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Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4

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Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
File:Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4.jpg
Developer(s) Atlus
Publisher(s) JP Atlus
NA Atlus
EU Square Enix (PS2)
EU NIS America (Vita)[1]
AUS Ubisoft[2]
Director(s) Katsura Hashino[3]
Designer(s) Atsushi Watanabe
Azusa Kido
Programmer(s) Yujiro Kosaka
Artist(s) Shigenori Soejima[4]
Susumu Nishizawa
Writer(s) Yuichiroh Tanaka
Akira Kawasaki
Composer(s) Shoji Meguro
Atsushi Kitajoh
Series Megami Tensei (Main)
Persona (Sub-series)
Platforms PlayStation 2
PlayStation Vita (Golden)
Release date(s)
July 10, 2008
  • JP 20080710July 10, 2008
    NA 20081209December 9, 2008
    AUS 20090312March 12, 2009
    EU 20090313March 13, 2009
    Golden
    JP 20120614June 14, 2012
    NA 20121120November 20, 2012
    AUS 20130221February 21, 2013
    EU 20130222February 22, 2013
Genre(s) Role-playing, Social simulation
Mode(s) Single-player

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (ペルソナ4 Perusona Fō?) is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for Sony's PlayStation 2, and chronologically the fifth installment in the Persona series, itself a part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Persona 4 was released in Japan in July 2008, North America in December 2008, and Europe in March 2009, and was later re-released on the PlayStation Network in April 2014.[5] An enhanced remake for the PlayStation Vita, Persona 4 Golden, was released in Japan in July 2012, North America in November 2012, and in Europe in February 2013.

Persona 4 takes place in a fictional Japanese countryside and is indirectly related to earlier Persona games. The player-named main protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the countryside from the city for a year. During his year-long stay, he becomes involved in investigating mysterious murders while harnessing the power of summoning Persona. The game features a weather forecast system with events happening on foggy days to replace the moon phase system implemented in the previous games.

The plot of Persona 4 was inspired by the work of mystery novelists owing to its murder mystery premise. The rural setting was based on a town on the outskirts of Mount Fuji and intended as a "'nowhere' place" and is the central setting to have players sympathize with the daily life of the characters. The developers added many in-game events to prevent the game from becoming stale. During the localization, numerous alterations to names and cultural references were made to preserve the effect through translation, but some Japanese cultural references were altered or removed.

The release of the game in Japan was accompanied by merchandise such as character costumes and accessories. The North American package of the game was released with a CD with selected music from the game, and, unlike Persona 3, the European package also contained a soundtrack CD. The music, as with the previous game, was composed primarily by Shoji Meguro. He was joined this time by Shihoko Hirata, who performed vocals on various songs, including the theme song "Pursuing My True Self". The game was positively received by critics and developed into a full franchise. Various manga and light novel adaptations and spin-offs have been produced. A television anime adaptation by AIC ASTA, titled Persona 4: The Animation, aired in Japan between October 2011 and March 2012, with an anime adaptation of Persona 4 Golden, produced by A-1 Pictures, airing as of July 2014. The game has also spawned two fighting game sequels, Persona 4 Arena and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and a rhythm game, Persona 4: Dancing All Night.

Gameplay

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See also: Gameplay of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
File:P4BattleScreen.jpg
A standard battle in Persona 4. Certain actions such as a successful attack will prompt a dialogue box on top. Players navigate between battle options listed in the box on the bottom-left of the screen, while the character portraits on the right hand of the screen indicates each member's health and magic points.[6]

Persona 4 blends traditional RPG gameplay with simulation elements. The player controls the game's protagonist, a teenage boy who is named by the player, who comes to the town of Inaba for a year.[7] Gameplay is divided between the real world of Inaba, where the protagonist carries out his daily life, and the mysterious "TV World", where various dungeons filled with monsters known as Shadows await. With the exception of scripted events, such as plot progression or special events, players can choose to spend their day how they like, be it participating in various real world activities, such as joining school clubs, taking part-time jobs, or reading books, or exploring the TV World's dungeons to gain experience and items.[7][8] Days are broken up into various times of day, the most reoccurring being "After School/Daytime" and "Evening", with most activities causing time to move on. Certain activities are limited depending on the time of day, days of the week, and the weather, with most evening activities unavailable if the player visits the TV World that day. Furthermore, some activities and dialogue choices may be limited by the protagonist's five attributes; Understanding, Diligence, Courage, Knowledge, and Expression, which can be increased by performing certain activities that build them.[6][9] Whilst the player is free to choose how to spend their time, if they fail to rescue someone who is trapped in the TV World by the time fog appears in town, which takes place after several days of consecutive rain, the game will end, forcing the player to return to a week prior.[6] As the game progresses, the protagonist forms friendships with other characters known as "Social Links", which are each represented by one of the Major Arcana. As these bonds strengthen, the Social Links increase in Rank, which grant bonuses when creating new Personas in the Velvet Room. Additionally, strengthening Social Links with the main party members grant them additional abilities, such as the ability to perform a follow-up attack or an additional ability for their Persona.[6]

