After having had the chance to test the third installment of the Persona series, here comes the fourth. Just like its elder, it arrives on our modern consoles (and still in the Xbox Game Pass for the happy Xbox players that we are) in a supercharged version.
Persona 4 was initially released in 2009 in Europe on PS2, then in February 2013 on PS Vita in its Golden version (still exclusively in English) and finally in 2020 on PC in HD version. The Atlus title once again made a strong impression in the small community of J-RPG enthusiasts at the time.
Just like for Persona 3, it’s time to discover it in French!
urban legends
Persona 4 tells us the adventures of a hero forced to leave his old high school because of his parents’ work. Forced to move in with his uncle, Dojima, in a small isolated town, he will quickly be confronted with strange events, in particular a series of particularly sordid murders.
Although the police are overwhelmed, tracking the sadistic serial killer, our character and his companions will quickly realize the existence of a secret, mysterious and terrifying parallel world beyond the television screens.
These crimes seem to be linked to this place, but also to an urban legend that goes on in the town: if someone looks at the screen of their television turned off at midnight in rainy weather, the face of their soul mate appears there.
- Sometimes ignorance is a gift
With the power to travel between these worlds, the hero will lead his friends on a very dark quest to save the people sent against their will to this place, while seeking the identity of this merciless killer.
In less than an hour, the atmosphere and the stakes are set. The scenario of this new opus is just as dark as the previous one, and the wanderings of our protagonists even more fascinating.
Because, if in the first times, Persona 4 Golden disconcerts by the treatment which it reserves for its plot, it must be recognized that everything has been done to involve the player even more than in the previous opuses. We therefore find ourselves faced with a title that is particularly generous in terms of dialogue and scenario, which takes its time to properly pose its challenges and its setting.
No need to expect a supercharged action game. Before the first enemy appears, several days are needed (about a big hour and a half of play), which guides us in the narration.
- The iconic Igor is of course in the game
Completely abandoning the Visual Novel side of the previous one in favor of exploration and free movement, we now have the leisure to stroll at our convenience in the different environments and to decide on our schedule.
Thus, the plot unfolds only according to our choices, without any real time constraint (other than the secondary characters to save) like Persona 5.
Closer to the modern vision of the saga, it attempts an approach “anchored in reality”, abandoning the idea of the 25th hour in favor of a whole new universe to discover, accessible at any time via a television screen. .
- Even the NPCs are crazy classy
So we split the game into two parts. The first is that of our world, in which the series of murders take place. A real daily simulator, the daytime hours are exciting with a good number of additional activities to discover and the writing still as neat as ever.
It is with pleasure that we discover each character, whether they are main or not, in very mature and systematically captivating plots.
In the other world, a zone of all dangers, battles and a reflection of the town, various dungeons can be explored to advance the main events.
Let it be said right away: if the story of this Persona 4 Golden remains fascinating, its treatment is very different from the third episode. For example, he abandons the particularly violent invocation of Personae using the Evoker to replace it with a simple card.
- Colorful, yet spooky. all the same
Certainly less impactful in its staging, the title never seeks to shock but more to support its message without detours. The Personae are the dark reflection of the soul, which we bury in us without ever accepting it. More symbolic, the violence of their invocation forces each protagonist to confront their inner self, the truths they seek to hide even from themselves. And it is only by integrating what he refuses that he can then free himself and fully accept himself. Otherwise ? Only a violent death awaits him.
Despite everything, the plot is particularly enjoyable in its development and in the themes evoked: adultery, uncontrolled expansion of capitalism, harassment, etc. These are indeed modern social subjects that are treated in this episode, all in resonance with the usual Japanese disorders.
It is even more interesting to study the deep meaning of the game, in particular through the angle chosen to approach these different intrigues: television, a distorting mirror of a sick world that is unaware of itself.
Faultless writing, therefore, very impactful and striking.
PonPonPon
The Persona saga has always been closely tied to its overall vibe. Each opus takes the bet of a systematically different vision, in particular thanks to its music as well as its atmosphere.
If the third is closer to what can still be found in the saga of Shin Megami Tensei, the fifth is more jazzy. And the fourth, then?
