Header of the game Persona 4 Golden. Credit to ATLUS, SEGA, embedded from Steam.
Header of the game Persona 4 Golden.
Credit to ATLUS, SEGA, embedded from Steam.
This article is written in English. Untuk membaca versi Bahasa Indonesia, klik di sini.

TL;DR

A visual novel slash JRPG slash anime-esque game with a pace that is... very slow to get to the "real action." People say this is one of the best titles in the Persona franchise, and some even call it their all-time favorite game. What does Adli think? Hm... Not really that impressive, in my opinion.

Notice and Specs


Notice
  • This article aims to review and share information about this game.
  • There is no intention to infringe any copyright.
  • Copyright of any images, videos, or any other media used in this article belongs to their respective owners, whether the developer or publisher of this game, unless stated otherwise.
  • The author is not affiliated with the developer, publisher, or any other parties related to this game. Although I received a key to write this article, I am not affiliated with the developer, publisher, or any other parties related to this game.
  • This article is purely a review from the author's perspective.
  • This article is based on my experience playing this game. Future updates/changes to the game may not be reflected in this article.
  • This article was translated from Indonesian to English by Claude. The quality may not be up to par with human translation.
Click this box to see my PC specs.
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600
  • GPU: Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 7600 XT 16GB
  • RAM: Crucial DDR4-3200 2x8GB
  • SSD: TeamGroup MP44L NVMe M2 1TB
  • Monitor: Lenovo L24i-40 100 Hz and Samsung S3 S33GC 100 Hz
  • Gamepad: 8Bitdo Ultimate 2C Peach
  • Mouse: Logitech Signature M650 Rose
  • Keyboard: Logitech K380 Rose

Game Details

Details

Trailer

Go ahead and watch the game's trailer below :)

Persona 4 Golden - Official Launch Trailer

Credit to IGN channel on YouTube.

Quick Review and Rating

Quick Review

This is the first ATLUS game with a long playtime that I've played, and the second title from the Persona franchise — after Persona 2: Innocent Sin. People say... this is one of the best titles in the franchise, and some even crown it as one of the best games they've ever played. Is it really that good?

