I thought I'd start off with a post about this beauty of a game pictured above, as I've recently gotten back into it myself. For those who don't know much about Atlus and the Shin Megami Tensei (SMT) series, Persona is a branch off of SMT that released September 1996 originally for the PS1/PSX console.
Strangely enough, the first Persona game, which was remade for PSP August 2010 isn't the one that I would say is best to start the series with. The Persona series took a major turn with the third instalment and nearly completely changed what the game was, though the meaningful values the games convey still ring true despite it's ageing.
As someone who played the Persona series backwards, starting with the fourth instalment back in 2008, then working my way backwards - I'd have to say I'm glad I did. Each and every Persona game is amazing in it's own way, but none the less I definitely feel like if I'd started with the first one, PSX Version or PSP, I most likely would've given up and not continued with the series.
This is partly because of the out-dated style of the first one, which they didn't particularly improve in the PSP remake, which is more of just an upgraded port. The first person dungeon exploration style (an upgraded version of which is used in the Etrian Odyssey games) can be annoying at times, especially with the ridiculously frequent random encounter rate, and almost laughable running speed - but personally I love it. I don't know if it's because of the nostalgia it brings, or if I just love the aesthetic of it for no reason.
When it comes to the actual battle system, the game lacks slightly. While the incorporation of Persona's is and always will be, an ingenious invention, the sort of tactic style of it where `moving` is an option, but is practically useless, can be a nuisance. The gun system however, is something I missed in the future titles (and is a system I'm ecstatic to see returning in Persona 5) and helps to add a whole new level to the battle system. Persona not working? Is shooting the best move? Or would Ayase's whip do better? Choices! Choices!
Experience points, EXP, Leveling up. I have a hard time talking about this aspect of the game simply because I can never make up my mind. On one hand, directly seeing how what a character does in battle affects the amount of experience they acquire is great. You can make sure your most powerful characters keep getting good amounts of EXP and that they level up quickly to gain more power. Except this also tugs at my heart strings as I feel annoyingly guilty that some of the lesser characters, whose Persona's aren't as beefed up simply don't get the chance to get the decent amounts and don't really get as strong as the others. So I think this mainly depends on the kind of player you are, if you're anything like me and simply implore tactics that will get rid of the demons quickly and efficiently, then this will be a very aggravating feature. If you're the kind of player who likes to logically think of the best way to utilise every character, then this system will be great for you as you can literally see your rewards for playing like this.
Like the musical god he is, Shoji Meguro does a magnificent job with the soundtrack for this instalment. The battle theme is incredibly well performed and unbelievably catchy. It'll definitely be stuck in your head for ages, even if you aren't quite sure what the lyrics are actually saying. Even the songs that simply fill the void as you walk around the market just fill you with the musical spirit.
Finally the main plot of the game, which features a group of high school students that awaken to the ability of Persona after playing the `Persona Game`. The SEBEC course of this game is beautifully constructed, it has nice twists, and some pretty decent character development (for the four mandatory characters at least) but lacks when it comes to any optional bits, where the rare times that they do contribute in conversation they usually get savagely ignored. Poor Eriko Kirishima. The game can decently take a good 60+ hours (242 hours for my first playthrough because of how long the dungeons took my 14 year old self) and the animated scenes added into the PSP remake - while low in numbers - add a nice element to progression.
The Snow Queen Quest, now that's something that always marvels me; simply because it's just a whole different game and story, just laying there, nearly impossible to accidentally discover. Considering that it's the only way to play the game with Yukino Mayuzumi you'd think Atlus would have made it a bit easier to trigger. The Snow Queen Quest is an optional alternate story where the main characters get entrapped in their High school, provided you talk to the exact right people, go looking in places that you wouldn't really think about, at the right times, and don't listen to what the game actually tells you to do. The actual story of this side of the game is a bit bland, but still emotional non-the less. What makes it bland isn't necessarily the story itself, but more of the fact that you just have to conquer three, very annoying towers, whilst looking for mirror shards (and you don't even have to find all of them. Despite how negative I sound about this storyline, I really do enjoy and am currently replaying it.
Overall I'd strongly recommend this game to anyone who's a massive RPG fan, or a huge fan of the later Persona games. While Persona 1 & both the 2's are heavily linked, and even feature characters from each one; 3 & 4 almost ignore them, and create their own little universe to themselves. Still, it's nice to know the back story to the series, where it all began, and especially since it's so magnificently crafted even with it's faults.
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