Personas

The main focus of the game revolves around Personas, avatars projected from one's inner self that resemble mythological figures and represent the façades worn by individuals to face life's hardships. Each Persona possesses its own skills, as well as strengths and weaknesses to certain attributes. As Personas gain experience from battle and level up, that Persona can learn new skills, which include offensive or support abilities used in battle, or passive skills that grant the character benefits. Each Persona can carry up to eight skills at a time, with older skills needing to be forgotten in order to learn new ones. Whilst each of the main party members have their own unique Persona, which transforms into a stronger form after maxing out their Social Link, the protagonist has the "Wild Card" ability to wield multiple Personas, which he can switch between during battle to access different movesets. The player can earn new Personas from Shuffle Time, with the protagonist able to carry more Personas as he levels up.[6] Outside of the dungeons, the player can visit the Velvet Room, where players can create new Personas, or summon previously acquired Personas for a fee. New Personas are created by fusing two or more monsters to create a new one, which receives some of the skills passed down from its material monsters. The level of Personas that can be created are limited by the protagonist's current level. If the player has built up a Social Link relating to a particular Arcana, then a Persona relating to that Arcana will receive a bonus upon creation.[6][7]

Combat

Inside the TV World, the player assembles a party, consisting of the protagonist and up to three other characters, to explore randomly generated dungeons, each tailored around a victim who had been kidnapped. On each floor of a dungeon, the player may find roaming Shadows, as well as treasure chests containing items and equipment. Players progress through the dungeon by finding the stairs somewhere on each floor to progress to the next, eventually reaching the final floor where a boss enemy awaits.[6] The player enters battle upon coming into contact with a Shadow. The player can gain an advantage by attacking the Shadow from behind, whilst being attacked from behind themselves will give the enemy an advantage. Similar to the Press Turn system used in other Shin Megami Tensei games, battles are turn-based with characters fighting enemies using their equipped weapons, items, or the special skills of their Personas. Aside from the protagonist, who is controlled directly, the other characters can either be given direct commands or be assigned 'Tactics' which alter their battle AI. If the protagonist loses all of his HP, the game ends, returning players to the title screen.[6]

Offensive abilities carry several attributes, including Physical, Fire, Ice, Wind, Electricity, Light, Dark and Almighty. As well as various enemies carrying different attributes, player characters may also have strengths or weaknesses against certain attacks depending on their Persona or equipment. By exploiting an enemy's weakness or performing a critical attack, the player can knock them over, granting the attacking character an additional move, whilst the enemy may also be granted an additional move if they target a player character's weakness. If the player knocks all of the enemies down, they may be granted the opportunity to perform an "All-Out Attack", in which all the players rush the downed enemies to inflict heavy damage.[6] Following a battle, players gain experience points, money, and items from their battle. Sometimes after a battle, the player may participate in a mini-game known as "Shuffle Time", which can grant player various bonuses or new Personas.[6]

Story

Setting and characters

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Main article: List of Persona 4 characters

Persona 4 takes place in the fictional, rural Japanese town of Inaba, which lies among floodplains and has its own high school and shopping districts. Unexplained murders have taken place in the small town, where bodies are found dangling from television antennas and their cause of death unknown.[10] At the same time, rumor has begun to spread that watching a switched-off television set on rainy midnights will reveal a person's soulmate.[11] The game also follows the main characters into the TV World, a fog-shrouded realm filled with monsters called Shadows, which can only be accessed through TV sets.[12]

The protagonist is a high school student who has recently moved from a large city to Inaba, where he is to live and attend school for a year. At school, he quickly becomes friends with Yosuke Hanamura, the somewhat-clumsy son of the manager of the local Junes megastore; Chie Satonaka, an energetic girl with a strong interest in martial arts; and Yukiko Amagi, a calm and refined girl who helps out at her family's inn.[6] A few days into the game, the protagonist, Yosuke, and Chie follow the "Midnight Channel" rumor, which leads them to discover the TV World and meet Teddie, a friendly creature that appears as a hollow bear costume.[13] Using Personas, the students form an Investigation Team to investigate the connection between the TV world and the murders, and possibly capture the culprit.[14] As the game progresses, the group gains new members, including: Kanji Tatsumi, a male delinquent who has a talent for feminine hobbies;[15] Rise Kujikawa, a former teen idol trying to find her identity who moves to Inaba as a transfer student;[16] and Naoto Shirogane, a young female detective investigating the case with the local police who wears masculine clothing and presents herself as male due to fear of rejection.[17]

