Persona 4 Golden

I've just finished playing the game today and I've loved it!

It's clever, it's sweet, it relies on Jungian psychology and after 80 hours I haven't seen everything the game has to offer!


Heartwarming story and characters make up the meat of the game. Things actually get pretty intense by the end.

The turn based combat is fun with different builds and abilities and the possibility of switching every turn between the builds (personas) you've unlocked and levelled up. The actual dungeon crawling is a bit of a chore however as it feels a bit repetitive and gets old rather quickly.

Still for a JRPG it's definitely not that grindy plus you can change the difficulty whenever you want to (I found that out by the end of the game) so you can tailor the difficulty of the game, how much damage you deal and receive but more importantly how much experience you get (which can really help getting through the dungeons faster).

Regular mobs aren't that hard (with some exceptions) especially if you're prepared but bosses can provide a decent challenge (and some fun fights).

The game can be a bit confusing at times though. Some skill names are rather obscure and it took me 70 hours before realising that Amp and Boost skills do stack (in most games a better skill tend to supersede a lesser one).

The game is not just made of dungeons. You will spend a lot of time going over the city map looking for clues and characters. There is a time management element and you have to plan the growth of your character and spend time with characters to learn more about them and develop some social links. That part may please fans of VN. There are also anime cutscenes and in game cutscenes for some sequences (which can be really sweet and sometimes hilarious).

Don't expect to unlock everything in one playthrough. There are choices to be made and some options will require some digging around and some luck. I went blind and my first run took me 80 hours and I haven't seen everything the game has to offer, I haven't met every character and I haven't heard all their stories. There is a new game plus option that can be enabled by launching the post credit save once you've completed the game.

The graphics are ok. Nothing to write home about but it doesn't really hurt the game. The soundtrack is incredibly good and that's definitely a plus as it really helps whenever the game gets a bit repetitive from time to time.

I won't say much about the characters and team members. There is a nice group dynamic and that really helps the story. There are also some romance options but don't expect anything racy. It's not that kind of game.

Last but not least, it's nice to have a game set in a little Japanese town in the middle of nowhere. There is a lot of flavour and for a non Japanese audience it can only add to the experience.

I'm pretty sure I've put this on my wishlist as Jez also recommended it. it does look good.

It's a remaster of a ten year old console game but I don't mind, the story is sweet and it has this Japanese Scooby-Doo vibe at times.

Truth is, the game manages to be funny and light hearted while dealing with some pretty serious almost horrific events.

It's also very Japanese which means things are never clear cut and there is a lot of subtlety involved. I love that.