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.
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.