Plot

On April 11, 2011, the protagonist arrives in Inaba to live with the Dojimas, consisting of his uncle Ryotaro and his cousin Nanako, for one year, as his parents are working abroad.[18] Just after his arrival, a TV announcer is found dead, her body hanging from an antenna; Saki Konishi, the high school student who had discovered the body, is later found dead herself, hung upside-down from a telephone pole.[19] After the protagonist and his friends accidentally enter the TV world, they encounter Teddie, who helps them travel freely between the TV and real worlds.[20] They awaken their Persona abilities, realizing that the murders stem from attacks by Shadows, beings native to the TV world created from repressed emotions, and are able to rescue several would-be victims. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, and Teddie one by one come to accept the parts of their psyches they rejected, which manifest as giant Shadows in the TV world, allowing them to wield Personas whilst each joins the group in turn. Mitsuo Kubo, a student from another high school who disappears following the death of Kinshiro Morooka, the protagonist's foul-mouthed homeroom teacher, claims credit for the murders; it is eventually learned that Kubo only killed Morooka and played no part in the other murders, having murdered Morooka simply to gain credit for the other murders.[21] Naoto Shirogane, a nationally-renowned "Detective Prince" investigating the case, is also rescued and gains a Persona, and joins the group who learn that "he" is actually a girl who assumed a male identity to avoid the police's sexism.[17]

Events come to a head when Ryotaro Dojima mistakenly accuses the protagonist of being involved in the murders.[22] Nanako is kidnapped during the protagonist's interrogation, leading Ryotaro to engage in a vehicular pursuit with the culprit. The chase ends as they both crash; the kidnapper escapes with Nanako through a television set in his truck, and the gravely-injured Ryotaro entrusts her rescue to the group. The group tracks them down within the TV world; the culprit, Taro Namatame, becomes a god-like monster—Kunino-sagiri—which attacks them but is defeated, and both he and Nanako are taken to the Inaba hospital. When Nanako appears to die, the group furiously confronts Namatame; as the protagonist, the player must help the others realize that Namatame is not the killer by pointing out the lack of a proper motive, and subsequently work to determine that Ryotaro's assistant, Tohru Adachi, is the true killer.[23][24] Failure to do so ends the game with the party unable to solve the case; Nanako either remaining dead, or reviving but remaining hospitalised; and the recurring fog permanently setting in, the last of which will eventually lead to humanity's demise.[25]

Having identified the culprit as Adachi, the party chases and locates him within the TV world. Adachi explains that his actions were out of both boredom and the belief that humanity is better off believing what it wants; his claims are dismissed by the party as the rantings of a madman.[26] After fighting Adachi, he is possessed by Ameno-sagiri, the Japanese God of Fog, who reveals that the fog is harmful to people and will eventually cause humanity to fall into a permanent state of ignorance and transform into Shadows.[27] Upon his defeat, he agrees to lift the fog, congratulating the party on their resolve.[28] Defeated, the wounded Adachi agrees to assume responsibility for his actions and turns himself in.[29] The game moves forward to the day before the protagonist must travel home. If the player returns to the Dojima residence, the game ends with the party sending the protagonist off as he departs Inaba. Alternatively, should the player be able to identify the unexplained cause of the Midnight Channel and attempt to resolve this plot element, the protagonist meets with the party, and together they decide to end the case for good.

The protagonist confronts the gas station attendant encountered at the start of the game, who reveals herself to be the Japanese goddess Izanami, the "conductor" behind the game's events. The cause of the recurring fog is established as an attempt to create a world of illusion by merging the TV world with the human world, all for the "sake" of humanity.[30][31] The group tracks Izanami down within the TV world and battle her, but is at first unable to win; the defeated protagonist is given strength by the bonds he has forged with those around him, and with this power awakens a new Persona—Izanagi-no-Okami—which he uses to defeat Izanami.[32] In doing so, the fog in each world is lifted, and the TV world is restored to its original form. The game ends with the party sending the protagonist off the following day, and a post-credits scene depicts the group resolving to remain friends forever, as the protagonist examines a photo of the party.[33]

