I was first introduced to the Persona series with Persona 4 Golden. I fell absolutely head over heels in love with the series and its many spin-off games; to the point that I had to go back and play every single Persona game that I could. That quest continues here with Persona Q2 New Cinema Labyrinth. Persona Q2 is the sequel to 2014’s Persona Q on Nintendo 3DS. The Persona Q series is a collaboration between the Etrian Odyssey franchise and the Persona series. With the sun setting on the 3DS, Persona Q2 could end up being the acclaimed handheld’s swan song.

Now because Persona games can take upward of 80 plus hours to complete, it really didn’t seem too feasible for me to be able to get a full review done. I picked up the game on its release date, and so far I have only been able to put around 10 hours of game time in; but oh what a great 10 hours it has been!

Now the first game in the Persona Q series left me a little underwhelmed, I enjoyed seeing my favorite characters from Persona 3 and 4 interact with one another. Also the gameplay was solid, to say the least, but I felt that it was a little too grindy. Not only did you have to do the usual level grind but you would also have to farm for materials to craft new weapons and armor. You would then return from the dungeon to sell these materials for a measly amount of yen that you would then use to purchase the weapons, armor, a healthy stock of healing items. You would also have to spend around 80% of that hard earned cash to heal your party.

This unbalanced monetary system and a mediocre story kept me from finishing the final dungeon. Seeing the unsatisfying end of what was a nearly 50 hour-long playthrough put a damper on my excitement for Persona Q2. I am pleased to report however that in most ways, Persona Q2 launches itself further and higher then it’s predecessor. It has a better UI, an improved monetary system, and is dripping with the style that helped make Persona 5 so famous.

Thankfully in Persona Q2 as soon as you leave the dungeons, your characters’ health and magic are fully restored automatically. That change eliminated one of the biggest frustrations I had with the original game. No longer do you have to spend much of your hard-earned yen on healing your party, instead you can put that money towards healing items, weapons and armor. The monetary system changes don’t eliminate the grind though, but they do improve it.

As previously mentioned, the Persona Q series is a cross between Persona and the Etrian Odyssey franchise. Etrian Odyssey is a long-running JRPG series that focuses on first-person exploration. That exploration includes map making, dungeon-crawling and of course material -arming. Needless to say that Persona Q uses a few of these mechanics, with my personal favorite being the map making element.

Having no experience with the Etrian Odyssey games; I wasn’t all that jazzed to be drawing up maps and labeling everything in my Persona game. That attitude changed when I got my hands on the finished product. I fell in love with coloring the paths, as well as labeling shortcuts and power spots, to make sure I had every floor fully explored before I even thought about moving onto the next floor. Thankfully being thorough led to rewards that were well worth the time and effort I put in.

Most of the grinding comes into play when you want to craft new armor and weapons. To do this you have to hunt down specific shadows and pray to the RNG gods that you get the drop you were hoping for. Hunting for these drops is made easier thanks to the shopkeeper Theodore telling you what location you can find the shadow on. It also helps that the item names tend to make it pretty easier to know which monster you’re looking for.

Persona Q2 has the added benefit of being released after the acclaimed Persona 5, which instantly puts it ahead of its predecessor in a very specific way… it’s style! Persona 5 (as mentioned above) is known to just ooze style and charm. With Persona Q2 focusing on the Persona 5 cast it is pretty much guaranteed to inherit the same charm and style just like a proper spin-off should.  From the menus with shining theater lights, attacks that have a gorgeous cel-shaded effects, and the adorable yet detailed chibi character models; Persona Q2 is probably one of the best looking 3DS games I have played to date.

Persona games always have a great story, which is why why I get so excited for these games. Sadly though, so far Persona Q2 is retreading the same ground as the first game did. You get sucked into a new world and find two mysterious characters that don’t remember why they’re there. It is up to you and your team to save them and yourself from unknown forces that have you trapped for some nefarious reason.

As it stands 10 hours in I am very much enjoying what could be my last visit with the Persona 3 and 4 cast. I would say this game was made with fans of Persona in mind though. I would advise anyone who is looking to jump into the series, to hold off and at least play Persona 5 first. This game not only assumes you are already familiar with the characters but also spoils parts of the games for you. For longtime fans who have loved these characters for years and are looking for another adventure, I would highly recommend Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth.

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