Quick Rating

Category & Rating Details Score
1. Mechanics & Gameplay
  • Controls: Since this game is a remaster of its console version, it's easy to control with a controller. But you can also use mouse and keyboard to play the game.
  • Game Loop: Hmm, the game loop... could be described as boring and repetitive. Since the game is set in a high school, the daily rhythm revolves around the typical life of a high schooler. Wake up, get ready, go to school — morning, noon, afternoon — come home, return to the house, sleep, repeat. There are some variations, like going to Junes, exploring the world inside the TV, wandering around town, but... since it all still happens within the context of "after school," it doesn't really feel all that different.
  • Difficulty: For difficulty, in my opinion... it leans more toward challenging yet still do-able, but only for the battle sections. Because the story sections... are not challenging at all.
8.3
2. Visuals & Aesthetics
  • Art Direction: The visual style used in this game consists of 3D models and environments, alongside anime-style character artwork and anime-style cutscenes. It looks great, has strong contrast, and each element is easy to read and distinguish. Easy on the eyes too.
  • Optimization: Runs like a dream! FPS, CPU, GPU, vRAM, RAM — all smooth. I didn't run into any issues while playing, which is great!
  • UI/UX: Solid. Everything is easy to read and identify, so during battles and such, there's no need to stress over understanding this or that. The only downside for me is the abbreviated stat labels like... St, Ma, En, Ag, and Lu on the status screen. For those not familiar with the genre — like me — it might be a little confusing, like "what's En?" "oh, Endurance..." But overall, it's comfortable and easy to follow. The OS-inspired UI style is also a nice touch in my opinion. It feels modern, especially when mixed with the tarot elements throughout the game.
10
3. Story & World
  • Pacing: Now this is something I really want to highlight. For me — someone who might prefer games that get straight to the point — this game feels... incredibly slow to reach the action. Me, playing what felt like a straight run through the story, collecting items when available, talking to characters, and so on, needed two hours to reach the first real battle — not counting the brief encounter at the beginning right after the intro in the foggy area, since that didn't feel like a proper fight — and three hours to reach actual exploration and battle in this game. Which is... a very long time in my opinion. In this day and age, where games can pull you in within the first hour and take you everywhere, this game spends the first one to two hours narrating its lore in a way that feels more passive than active.
  • Characters: You play the main protagonist, whose name can be changed to whatever you like. Alongside your character, there are several key supporting characters such as Yosuke, Chie, Dojima, Nanako, Yukiko, and others. As the protagonist, you'll be living the life of a high school student in a small town in Japan, Inaba.
  • Lore: You've just moved to a small town in Japan — Inaba. In this town, you'll be living with your uncle — a detective named Dojima — and his daughter, Nanako. You'll be continuing your high school studies in this town. Over time, a series of mysterious deaths occurs, accompanied by the appearance of a strange fog. Together with Yosuke and Chie, you'll enter another world inside a TV — yes, inside a TV — to rescue certain characters and solve the mystery behind these strange cases.
  • Writing: The writing in this game is actually quite good. It's easy to follow, though... there are some parts that can be a bit confusing, given that the genre seems to be Fantasy and Fiction. There are also tarot elements woven in! And a connection to the concept of "Persona," which here — seemingly — is tied to the negative sides of oneself that have long been suppressed from surfacing.
7.7
4. Audio & Music
  • Sound Design: The SFX are solid, the menu sounds are fine, and everything supports the mood during tense, happy, and other moments. Though mostly during conversations there isn't really any music playing...
    ๐ŸŽต Every day's great at your Junes~ ๐ŸŽต

    Every day's great at your Junes

    Credit to Bloodywing channel on YouTube.

  • Music: On the topic of music, there seem to be several tracks in this game, but so far I haven't come across anything particularly memorable...
    • Turns out the OST playlist for this game is on Spotify!

    Yes, turns out there's a playlist for this game's OST on Spotify. Probably the most memorable track from the playlist is number 11 from the top — ใใ“ใซใ„ใ‚‹ใฎใฏ่ชฐ? aka Who's There?. You can listen to the music from this game via the embed below:

  • Voice Acting: You could say it's almost 100% fully voiced? If I'm not mistaken, there are a few moments where I didn't hear any voice acting, but the vast majority of conversations are voiced. So it's a very enjoyable experience, especially given that the game is also a visual novel. The only character whose voice occasionally felt... uncomfortable to listen to is Chie. The character herself can sometimes come across as annoying and whiny, so in a way the voice acting here actually matches the character quite well.
9
5. Replayability & Value
  • Price vs Content: The full price of this game is... $19.99. Expensive? Well... yes, relative to the average Indonesian monthly wage, perhaps. But looking at its How Long to Beat page, where the total gameplay can range between 67–134 hours to complete... At the price being asked, it should be very much worth the price.
  • Post-Completion Content: I haven't finished it. I've only played about 4 hours, and... Based on How Long to Beat, I'm still very far from the end of this game. So... I can't really tell at this time...
9
TOTAL SCORE xx

Gameplay Video

Want to watch my gameplay video? You can watch it below:

Persona 4 Golden

Adli's gameplay on Adli_HM's channel on YouTube.

Closing

With its visual novel, JRPG, and anime-esque genre, remaster status, and a full price of $19.99 — the game is actually decent, all things considered. Expensive upfront, but with that much content... it arguably isn't, since it's worth the price.

It's just... it might not be the most appealing for those who aren't particularly patient — like me? — given how incredibly long it takes to reach the real battle session and real exploration session in this game. If Adli ever manages to finish it someday, will the opinion change? Hm... I don't know, yet. We'll see...

That's all!

See you in the next Adli's Quick Games Review :)