Development

According to the game director Katsuro Hashino, while "ideas [had been] thrown around earlier", development on Persona 4 in Japan did not begin until after the release of Persona 3.[3] The development team consisted of the team from Persona 3 and new hires which included fans of Persona 3.[34] Atlus intended to improve both the gameplay and story elements of Persona 3 for the new game, to ensure it was not seen as a "retread" of its predecessor. Hashino said that "to accomplish that, we tried to give the players of Persona 4 a definite goal and a sense of purpose that would keep motivating them as they played through the game. The murder mystery plot was our way of doing that."[3] The plot of Persona 4 was "greatly inspired", according to Hashino, by mystery novelists such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and Seishi Yokomizo.[4] Persona 4 was officially unveiled in the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu in March 2008. An article in the issue detailed the game's murder mystery premise, rural setting, and new weather forecast system. The game's North American release date was announced at the 2008 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California.[35] Atlus would not make an add-on disc or epilogue for Persona 4, as had been done with the Persona 3 FES.[36] Persona 4 allowed players full control of characters in battle. This was due to negative comments from players about most of the player team in Persona 3 being controlled by the game's AI.[37] The amount of data the team ended up incorporating around school life, character relationships and spoke character dialogue was so large that there were fears it would not fit onto a single disc.[38] The anime cutscenes were produced by Studio Hibari.[39]

The design of Inaba is based on a town on the outskirts of Mount Fuji.[4] Its rural design was a source of conflict between Persona 4's developers, as "each staff member had their own image of a rural town", according to director Katsura Hashino. The entire staff went "location hunting" to determine Inaba's design.[34] Inaba does not represent "a country town that has tourist attractions", but rather a non-notable, "'nowhere' place". Hashino described the town as being "for better or for worse... a run-of-the-mill town".[4] Unlike other role-playing games, which may have large worlds for the player to explore, Persona 4 mostly takes place in Inaba. This reduced development costs, and enabled Atlus "to expand other portions of the game" in return. A central setting also allows players to "sympathize with the daily life that passes in the game". To prevent the setting from becoming stale, the development team established a set number of in-game events to be created to "keep the game exciting".[3] The choice of Japanese mythical figures for the characters' Personas as opposed to the Graeco-Roman deities used in earlier games was directly inspired by the new setting.[37] The appearances of Personas were based on the characters' personalities. The design team had a good deal of creating freedom, as while Japanese deities has well-defined character traits, their appearances were generally little known. The Shadows were created by Hashino without much outside consultation, although he had help from female staff for female Shadow selves.[38]

Despite living in the countryside, Persona 4 characters were designed to look and sound "normal" and like "modern high-schoolers", according to lead editor Nich Maragos. Initially, he wrote the game's cast as being "more rural than was really called for". "The characters aren't really hicks... They just happen to live in a place that's not a major metropolitan area."[40] While interviewing members of Persona 4's development team, 1UP.com editor Andrew Fitch noted that the characters from the city — Yosuke and the protagonist — have "more stylish" hair than the other characters. Art director Shigenori Soejima used hair styles to differentiate between characters from the city versus the country. "With Yosuke in particular, I gave him accessories, such as headphones and a bicycle, to make it more obvious that he was from the city."[4]

Localization

As with Persona 3, the localization of Persona 4 was handled by Yu Namba and Nich Maragos of Atlus USA. In addition, there were four translators and two further editors. The Social Links were divided equally between the translators and editors.[41] During localization of the game, character's names were altered for the international audience for familiarity, including Kuma being renamed Teddie. A similar change was done for Rise Kujikawa's stage name, "Risechie" (りせちー Risechī?) in Japan to "Risette". Nanba also explained the change from "Community" (コミュニティ Komyuniti?) to "Social Link", regarding the gameplay mechanic, as "community" has a different meaning in English, whereas Igor in his speeches often refers to "society" and "bonds". Names were also altered for pun and other linguistic effect including dungeon items' names such as the Kae Rail (カエレール Kaerēru?) becoming the "Goho-M", as the item's use of returning the player to the entrance was taken to be "go home" and changing Junes's slogan from "Everyday Young Life! Junes!" (エヴリディ・ヤングライフ！ ジュネス！ Evuridei Yangu Raifu! Junesu!?, with "Junes" coming from the French Jeunesse for youth) to "Everyday's great at your Junes", and eliminating some Japanese cultural references that would not transfer, such as the reference to Kosuke Kindaichi. There were also some issues regarding the translation of the names of Yukiko, Kanji and Rise's dungeons, as the English names were made to fit the original Japanese graphics, and the "Void Quest" dungeon's graphics were specifically made to harken back to the NES. He also remarked on how popular the interpretations of Kanji's Shadow were in the west, and how it did not change how the character was seen by the other audience.[42] A different change was the fact the main characters in the English dub referred to others members of the cast on a first-name basis, while the Japanese version differed in this regard. For the dub, the editors sometimes switched between first-name and last-name referral for dramatic effect.[43]

