how strange to write that Persona 4: golden review Today. The Atlus game, in some ways so modern, debuted back in 2008, even on PlayStation 2. Although fifteen years is not a short time, this extraordinary role-playing game would not be out of place if it were finally released.
If it is true that the graphics are now outdated, what Persona 4 cannot do polygonally it does through drawings of unlimited and, in fact, timeless beauty. The soundtrack is also essential: we don't want the beautiful soundtrack of Persona 5, but it is from here that Shoiji Meguro's touch becomes fundamental, merging perfectly with the visual style from which it can no longer be separated. The final blow is given by the cast and the setting: compared to the illustrious sequel, Persona 4 is more intimate, warmer and, once finished, overlaps with our personal memories as if that year took place in the small town of Inaba, which It is the backdrop for the events narrated in the game, if we had really lived it.
Serial killer
There are games endowed with a particular magic, something invisible sometimes created unconsciously by a specially inspired team. Persona 4 is undoubtedly one of these games. If with Persona 3, which also arrived on these shores in recent days, the development team reinvented the series to update it with the times, Persona 4 is the chapter that Atlus used to perfect it. Here you will find all the features that made Persona 5 great: the social links that transform friendships into experience and new powers, the fast and fun turn-based combat, the smooth background rhythm and of course this other Mephistophelean inspired by the most David Lynch dark. , combined with the most pop Shintoism, will take us on the trail of the serial killer threatening the city.
The guardian of the parallel world of Persona 4, which is accessed through television, is as always the lanky Igor, one of the few characters who is present in all the games in the series. The official mascot of the game, the character you will find instead of Morgana from the fifth chapter, is the beloved and irresistible Teddie. But in general it is very difficult to find a character that is not of the highest level: from the protagonist to the rude Kanji Tatsumi, passing through all the girls in the group, but without forgetting the very sweet Nanako (who now sings "The days from Tutti are special in June!"), the cast of Persona 4 is as varied as it is very close-knit.
However, he can't help but end up in the cast. Inaba, this rural city hit by the same economic crisis that has deserted many local population centers, where young people are so busy dreaming of distant metropolises that they do not understand the importance of what is little by little fading around them: the small temple with its equally small and ancient legends, the characteristic river where you can fish and of course Shichiri beach, the beach that in the Golden version reproduced here will be the scene of exciting summer motorcycle trips that will take the protagonists towards their adulthood. Like all Persons, the fourth is also a coming of age story, spread over a year that only in the end will turn out to be the most important of a lifetime.
The Dojima Apartments will warm up the city the protagonist will move to at the beginning of the game, after his parents have gone on a long business trip away from Japan. Although smaller and less elaborate than the Café Leblanc attic, our refuge in Persona 4 is much cozier, almost a true nest that will protect us from increasingly heinous crimes which will threaten the ingenuity of the city. Finally here we are in front of Yasogami High School which will generally represent the glue that will unite the protagonists into an invincible team of fighters.
Waiter, the usual...
In terms of gameplay features, Persona 4 is almost indistinguishable from its famous sequel, with the exception of dungeons. In the fifth game they are divided between procedural, set in the subway, and main, whose form is pre-established, while in Persona 4: Golden they are all procedural and, therefore, devoid of the characterization that would have made them more elaborate and interesting. It is the only flaw, later cleverly resolved in the next game, of an adventure that works and runs like clockwork, finally freed from that outdated difficulty that in Persona 3, after a mistake, made you return to the last one, often. too far, rescue.
In this new version we find a smoother graphics, but without more details and some improvements that will make our raids more comfortable including a quick save system and the possibility of selecting the difficulty level, to be able to make things more difficult than the last time you played Persona 4 or eliminate the challenge posed. for the combat, which is excellent for those who simply want to enjoy the plot.
A small and appreciated effort on the part of Atlus that, however, in a way is also the bare minimum. They didn't promise us much more, it's true, but the result is just another version of Persona 4 Golden, and not the definitive and truly updated edition to current standards that perhaps this game deserves.
Conclusions
Tested version Nintendo Switch digital delivery Nintendo eShop Holygamerz.com 8.5 Readers (28) 8.4 your votePersona 4: Golden is a masterpiece with too many years behind it. The graphical renovation is a double-edged sword that makes the image at the same time more pleasant but also slightly blurred, an effect that will however be completely eliminated if you decide to play in the portable mode for which Persona 4: Golden was originally designed , since as you remember, it was initially born as an exclusive for PlayStation Vita. Bottom line: The game is still 9, but this conversion was largely done on autopilot.
PRO
- Person 4: Gold is... gold!
- The music, the cast and the story are unforgettable.
- finally in Spanish
AGAINST
- Conversion without particular flashes.
- The graphics are smoother, but on the big screen far from the desired sharpness
