Persona questions from someone who hasn't played

[Pumpkin]

So I hear a lot about the Persona series and I checked out some trailers and stuff so I had some questions and concerns before I get in to the series. The trailer I watched was for the 3rd one I think?

Number one, I can think of very few Atlus games I like and most of the ones I've played have mildly scared me. This one also seems to have that "dark" atmosphere to it. Is this an actual concern? Are some of them "lighter" than others?

The different persona things interest me, but the system seems a bit complicated. Like you can merge 2 together and make 1? Are you killing them? Can you every get them back? Does this stuff actually matter?

This game seems really difficult. Like you have a time limit and you have to juggle school and... whatever weird dungeon thing they seem to be doing... I don't do well with time limits, they're stressful and I'm bad at them. Is it a strict limit? Is it difficult?

How many playable characters are there?

Any other information would be appreciated or if you have any more commentary or whatnot as well, thank you!

[Skyblade]

The games are a bit dark. If you want a lighter one, play Persona 4. I prefer Persona 3 (and I vastly prefer the Persona games to any of the Shin Megami Tensei series that ATLUS is most known for. But you are enjoying Radiant Historia, right?

The time limit thing isn't too much of a problem. The day itself is split up into a couple chunks, but the chunks are not timed, so you can still go at a leisurely rate. The time limit is more to make you manage your Social Links than anything else. As long as you do not ignore the dungeons and story tasks completely, you're unlikely to fail from time.

There are seven to eight playable characters in Persona 4, depending on if you count Rise. Persona 3 has eight or nine, depending on how you count Fuuka (or ten, if you count Metis).

Persona themselves aren't actually alive, unlike the demons in the Shin Megami Tensei games. They are manifestations of the Persona-user's psyche. The main character is the only one who can combine or switch them, but it's not "killing" them. It's just changing which aspects of his psyche are presented to the world. Also, after the first month or two, you'll unlock the Persona Compendium, which lets you call back any Persona you have gotten rid of, whether you fused it or just junked it for space. So don't feel too bad, because you can always get them back.

[Dr Unne]

P4 is a weird combination of cutesy and creepy, in the usual Atlus way. It's not jump-scares scary, but the environments and monsters and things that happen are vaguely weird and twisted. If you don't want a dark game, Persona might not be where you want to go.

Example...1971019-persona4a_02.jpg

[Jessweeee♪]

It's tough to pick my personal favorite in the series, but I'm going to recommend you Persona 4.

1. I like to describe Persona 4 to my friends as "the most upbeat game about murders ever." It's a murder mystery that you solve through ~anime power of friendship~. If you wanna dip your toes into Persona but Atlus games creep you out too much, P4 isn't totally without creepiness, but it's probably the tamest place for you to start.

2. Fusing personas is actually a lot simpler than it looks and it's a lot of fun! In Persona 4 basically you'll start with one Persona because the plot, and you have the option of obtaining more after you defeat enemies. When you fuse them together they are lost to create the new persona, but a little ways into the game you'll be given the option to "register" them and retrieve them as they were in exchange for money. The tutorials are well paced so that you're never overwhelmed with too much at once.

3. Persona 4 takes place over most of a year and many things you do in the game take up "time." Basically you have a month-ish to finish most plot points as far as the dungeons go, and most of the school year to finish the "social links" and for the most part each day you choose between dungeon exploring and friend making. Meeting your deadlines for the main plot is easy enough, but if you want to finish every single social link before the end of the game that's going to be very difficult to do without referencing a guide (you unlock a special Persona for doing this). It's pretty easy to just wing it and get enough social links done for a hefty amount of experience, so if you give the game a try you don't really have to fret over time unless you're just real anal about being perfect in everything you do.

[Pumpkin]

Thanks for the replies, guys! So far it seems like if anything, I should try Persona 4 first and see if I like that one. I'll watch some trailers and see if its something that interests me. I think Persona 4 is still a little bit expensive but I could be wrong about that. It would be a little while before I could get it anyways

[Skyblade]

Thanks for the replies, guys! So far it seems like if anything, I should try Persona 4 first and see if I like that one. I'll watch some trailers and see if its something that interests me. I think Persona 4 is still a little bit expensive but I could be wrong about that. It would be a little while before I could get it anyways

It's running about 14-18 bucks on Ebay (or about five bucks used). Which is only about four dollars cheaper than Persona 4 Golden (which, by the way, you should already own if you actually have a Vita), but still a decent price.

[Slothy]

If you happen to have a PS3 you can also buy Persona 4 on the PSN for $10 or so.

[Pumpkin]

Oh I didn't realize it was so cheap! I have two more games on there I want to get but I might add it to the "list"

[Delorean]

Persona games offer a pretty typical JRPG experience. The only thing I feel that really makes it stand out in terms of gameplay is that they're made like old games. You know the kind, the ones where you could suddenly die and there was nothing you could do about it so you saved frequently.

If you try to rush through the game it probably won't go too well for you. Like, after defeating your first real boss in Persona 4 an extra boss appears in that area and at lv 18 it was just too difficult to take down because it would use a move that would pretty much one shot your entire party.

You acquire Persona Cards at the end of battles and then you can fuse them together to make new ones. If you register them in the compendium you can get them back for a fee.

P3 has like 9 playable characters and I believe P4 has 8(?).

The time limit is really only an issue if you are neglecting the clearing of floors or trying to unlock the ability to create the main character's ultimate version of their Persona which requires you to max out all of your social links. Bosses can also be really difficult if you aren't adequately prepared.

I think the only ATLUS games I've ever played are Persona and Disgaea though. Disgaea games are pretty much anything but dark. They have their moments, but it's mostly just cheesy storytelling and some of the most magnificent scores you've ever heard

[Mirage]

If you happen to have a PS3 you can also buy Persona 4 on the PSN for $10 or so.

are you serial? is this the US PSN or what?

[Slothy]

If you happen to have a PS3 you can also buy Persona 4 on the PSN for $10 or so.

are you serial? is this the US PSN or what?

I'm in Canada so yes (ironically). I don't know about other territories. We've had a trout ton of Megaten stuff coming out on the PSN lately too.

[Mirage]

I can't even find the P4A DLC that the game is advertising in-game in the news ticker at the bottom on my PSN store. That's how fun europe is, guys.

[Skyblade]

I can't even find the P4A DLC that the game is advertising in-game in the news ticker at the bottom on my PSN store. That's how fun europe is, guys.

Meh. You've only got like two months until Ultimax anyway.

[Mirage]

Yeah but who knows when we'll get that in Europe.

[Skyblade]

ATLUS USA just announced yesterday that it's going to be region free. If you're too lazy to move to a decent continent, you can just import it.