Atlus's senior project manager Masaru Nanba commented it was decided that "Shin Megami Tensei" was to be kept in the title of Persona 3 and Persona 4, as it was believed that they were part of the same series as Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne; however, the "Shin Megami Tensei" title was omitted from both Persona 4 Golden and Persona 4 Arena, as it would have been much too long. Similarly, Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena and Persona 4: The Golden were shortened to the previously stated titles.[42] As with Persona 3, the honorifics used in the Japanese voice track were retained in the English dub, despite proving contentions among series fans. This was done as part of an intended trend to remain faithful to the original source material. The pronunciations of honorifics, along with the sounds of names, were a point that was carefully considered by the localization team and it took a while for the English cast to get used to them. A member of the English dub that also appeared in Persona 3 was Yuri Lowenthal. Though he had dubbed characters in Persona 3, Namba wanted him to have a larger part. His role as Yosuke ended up featuring 1000 more lines of dialogue than the other major characters. Important roles for the localization team were Teddie and Rise, as they would be the party's supports. Another element in the English script was that the use of swear words was increased over Persona 3: the first draft featured very strong language which was cut as it did not seem suited. The character Kanji was given a lot of swearing in his dialogue, due to his volatile nature. The use of swearing was carefully considered depending on the emotional situation.[41][44]

Music

Persona 4 Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Shoji Meguro
Released July 23, 2008 (Japan)
Recorded Aniplex
Genre Video game soundtrack
Length 2:08:14

The soundtrack was primarily composed and directed by Shoji Meguro. The soundtrack features a few songs with vocals by Shihoko Hirata, whom Meguro felt was able to meet the range of emotion needed for the soundtrack, with the lyrics being written by Reiko Tanaka.[45] Meguro was given a rough outline of the game's plot and worked on the music in the same manner and simultaneously with the development of the story and spoken dialog, starting with the overall shape of the songs and eventually working on the finer details.[45] According to Meguro, the songs "Pursuing My True Self" and "Reach Out to the Truth" were composed to reflect the inner conflicts of the game's main characters; the former song, used as the opening theme, helped to set an understanding of the characters' conflicts, while the latter, used in battle sequences, emphasized the "strength of these characters to work through their internal struggles."[45] The "Aria of the Soul" theme used in the Velvet Room, a concept common to all the Persona games, remained relatively unchanged, with Meguro believing "the shape of the song had been well-defined" from previous games.[45] Composers Atsushi Kitajoh and Ryota Koduka also contributed music for the game. Kitajoh, who had previously written music for Growlanser VI and Trauma Center: New Blood, contributed four themes to Persona 4, while Koduka wrote the "Theme of Junes".[46]

Persona 4's soundtrack was released as a 2-disc Original Soundtrack on July 23, 2008, by Aniplex with the catalog number SVWC-7566/7. The soundtrack is also available in the North American release, containing a Side A and Side B.[47] The Side A of the soundtrack is the bonus disc packaged with each game, while Side B of the soundtrack is part of the Amazon.com Exclusive Persona 4 Social Link Expansion Pack.[48] Similarly to Persona 3, a "Reincarnation" album for the game's original soundtrack titled Never More was released on October 26, 2011, featuring full length cuts of the game's vocal tracks and extended mixes of some of the instrumental tracks.[49] Never More made it to the top of both the Oricon Weekly Album Charts[50] and Billboard's Japan Top Albums chart[51] for the week of its release, selling nearly 27,000 copies.[52]

All music composed by Shoji Meguro, unless otherwise noted.

Remake and spinoffs

Persona 4 Golden

Persona 4 Golden, released in Japan as Persona 4: The Golden (ペルソナ4 ザ・ゴールデン Perusona Fō Za Gōruden?), was announced in August 2011 as an enhanced remake of Persona 4 for the portable PlayStation Vita. It was originally planned by Atlus to be a PlayStation Portable title, similar to Persona 3 Portable, which would have required removing some of the features of the PlayStation 2 game. However, the Vita provided sufficient resources that allowed Atlus to expand the game.[53] It is an expanded version of the PlayStation 2 title, adding new features and story elements to the game. A new character named Marie was added to the story. Additional Personas, character outfits, and expanded spoken lines and anime cutscenes are included as well as two new Social Links for Marie and Tohru Adachi. The game supports the wireless networking features of the Vita, allowing a player to call in help from other players to help in dungeon battles.[54] Another new feature is a garden that produces items the player can use in the various dungeons.[55] The game was released in Japan on June 14, 2012.[56] Persona 4: The Golden is also the first Persona game to be released in traditional Chinese.[57]