Well, the choice was made by the Atlus teams to offer us something more pop. The visual identity of the title contrasts radically with what had been proposed to us before. Here, everything is golden, colorful, groovy. Everything, including the design of the monsters (although we find some iconic figures), the sets or the characters.
Already closer to what is offered to us in Persona 5, there is no doubt that this Persona 4 Golden will be more accessible to many players put off by the austere and devilishly old-fashioned side of the third.
- The funkier aspect of the monsters hides a very mature scenario
The music that accompanies it is also more playful (we assure you, the theme of the Velvet Room remains unchanged).
The result will please or not, depending on the tastes of each. For our part, we were particularly charmed by this casual tone and this radicalism in the difference in atmosphere and themes addressed.
Of course, here again, many innuendoes make it possible to understand the choice of this artistic direction and the particularly harsh criticism of Japanese society. The strength of this opus residing in the fact that these subjects, and particularly the unhealthy side generated by the attraction of news items sought by television channels in order to generate ever more ratings, also speak very easily to Western players.
golden vision
Again, Atlus has chosen not to wear the original version of the title, but its portable mount. This time however, and in the absence of an “intermediate” edition, this decision is perfectly justified and therefore offers us to live the ultimate adventure of Persona 4.
All the additions of Golden, already present on the Vita and PC versions, are in the game. New dungeons, new characters, new gear and Personae, that’s hours of content to complement the source material.
Just like the new version of Persona 3 Portable, we also have a choice of difficulty mode right from the start, but also quick saves as well as access to Japanese and English voice acting. Notable additions that make the experience even better.
- Some models are reused in the same plan
Similarly, the title is now fully localized in French and the work done by the translation teams is to their credit. We feel all the passion in a work that borders on perfection and respect for the original work. In addition, there are fewer concerns about gender agreements, no doubt related to the fact that the main protagonist is exclusively male. Some translation approximations should be noted, but these can be counted on the fingers of one hand and are in fact forgettable.
Now remains the graphic aspect. Those who have already immersed themselves in our Persona 3 Portable test know that we were not completely convinced by the work done.
Here… it is undoubtedly better. And for good reason, we are strictly facing the HD version released on PC in 2020, without the slightest difference or notable improvement.
- This version is identical to the one released in 2020 on PC
Admittedly, this is the same engine used for the port of Persona 3 Portable, but we understand by playing this fourth opus that the latter benefits from it much more, that it was coded and thought for him above all.
Thus, there are far fewer upscale problems, aliasing has completely disappeared, as have the few pixelated visuals that taint its big brother.
But all is not perfect either. The main defect of this HD version… comes precisely from its treatment on a game of that time. It’s always particularly strange to find yourself in front of a game from the PlayStation 2 era without the antiquated charm of the time. The smoothing is certainly convincing, but continually gave us the feeling of playing through an emulator more than on a specific version.
Character animations remain as stiff as they were then, and every little glitch in consistency becomes particularly noticeable (like when NPCs get in and out of cars). Similarly, the abusive reuse of textures is more shocking than at the time. It is quite common to see the same character models side by side for example.
- Per…so…na
The work is, in the end, too clean to be really convincing. Much more visible on a 4K TV, it is in the mirror world that the impact is strongest. All this parallel universe is indeed supposed to happen in a television screen. To reflect this, the Atlus teams had implemented a rather remarkable “VHS filter” at the time. Here, and with the work done, it becomes barely visible and particularly anachronistic.
Never exploiting the power of modern machines, the title of Atlus is, moreover, much more flashy than Persona 3 Portable. As a result, the slightest defect, even insignificant, is much more visible.
Finally, the overall fluidity of the title has been revised upwards, as for its elder. But unlike the latter, the speed problems are no longer in the game, reinforcing the feeling that the engine was really made and thought for this specific opus.
It is nonetheless an absolutely excellent title that deserves to be experienced by any J-RPG lover, especially in these conditions. The faults we cite can literally be considered as nitpicking in view of the game’s enormous qualities, and cannot prevent anyone from trying it.
Tested on Xbox One X
