In 2012, I picked up Persona 4 Golden on my PlayStation Vita. I loved Persona 3 Portable and I had heard plenty of good things about Persona 4. I have fond memories of my time in Inaba, and when the announcement was made that Persona 3 and Persona 4 were coming to Switch, I couldn’t be more excited.

Persona 4 Golden puts you in the role of the typical Persona protagonist (default name Yu Narukami) who comes to live in the sleepy town of Inaba for a year with relatives. Around this same time, a strange string of murders begins to take place, all tied to a local urban legend. Sometimes, if you watch the television at Midnight on foggy nights, you’ll see your soulmate during what is known as the Midnight Channel.

It is up to Yu and his allies, students at the local high school, to solve the mystery of the Midnight Channel, and this string of murders. As is the case with all Persona games, a web of supernatural intrigue forms, with the fate of the world ultimately hanging in the balance. Yu also discovers that (like other protagonists) he is a Wild Card, able to manifest multiple different personas.

From here, typical Persona trappings are clear. You explore dungeons, fighting shadows and defeating bosses. At the end of the battle, if the conditions are met (such as an all-out attack) you can draw tarot cards that provide bonuses or negative effects. Sometimes, this also allows you to gain new personas, rather than the negotiation mechanic found in Persona 5 and most Shin Megami Tensei-adjacent titles.

Additionally, combat is turn-based and heavily dependent on elemental weaknesses and effective strategies. Persona 4 Golden has a variety of difficulty options though, so if you have a hard time or just want to take it easy you can knock the difficulty down. As far as progression goes, you equip weapons and armor to your characters, and you can fuse personas in the Velvet Room to strengthen Yu’s capabilities.

Also, just like in other Persona games, managing your time is important. Certain social links are available on certain days and ranking up those links is the key to fusing stronger personas, getting the best ending, and unlocking a variety of useful features. Some Social Links are tied to your social stats as well, so balancing your time between studying/increasing stats and visiting friends and allies is vital.

Dungeons are a bit more streamlined compared to Persona 5 but have a stronger visual identity than Persona 3. Each dungeon has a theme based on whatever character you’re encountering within. However, just like other Persona games you only have a limited number of in-game days to complete the dungeons, and if you fail to do so you automatically get a game over.

The strongest part of Persona 4 Golden is its story and its characters. Every character (including Social Links) has a heartfelt story, and the mystery plot is fantastic. Just like other Persona games though, Golden deals with a lot of mature themes, so this is not a game for people who are sensitive to concepts like death, suicide, identity issues, and other strong themes.

Each Persona game has an underlying theme, and while Persona 5’s was rebellion against unjust systems, Persona 4 deals with truth and apathy. It is a powerful storyline and one of the most memorable gaming experiences I’ve ever had. While certain characters do lean a little into anime tropes, the story itself is absolutely worth your time.

As far as performance goes, considering Persona 4 Golden was released on a handheld, the Switch version plays beautifully. This is a game that plays equally well on the go or sitting on your couch. You’ll get at least 100 hours out of it, especially if you’re playing the New Game Plus to have an easier time of getting the good ending.

If you are a fan of the Persona franchise, Persona 4 Golden is a must-play. If you are new to the franchise, this is a fantastic place to start. Regardless, if you are a fan of JRPGs, Persona 4 Golden is an absolute classic from start to finish.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Persona 4 Golden was provided by Sega for this review.

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Persona 4 Golden

$19.99 USD

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Fantastic Mystery Story
• Engaging Combat and Progression
• Remastered Visuals
• Strong Characters
• Quality of life addons like Difficulty Options