Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita)


Note that I have not played the original Persona 4 and so I couldn't comment on the changes. I do know they've added a new social link and a new possible ending, called the Golden ending.

Story:
Persona 4 follows our main character as he moves from the big city to the small town of Inaba for a year to stay with his uncle Dojima and his cousin Nanako. He attends the local high school and makes some friends. Soon he hears a rumour about a strange thing called "The Midnight Channel". Supposedly, if you watch it on a rainy night at midnight, your soulmate will appear. Despite not believing it, he tries it out anyway. Sure enough, someone appears on the television. Even weirder, he finds he can stick his hand through the television!



Things escalate from there when a series of murders plagues this small town. Our hero (default name of Yu) and his friends learn that the midnight channel might have something to do with it, seeing as how the people who appear tend to die shortly afterwards. Using his strange powers, Yu and his friends enter in to the TV world in an attempt to save the victims and find out who has been committing these crimes.



Gameplay:
There are a few aspects to this game. One is an RPG style and the other is more along the lines of a simulation game. Your days are broken up in to fragments, which will be spent going to school, studying, improving your skills, and forming social links. You can also do things like shop, fish, catch bugs, garden, drive around on your scooter, among others. It's very open aside from certain times where the game forces you to do certain things and you can choose how to spend your days.



Social links are a very important aspect to the game. You can form social links by spending time with people, and after a certain amount of time, a scene will be triggered, allowing your link to "level up", with 10 being the max. There are ways to help speed things along, as you'll discover. Forming links with people will allow you to fuse stronger "Personas" which are used in dungeons. Forming links with the other playable character will also grant them bonuses in battle.



The other aspect of the game is an RPG. When you spot someone in the TV, you will gain access to a new dungeon. You have to complete this dungeon before a certain time or you'll get a game over. Each dungeon has mostly randomized floors, usually being around 10 floors, although some are less. You'll find chests and battle Shadows. Enemies are visible on the map and when engaged, you will be taken to a special screen that plays out in typical RPG fashion. You select actions such as "attack" or "skill" or "item". You can choose to directly control your other party members, or you can set a specific strategy for them.



Another aspect is the "Persona". You can gain more Personas for your character either by receiving them after completing certain battles or by merging together Personas you already have. When merging them, you will get to choose a certain amount of skills to carry over from the Personas you've fused in to the new one. Personas dictate what skills you can use and what your strengths and weaknesses are. They can be changed freely in the menu or in battle, so switch them up as often as you'd like to your advantage.



There are a few more aspects to this game. You can complete requests, and even change characters outfits in battle. There is also a TV section where you can look at some game art, listen to some lore behind the game, listen to music, and even take part in a trivia show later on in the game. The game also has multiple endings and the option to date certain characters as well.

World:
The social aspect of the game allows you to travel to different areas throughout the town of Inaba, where you can interact with people, stop and shop, or do any other number of things, some which might pass the time. As the game progress you may gain access to a few areas outside of town as well. Dungeons unlock as the game progresses and vary in appearance. The floor layouts are usually randomized with a few preset floors here and there.



Characters:
Ordered from favourite to least favourite (I will only be listing party members and not all possible social links):
Yukiko: A young woman who's family owns the local Inn, she feels a heavy burden to carry the torch. She seems a bit closed off but opens up when she gets to know people and tends to have laughing fits at things no one else finds funny.
Kanki: Perceived as a bad youth, he's actually a good guy with his heart in the right place. He has some interesting hobbies that he feels judged for and can be very aggressive, even when being kind.
Chie: A boisterous and outgoing girl who watches a lot of kung fu movies and eats a lot of steak. She's very kind hearted and does her best to stand up for others.
Main Character (Yu): Moved to Inaba for a year to live with his uncle and discovers the hidden TV world. He is a blank slate for you to play how you want.
Rise: An idol who needs some time away from the spotlight to learn who the real Rise is outside of the public eye. She has some insecurities but is overall outgoing, flirty, and not afraid to speak her mind.
Yosuke: One of Yu's first friends, his father runs the local Junes department store that is running local stores out of business. He's also from a big town and often feels ostrasized because of his dad's job.
Naoto: A young detective also investigating the murder cases who worries about being taken seriously because of persona reasons. A bit standoffish at first, but opens up later on.
Teddie: A mysterious bear who lives in the TV world. Always making terrible puns and hitting on all of the ladies (and sometimes dudes). He feels lonely when the others are away and very much wants friends.

Overall:
While the game has some annoying faults to it, I found myself enjoying it more as time went on. Depending on the period in the game, I sometimes felt my interest waning, but then it would pick back up again and the cycle would repeat. The message of truth and self-acceptance is definitelty one that hit me in a personal way, and I was excited to see how the others resolved their individual stories. There were a lot of characters I really liked and not many I disliked, which is major points for this game. And of course I loved the social aspect, the dating sim, and the outfits changes. Overall it was a lot of fun, although it did drag on sometimes, and I definitely plan to play it again.

Verdict:
LIKED IT A LOT