The release of Persona 4: The Golden resulted in the surge of sales of PlayStation Vitas. During its debut week, the game sold 137,076 units in Japan.[58] Media Create stated that the game's outstanding sales that surpassed the debuts of other titles from Persona series may be due to the exposure the Persona 4 game has had in other forms of media.[59] As of mid-July 2012, the game had sold 193,412 units in Japan.[60] The game was the eighth most purchased digital Vita game on the Japanese PlayStation Network in 2013.[61] As of April 2014, the game shipped 350,000 copies in Japan, and over 700,000 copies were shipped worldwide as of December 2013.[62]

A soundtrack was released in Japan on June 27, 2012, consisting of a single disc of 15 new tracks composed and arranged by Shoji Meguro and Atsushi Kitajoh.[63]

In an interview with RPGamer at E3 2012, Atlus USA revealed that in terms of bonus content in the special "TV Channel" feature, the US release will have 99.9% of the content the Japanese version has, with only one or two commercials missing.[64][65] It was released for the PlayStation Vita on November 20, 2012.[66] A special 10,000 copies were also released on November 20, 2012, as the "Solid Gold Premium Edition".[67] NIS America released the game in Europe on February 22, 2013.[68][69]

Persona 4 Arena

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Main articles: Persona 4 Arena and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

A fighting game sequel, Persona 4 Arena, known in Japan as Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, was developed by Arc System Works, the company known for creating the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series, and released in 2012 for arcades, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[70] As with the anime, the protagonist is named Yu Narukami. Aigis, Mitsuru, Elizabeth, and Akihiko from Persona 3 are also featured in the game. Set two months following the True Ending of the original game, the members of the Investigation Team are pulled back into the television and forced into a fighting tournament called the "P-1 Grand Prix" hosted by Teddie.[71]

A sequel, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, was released in Japanese arcades in November 2013, and for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in late 2014.[72] Taking place a day after the events of Arena, the Investigation Team must defeat their Shadows in a new tournament, the "P-1 Climax", in order to rescue the captive Shadow Operatives and stop the spread of a mysterious red fog engulfing Inaba. The game adds seven playable characters from Persona 3 and Persona 4 Golden, as well as a new playable antagonist, Sho Minazuki.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

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Main article: Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a dungeon-crawler RPG developed for the Nintendo 3DS, which features characters from both Persona 3 and Persona 4, as well as gameplay elements from the Etrian Odyssey series. Set midway through the events of Persona 4, the Investigation Team is pulled into an alternate version of Yasogami High and must work with the members of SEES to find a means of escape. The game was released in Japan on June 5, 2014, North America on November 25, 2014 and Europe on November 28, 2014.[73]

Persona 4: Dancing All Night

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Main article: Persona 4: Dancing All Night

Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a rhythm game developed by Atlus for the PlayStation Vita, featuring music from the Persona series. The game takes place half a year following the events of Persona 4, as the Investigation Team look into a mysterious "Midnight Stage", which is abducting girls from Rise's idol group. The game was released in Japan on 25 June 2015.[74]

Other media

Other Persona 4 media
Manga
Written by Shūji Sogabe
Published by ASCII Media Works
English publisher
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Dengeki Black Maoh
Original run September 19, 2008 – present
Volumes 10
Light novel
Persona x Detective Naoto
Written by Mamiya Natsuki
Illustrated by Kiyotaka Haimura
Published by ASCII Media Works
Demographic Male
Published June 8, 2012
Volumes 1
Manga
Persona 4: The Magician
Written by Shiichi Kukura
Published by ASCII Media Works
Demographic Shōnen
Imprint Dengeki Comics
Published August 27, 2012
Volumes 1
Manga
Persona x Detective Naoto
Written by Mamiya Natsuki
Illustrated by Shiichi Kukura
Published by ASCII Media Works
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Dengeki Maoh
Original run November 27, 2012 – present
Other
Portal icon Anime and Manga portal

Merchandise

With the release of Persona 4, Atlus has also produced a line of merchandise, including action figures, published materials, toys and clothes. Atlus collaborated with the Japanese publishing company Enterbrain to publish the game's two strategy guides, an artbook detailing character and setting designs, as well a fan book called Persona Club P4 which included official artwork, fan art, as well as interviews with the design staff.[75][76] Most items were only released in Japan, while other Japanese third-party manufacturers also produced figurines and toys. The action figures include a 1/8 scale PVC figurine of Yukiko Amagi as well as Teddie and Rise Kujikawa, produced by Alter.[77] Licensed Atlus merchandise sold by Cospa includes Persona 4 t-shirts, tote bags, and the jacket and other accessories worn by the character Chie.[78]

Udon recently announced that they will release an English edition of Enterbrain's Persona 4: Official Design Works artbook to be released May 8, 2012.[79]

