Persona 4 Golden review: a welcome change of pace from Persona 5

The beginning of the year is filled with a calm vibe Persona 4 Gold. The protagonist isn’t navigating a sprawling Shibuya or the Sangenjaya-inspired streets that lead to Persona 5’s Café Leblanc. Instead, he’s on a train heading in the opposite direction, leaving the crowded city behind to spend a year in the countryside.

In 2008, the PlayStation 2 was first to be released. Persona 4 It will soon be accessible on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The latter can be accessed via Game Pass. This marks an exciting new chapter in the history of the Japanese role-playing game. Until now, it was only possible to play the classic on a PC or with a PlayStation 2 disc. It’s a foreboding, pastoral adventure, and it strikes an altogether different tone than its urban sequel.

Inaba is vastly different from Tokyo. You can easily see everything the town has to offer within a day — or the span of a few in-game minutes. Its slow pace is what makes mundane rural aspects all the more fascinating. As a result, your connections with both people and towns are closer. The stakes get more personal when danger starts to appear in the background.

This helps to ensure that the protagonist is more grounded than others. Persona 5’s Joker. He’s not transferred because of probationary action, but because his parents moved abroad for work purposes. Ryotaro Dojima his uncle and Nanako his cousin welcome him into their home. He isn’t forced to live in an attic, nor is he frowned upon by everyone he meets due to his “criminal” background. If it weren’t for the series of murders and disappearances that transpire right after his arrival, it might have been a pleasant, bucolic escape.

Image: Atlus/Sega via Polygon

The sinister events come as a shock for the Inaba townsfolk — particularly the students of Yasogami High School. Yosuke Hanamura was the confidant and first party member. The protagonist and Yosuke Hanamura, together with several students, form a team to investigate.

The team soon discovers something called the “Midnight Channel,” which presages the death of anyone who shows up on screen. Thus begins a countdown on your calendar, a period in which you’ll need to fully explore a dungeon and defeat the final boss before a lethal fog sets in. Instead of exploring the palaces of corrupt adults and shitty political figures à la Persona 5These dungeons (mostly) focus on those close to you.

The palaces Persona 5 They are both extravagant and foreboding in equal measure. Persona 4 Gold’s Dungeons will, however, feel closer to the Mementos section of Persona 5 — procedurally generated labyrinths with intermittent battles. They feel somewhat monotonous in 2023. You are thrust into the mental worlds of your closest friends. They have to reflect on their dreams, hopes and goals. Persona 4 This book is more reflective than the sequel. It’s a cathartic story about self-reflection and honesty.

Image: Atlus/Sega via Polygon

Whenever you’re not delving into dungeons, attending school, or investigating crime, you’re free to spend your evenings and days off however you like. A wide range of activities are available to you, including sports and cultural clubs. There’s also a lot of secondary quests. You can focus on your stats and others are more focused on unlocking new social links. Oftentimes, you’ll be gaining points toward both progression systems in one go, which results in a synergy that makes for a satisfying use of time.

The sprawling Persona 5, I’ve skipped activities and even secondary locations entirely. You are not allowed to. Persona 4 Gold it’s easier to dedicate time to banal tasks with your confidants. It’s also easier to linger in Inaba’s nooks and crannies, to grow attached to the placid corners where you spoke to a confidant: the fairly plain riverbank where you and Chie practice fighting together; the restaurant you’ve eaten at a dozen times that sells a special bowl during rainy days; or that one table in Junes’ food court where the group champions victories and reflects on past mistakes.

If you missed Persona 4 GoldIt feels great on Steam or PlayStation Vita, and it felt just as good on Nintendo Switch. It runs smoothly in docked and handheld modes. The quality of life adjustments around save files, difficulty options, and saving files are plentiful.

Image: Atlus/Sega via Polygon

Unfortunately, Persona 4’s more problematic content hasn’t been updated or revised in its new iteration. It’s still mired in sexist tropes, and its representation of queer characters remains lacking at best, and harmful at worst. While it may be more accessible than ever, the content can still prove difficult to swallow.

This may be a distraction for some. Even with all of its faults, the script is still very good. Persona 4 GoldHe manages to find heartfelt stories in other veins. Persona 5 RoyalSide activities can often be too many to handle. Inaba is a place where you can focus more on the people and your relationships. You will need to adapt to living away from Inaba, particularly without your smartphone continuously buzzing. There isn’t any need to have one. You’re bound to stumble upon a friendly face on your way to the riverbank.

Persona 4 Gold The game will release on January 19 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It also comes with Xbox One and Xbox Series X. Sega provided a prerelease code for the game to be reviewed on Switch. Vox Media is an affiliate partner. They do not affect editorial content. However, Vox Media might earn commissions when products are purchased through affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.