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Category: Gaming
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Persona 4 Golden: The One Many Love But I Don’t!
In a post-Milton era in Tampa, I reflect on my blessings and practice gratitude. Throughout the hurricane, I had power as if nothing had happened. Strangely, I had a more intense experience with Hurricane Ian. During this time, I’ve been gradually working my way through Persona 4 Golden. However, the experience has ranged from indifference at best to frustration at worst.
AI generated art fusing the style of Persona 4 Golden with Junji Ito. The premise and story isn’t the issue. I feel like it tells a good story overall. My 1st issue is the pacing. That first arc is a drag. The 2nd is how little there is to do at the start. It continues to be minimal when you approach The Long Fog period. After experiencing the stellar Persona 5 Royal, this game feels dated. Persona 3 Reload also sets high expectations, which make this entry seem lacking.
Now the social commentary, predominantly with Kanji and Naoto, are possibly the strongest points you can have conversations about. Despite a game whose timeline is 2011-12, in 2024, the conversation can be more elaborate with everything we know today.
As far as gameplay mechanics, in retrospect, still solid. The follow-up attacks vary from single hit, multi-target to even insta-kills. The tag team attacks, depending who’s in the party, is introduced here in a way that we can truly appreciate. It would open the door to the tag team follow-ups in P5R, as well as the Showtime attacks.
I have one of the biggest gripes to this day about P4G. Some characters lack compatibility with their assigned Arcanas. Naoto doesn’t go with Fortune at all. Yosuke as Magician is surface-level at best. The Fox is a total waste of Hermit. Sayoko with Devil arcana chemistry falls off post-discussion of her scandal and gives more of a Hanged Man vibe. Ai is pitiful representing the Moon arcana. The Moon arcana would’ve served Naoki best. He is reserved, with emotions having him sink in like the very Cancer zodiac that arcana represents. The poor use of Arcana in respect to characters frustrated me to no end.
I also found myself not truly enjoying the OST the way I did with Persona 3 or 5. Time to Make History is the only song I actually like while the rest of the soundtrack, while not forgettable, lack any sense of excitement. When the OST of a game isn’t all that exciting for me, it ruins the vibe.
The themes of mystery and truth versus rumors are great. The concept of how it stares you in the face as your most suppressed self is also compelling. The execution is hindered by its harrowing slow pace. At times, you want to speed the process. There are moments where good dialogue would be best when excess points could be omitted. When narrowing down the main motives of the mystery murderer, only half of those points are worth addressing. The latter half of the estimates are very on the nose. I’ll go on to say that, like typical teenagers, the common sense isn’t there. SEES in Persona 3 seem distant, but they are in sync in their saga’s matters. Persona 5’s Phantom Thieves weaponize their trauma bonding. They save the world in defiance of the Demiurge. Persona 4’s Investigation Team are quickly close to each other like real friends. However, they remain far from the truth that stares at them.
As for other enjoyable elements of the game’s story, look no further than every member’s Persona being a Japanese deity. Then add their school’s name symbolizing 10 gods. The White Hare of Inaba by Cheryl Hamada is said to inspire Persona 4. I appreciate how Yu, our protagonist, arrives in town with Izanagi as his Persona. The final enemy is Izanagi’s sister-wife, Izanami. She’s been there the whole time, manipulating all the madness that the town of Inaba suffers. I also enjoyed a parallel in Persona 4 with an unlikely and unrelated story. It parallels Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable by Hirohiko Araki. They have the same yellow motif for its setting in a small town. Both involve a protagonist with a mighty being as its avatar of power. They both carry the element of mysterious murders, with its antagonist being around them the entire time.
Do I believe Persona 4 Golden is due for a remake like Persona 3 did? Yes! There are many holes that could be filled in retrospect. It could also make its NG+ cycle as good as P5R or P3R. Is the game bad? By no means! I just believe that, compared to its remade predecessor and its sequel, it hasn’t ages well and lacks balance. If it were me, I’d definitely rearrange some of the characters and their arcana story arcs. It would give a sense of congruence to them. In turn, it would enhance the meta aspect of the story. The lore would weave together more seamlessly. Even with a NG+ cycle, maxing out every Social Link in one playthrough is nearly impossible. I also find that it’s very challenging. That’s an issue P3 and P5 don’t have.
I hope you guys all enjoyed this review of my experience with the game. Eventually, my NG+ playthrough will be complete with a playlist, timestamps included, to facilitate the experience.
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Song of Ice & Fire box set, Writing Update!
I promise I won’t repeat myself regarding my previous blog series. I ordered the new paperback box set of A Song of Ice & Fire. I can’t wait for it to arrive at my house this week. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I’m glad I waited to buy the set until after Martin revealed the new artwork.
I’ve spent more time reading Fire & Blood and am currently on chapter 3. I’m really enjoying the rich lore Martin has crafted in this book. The added context significantly enhances the main series. It offers deeper insights into the events we were familiar with from the Game of Thrones TV series.
How I set up for reading time; PS5 to play bg music on YouTube/Spotify and drinking tea/water in my Sonic mug! I’ve been writing my player character’s journey in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Streaming with commentary and analysis is one thing. Writing from the perspective of your character is a whole different challenge. It involves giving them a voice. You have to create their personality, thoughts, and reactions. They also need a clear course of action when facing adversaries, rather than just copying your gameplay. It’s a literary challenge that I really enjoy.
I’ve resumed writing Chapter 7 of FireFrei. The buildup to what comes next needs some careful refinement to achieve the climactic impact it deserves. The Berserk-like elements I introduced earlier will come full circle by the end. This is the kind of story where tying everything together from the start is essential. I enjoy letting the story unfold naturally. I make sure that when we hit the key moments, everything comes together. Readers are reminded of important details they might have forgotten.
Lastly, as recommended by Venom of Society, I completed a livestream playthrough of Doki Doki Literature Club Plus. I’m not a fan of the visual novel genre. I usually prefer action or turn-based RPGs and fighting games. However, I made an exception. To be honest, the game addressed themes of self-harm, depression, and anxiety in ways I didn’t expect. For the first time since starting my YouTube videos, I broke character. The game prompted me to open up on a deeply personal level. Usually, I keep these things to myself. I typically share only glimpses of my personal life. However, DDLC broke down those barriers. I haven’t felt the same since.
It’s like watching the Phenom/Deadman version of The Undertaker drop the gimmick. Then, he reveals Mark Calaway. The closest we saw to that in WWF/E was when he had the American Badass persona. It reflected more of who he was outside the ring than any prior version of his character.
Will this experience change the direction of my future commentary, analysis, and reactions? To quote George R.R. Martin when asked if the books will end like the TV series: ‘Yes and no. And yes and no. No and yes. Yes and no.’”
The new A Song of Ice & Fire Box Set released 10/2024.