Manga

Persona 4 was also given a manga adaptation. It is written by Shūji Sogabe, the artist for Persona 3's manga, and started serialization in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Black Maoh Volume 5 in September 2008.[80] The first tankōbon volume was released on September 26, 2009, and six volumes have been released as of February 27, 2012.[81][82]

Shiichi Kukura also authored Persona 4 The Magician (ペルソナ4 The Magician?), a manga that focuses on Yosuke Hanamura's life in Inaba before the game's start. Its only volume was released on August 27, 2012.[83] A manga adaptation of the light novel Persona x Detective Naoto, illustrated by Satoshi Shiki, began serialization in Dengeki Maoh magazine from November 27, 2012.[84]

Light novel

Mamiya Natsuki wrote a light novel titled Persona X Detective Naoto (ペルソナ×探偵NAOTO Perusona × Tantei Naoto?) that focuses on the character of Naoto Shirogane a year after the events of Persona 4. She is hired to investigate the disappearance of a childhood friend in Yagakoro City where she is partnered with Sousei Kurogami, a mechanized detective. With illustrations by Shigenori Soejima and Shuji Sogabe, the light novel was released by Dengeki Bunko on June 8, 2012 in Japan.[85]

Anime

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Main article: Persona 4: The Animation

A 25-episode television anime adaptation of the game, produced by AIC A.S.T.A. and directed by Seiji Kishi, aired on MBS between October 6, 2011 and March 29, 2012.[86] An additional 26th episode, featuring the story's true ending, was released in the 10th volume of Persona 4 on August 22, 2013.[87] The series features most of the returning cast from the video game, whilst voice recordings for Igor were taken from the game as his actor, Isamu Tanonaka, died in January 2010.[86][88] Aniplex released the series on DVD and Blu-ray Disc between November 23, 2011 and August 22, 2012, with the first volume containing a director's cut of the first episode and a bonus CD single.[89] Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America, simulcasting it on Anime Network as it aired and releasing the series on DVD and Blu-ray in two collective volumes on September 18, 2012 and January 15, 2013 respectively.[90][91][92] Like the Japanese version, the English dub retains many of the original voice actors from the English version of the game, although the Blu-ray Disc release omits the Japanese audio option.[93][94] Kazé and Manga Entertainment released the series in the United Kingdom in three BD/DVD combi boxsets released between December 24, 2012 and July 22, 2013.[95][96] A film recap of the series, titled Persona 4 The Animation -The Factor of Hope-, was released in Japanese theaters on June 9, 2012, featuring a condensed version of the story and new scenes of animation.[97] A second anime adaptation based on Persona 4 Golden, titled Persona 4: The Golden Animation, is being produced by A-1 Pictures and began airing on MBS' Animeism block in July 2014.[98]

Stage production

A live stage production titled VisuaLive: Persona 4 (VISUALIVE『ペルソナ4』 VisuaLive: Perusona Fo?) took place from March 15–20, 2012. Actors starring in the stage production include Toru Baba as the audience-named protagonist, Takahisa Maeyama as Yosuke Hanamura, Minami Tsukui as Chie Satonaka, Risa Yoshiki as Yukiko Amagi, Jyōji Saotome as Daisuke Nagase, Motohiro Ota as Kou Ichijo, and Masashi Taniguchi as Ryotaro Dojima, and Masami Ito as Tohru Adachi. Kappei Yamaguchi reprised his role as Teddie in voice.[99] Following the announcement, Youichiro Omi was cast as Kanji Tatsumi on December 1, 2011.[100] VisuaLive: Persona 4 chronicled the events of the game up until Kanji's inclusion into the party. A second stage production, titled VisuaLive: Persona 4: The Evolution (VISUALIVE『ペルソナ4 The Evolution』 VisuaLive: Perusona Fo The Evolution?), chronicled the second half of the events of the story and took place from October 3–9, 2012. Additions to the cast include Yuriya Suzuki as Rise Kujikawa, Juria Kawakami as Naoto Shirogane, Yasuhiro Roppongi as Tarou Namatame, Shotaro Mamiya as Izanami and Arisa Nakajima as Margaret. Yumi Sugimoto replaced Yoshiki as Yukiko Amagi.

