Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

When Persona originally released for the Playstation 1 it did so to a small cult following, at this point of its porting the Persona series has elevated from cult series to a series most gamers know of. Although most of the mechanics remain in this title from the Playstation release, enough has changed to warrant a look at.

The story of Persona revolves around an evil corporation SEBEC who is attempting to bridge a path to an alternate dimension, this all occurs shortly after the main characters do a ritual to summon a Persona (Demon). The main story of this game revolves around the SEBEC corporation and a young girl who the main character visits in the hospital who is very ill and yet suddenly becomes better with no memory of being ill.

The first big change to notice is the overall mood of the title. The Playstation version has a gloomy and dark setting throughout the game reflected in the music for the most part. This version borrows a lot from Persona 3 & 4 having an upbeat rock track to accompany the player through the doomed world. It works a lot better in comparison toning the music to the creepier setting on the dial when needed.

The hugest change in the game comes from the characters who were altered in appearance to please American audiences and make them less Japanese. The entire Playstation release was an attempt to rewrite the Japanese setting as an American one. This also caused Final Fantasy IV syndrome to occur where Atlus made the game easier and boosted experience and money earnings to not lose American players. In this version what was reworked has been reverted and the game represents a Shin Megami Tensei and Persona title to its fullest.

New to the game from the Japanese version is the Snow Queen Mask Quest, an alternate storyline that can be followed early on in the game. This alternate path uses different party members and centers the story in the school instead of the entire city. Being such a hidden side quest I'd recommend seeking a guide to get the side path exactly as it can be easily missed and blundered.

Players of Persona 3 & 4 will feel a bit lost with the first person exploration system used in the game. You never can see your main character run around a map and must navigate halls like an older rpg title like the original Phantasy Star. The issue of disorientation with this remains after all these years, and players may even feel dizzy exploring certain maps like the malls.

Acquiring Persona's is a strange system in this game, requiring players to figure out what a demon wants to hear and then talking or performing for that demon to raise a meter of like or hatred. At this point if the demon likes what you've been selling it, it will either leave taking all similar demons with it or will offer to leave the battle, hand over an item or give a spell card. What players will want to take is the spell card it offers which allows players to later fuse new Persona's in the velvet room led by series staple Igor. This is the only method of acquiring new Persona's to fight by your side.

Combat revolves around the use of physical weapons, guns and Persona's. As the party can get crowded, characters can only attack in specific grid patterns. This can lead to players royally screwed when needing to attack an enemy and only two party members are in range to attack. Sometimes switching up from physical to gun warfare can solve this problem, mostly though a Persona skill is a good place to turn to.

While characters level up by winning battles, though chasing monsters away or earning items and spell cards will earn a player no EXP, Persona's can only level by repeated use of their skills. In turn this can make physical and gun attacks pointless. The Persona attacks are powerful and generally use little magic points.

Persona is a classic game and while the Playstation version has become a hard to play relic, this remake is easy to pick up and play. What may drag down most gamers is the high encounter rate, and fans of the PS2 Persona's will feel lost for awhile but this was the bridging of Shin Megami Tensei into a new series called Persona. It has a mix of the serious and the silly found in both these series and is an excellent title to pick up for gamers or RPG hunters seeking a challenge.