the Death, Moon, Sun (the Drama side, Band side is... a thing) and Temperance people, plus Strength (either/or) is kinda neat, but the Tower, Hanged Man, and Devil people leave a lot to be desired. Skipped out on Hermit or Empress due to their unique structure, but they're pretty alright as well.

You're probably wondering why I still have this at a 7/10 when it reads a smidge lower than that, and that's cause alongside some more personal reasons, HiTheHello and straylight more than point out that when this game does a good job, it really knocks it out. I love Inaba as a setting, the core dungeon loop despite having some wonkiness to it is still a lot of fun to try and do as little time as possible, and the bubblegum J-Pop OST is still something that lingers in my mind. Not that it was any real competition, but this also far and away has the best human antagonist of the nu-trilogy (I'LL GET TO PERSONA 1 AND THE 2 DUOLOGY SOMEDAY), that I'll refrain from gushing about on the off chance someone reading this is unspoiled on the plot. I seriously have to stress that I do like the good elements in here a lot, and things that I already praised before are still true. It's just, damn! I don't like how messy this one is!! It makes me very conflicted. I get why this of all Persona games was the one to invigorate people though. Even outside of super-personal mantras - which, hey, I very much get - the core aspect of this is something I can very much see meaning a lot to someone. Now, I have this shelved, so it means I'll return to it at some point... but I'm not really sure when. Also unsure if I'll do a proper review, cause I think I said all I wanted with this journal entry.