Release and reception

Persona 4 was highly acclaimed by critics within and outside Japan, and remained on top of sales charts on its initial release. In Japan, the game sold 193,000 copies within a week of its release, while in North America, Persona 4 was the highest-selling PlayStation 2 game on Amazon.com for two consecutive weeks.[101][102] A soundtrack disc was included in the North American and European releases of Persona 4, containing a selection of tracks from the full soundtrack released in Japan.[47] Amazon.com exclusively sold the Persona 4 "Social Link Expansion Pack", which included an additional soundtrack disc, a t-shirt, a 2009 calendar, and a plush doll of the character Teddie.[48]

Critical reception

Reviews
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 92.4% (39 reviews)[103]
94.16% (43 reviews) (Golden)[104]
Metacritic 90/100 (47 reviews)[105]
93/100 (61 reviews) (Golden)[106]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com A+[107]
Edge 9/10[108]
Famitsu 33/40[109]
GamePro 5/5[110]
GameSpot 9.0[7]
GameTrailers 9.3/10[111]
GameZone 8.7/10[112]
IGN 9.0[9]
X-Play 4 of 5[8]
Wired 10/10[113]
Awards
Publication Award
Famitsu PlayStation 2 Game Prize[114]
Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association Award of Excellence[115]

Persona 4 received critical acclaim from most game critics upon release. Jeff Gerstmann of GiantBomb described it as "one of the best times I've had with video games, whether I was playing by myself or watching someone else play it."[116] Famitsu pointed out that while "there isn't much new from the last game", it favored the changes over the battle system, where the pacing "is quick so it doesn't get to be a pain", and the ability to control party members "makes play that much easier".[109] IGN on the other hand noted that "the pacing can be somewhat off", and "some things feel repurposed or unaffected from previous games", while praising the game as an "evolution of the RPG series, and an instant classic". It also noted that the soundtrack can be "a bit repetitive".[9] RPGFan's Ryan Mattich recommended Persona 4 as "one of the best RPG experiences of the year", noting that "among the cookie-cutter sequels and half-hearted remakes", the game is "a near flawless example of the perfect balance between 'falling back on what works' and 'pushing the genre forward'."[117] 1UP.com's Andrew Fitch summarized Persona 4 as "some of this decade's finest RPG epics", although the reviewer criticized its "slight loading issues" and the time spent "waiting for the plot to advance".[107] GameTrailers gave the game a score of 9.3, stating it's an exception to the rule of the Japanese role-playing genre, and that it stands out of any other JRPG, including its predecessor, Persona 3.[107] Wired pointed out that while the graphics are not up to par with those of the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, "the clever art style makes up for that". It also praised the game's soundtrack as "excellent, especially the battle music".[113]

The game's setting garnered mixed reactions. IGN labeled Persona 4 as "a murder mystery set against the backdrop of familiar Persona 3 elements", and while this element adds "an interesting twist" to the dungeon crawl and social simulation gameplay, it also causes the plot to "slow down or suffer".[9] Hyper's Tim Henderson commended the game for "willfully embellish[ing] absurd urban legends and other ideas with such assured consistency that the resulting whole is unshakabl[y] coherent". However, he criticized it for the narrative's sluggish pace and for how he felt the game is "lacking in elaborate set-pieces".[118] 1UP.com called Persona 4 a "stylish murder mystery", the comparison given being a "small-town Scooby-Doo" adventure.[107]

The game is also noted for its "significant portion of the story revolving around sexual themes", as quoted from RPGFan's Ryan Mattich.[117] One of the playable characters given attention by reviewers is Kanji, who is considered to be one of the first characters in a mainstream video game to struggle with their sexual orientation, and Atlus has been commended for the inclusion of that character.[15] Atlus USA has stated that they left Kanji's sexual preferences ambiguous and up to the player; however, there has been no word from developer Atlus Japan concerning the matter.[15] According to Dr. Antonia Levi, author of Samurai from Outer Space: Understanding Japanese Animation, the questioning of Kanji's sexuality in the script is a "comment on homosexuality in a greater Japanese social context", in which "the notion of 'coming out' is seen as undesirable ... as it necessarily involves adopting a confrontational stance against mainstream lifestyles and values".[15] Brenda Brathwaite, author of Sex in Video Games, thought it "would have been amazing if they would have made a concrete statement that [Kanji] is gay", but was otherwise "thrilled" with the treatment of the character and the game's representation of his "inner struggles and interactions with friends".[15]

Awards

Persona 4 was awarded the "PlayStation 2 Game Prize" in the Famitsu Awards 2008, voted by readers of Famitsu.[114] It was also recognized by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association as one of the recipients for the "Games of the Year Award of Excellence" in the Japan Game Awards 2009.[115] The game was given the award for its "high quality of work", "excellent story, automatically generated dungeons and impressive background music".[119] In 2013, GamesRadar ranked it fifth "best videogame stories ever", saying its "greatest strength comes from pacing".[120] In 2015, GamesRadar named Persona 4 Golden the 53rd best game ever on its "The 100 best games ever" list.[121] In that same year, USgamer placed the game fifth on its "The 15 Best Games Since 2000" list.[122]

References

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External links

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