Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth

 3DS
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 81 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 81
  3. Negative: 17 out of 81
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  1. TOFU_BNG
    Jun 10, 2019
    3
    As a huge fan of the SMT franchise and the Persona spinoff games I always look foward to the newest release ATLUS has to offer in fact SMT IV, Nocturne and Persona 3 + 5 are some of my favorite JRPGS of all time.
    My feelings towards Persona Q in general is very mixed and I cant really say I am a fan of these games. The first game completely butchered the cast of Persona 3 giving them a    As a huge fan of the SMT franchise and the Persona spinoff games I always look foward to the newest release ATLUS has to offer in fact SMT IV, Nocturne and Persona 3 + 5 are some of my favorite JRPGS of all time.
    My feelings towards Persona Q in general is very mixed and I cant really say I am a fan of these games. The first game completely butchered the cast of Persona 3 giving them a Persona 4 makeover and was overall too cheery something I hoped the second game would resolve but I was wrong on so many levels.
    Persona Q2 is a shallow mess of a game that is both not fun to play and or watch, firstly the character development is thrown out the window especially for the Persona 5 cast who combined with the cast of 4 are literally walking breathing JoJo references with no style or substance. The story itself is so far up it's own ass to even take seriously I say that and I'm a Metal Gear Solid fan which is one of the most bombastic series in gaming.
    Gameplay is even worse as it still retains the absolutely abhorrent Etrian Odyessy gameplay which drags battles out for ages and is probably the worst turn based system I have seen in an ATLUS game, drawing maps seems like a fun concept on paper but ultimately got me lost more times than I could count to the point I had to put the game down for hours on end to start another playthrough of Bloodborne which I did in one sitting and didn't get bored once.
    The improvements are far and in between from the first game but I would say its alot less frustrating than it's predecessor just by a tiny bit for example the map system is slightly better and from my knowledge they removed the system that allowed for players to share Level 99 Persona's at Level 1 that completely ruined game balance.
    But the major positive I can give the game is it's fantastic soundtrack which I have had on repeat for the last week. The original also had a good soundtrack but was more or less remix's of Persona 3 and 4 tracks and whilst there are less of them in Q2 that is for the better as the original score more than makes up for it.
    The soundtrack is ultimately what saves this game from getting a 1 rating but other than that I would urge SMT fans and OG Persona fans to stay away from this game as it is nothing more than shoddily written and developed fan fiction.    … Expand
  2. BambiRue
    Mar 31, 2020
    3
    A sequal to the spin off nobody asked for.

    Just like PQ, the gameplay isn't for everyone and is grating if you were looking for the more streamlined playstyle of the other modern persona games. It isn't bad, but is clunky and takes getting used too. The plot is nothing special and you can see the ending coming a mile away. The characters are dumbed down flanderizations that get old    A sequal to the spin off nobody asked for.

    Just like PQ, the gameplay isn't for everyone and is grating if you were looking for the more streamlined playstyle of the other modern persona games. It isn't bad, but is clunky and takes getting used too.

    The plot is nothing special and you can see the ending coming a mile away. The characters are dumbed down flanderizations that get old fast and are crammed in since there are so many of them between persona 3, persona 4, persona 5, and the new cast members.

    I really don't know why anyone thought this game needed to be made.    … Expand
  3. Trey82
    Apr 11, 2020
    2
    GOOD LORD THIS IS TERRIBLE!
    Its even less redeeming than the first one. AND I HATE THAT ONE, TOO!
    Alright, first things first.. the difficulty is all over the place. It makes no sense. You truly cant change up your tactics at all. Every battle becomes a weakness exploit-fest. There are the usual.. and altogether FAR too usual SMT style enemies that 2-shot you once you reach the next    GOOD LORD THIS IS TERRIBLE!
    Its even less redeeming than the first one. AND I HATE THAT ONE, TOO!
    Alright, first things first.. the difficulty is all over the place. It makes no sense. You truly cant change up your tactics at all. Every battle becomes a weakness exploit-fest. There are the usual.. and altogether FAR too usual SMT style enemies that 2-shot you once you reach the next floor, if you dont babysit your party.
    Even after leveling and gear up as well as you can, it becomes a 3 shot affair. There isnt much relaxation or room for different tactics, and its a shame.

    Story is just as one dimensional as the first one, although they feel a bit off, in this one. Like .. Q1 was stereotypical, and you didnt get to hear as much as the persona games, a'course. But the team, as nice as it is to see 'em again, doesnt feel 'like home'. You'll know if you play it. It isnt persona. It isnt persona!

    I cant.. stress how much I dont MIND grinding. Done properly, its mindless and feels like youre making your party overpowered.
    Then there are times when youre already scraping the bottom of the barrel for xp and if you JUST had 5 more levels, your strategy would fall into place. Thats the boss tier fights, in q2.
    I know what it is, its the DLC microtransactions that atlus puts into everything, for the last few years.
    Slow the xp gain and charge another 2 bucks for the cheat dlc or an overpowered persona. *sigh*

    Its reasons like that .. that I cant recommend any of these last years of games from atlus. They're still fine, its just that they arent like the earlier games that felt balanced and natural. There are plenty of atlus games, in general.. that are still TOUGH but balanced. You grind it out for an hour and youre back to being on fair footing. Or OP at best.
    *sigh* Back to strange journey.. or maybe Etrian3.
    I love you, but I hate you Atlus.    … Expand
  4. tenforten
    May 1, 2020
    3
    How I rate games:
    Game-play, Music/Sound, Graphics & Visuals, Story/World-building, and Characters each get 0-2 points adding up to a score /10. 0 is non-existent or bad, 1 is average or N/A, and 2 is better than average.
    Game-play: 1 Not unplayable, but needlessly complicated for a spin-off, just like the first PQ Music/Sound: 1 The music is great with many good new tracks and    How I rate games:
    Game-play, Music/Sound, Graphics & Visuals, Story/World-building, and Characters each get 0-2 points adding up to a score /10. 0 is non-existent or bad, 1 is average or N/A, and 2 is better than average.

    Game-play: 1
    Not unplayable, but needlessly complicated for a spin-off, just like the first PQ

    Music/Sound: 1
    The music is great with many good new tracks and well as old ones brought back from the original P4, P3, and P5 games but lacks english audio due to budget cuts.

    Graphics & Visuals: 1
    The chibi style is a nice change and gives PQ its own identity from the main games and other spin-offs, but is not much of an improvement from the last PQ game

    Story/World-building: 0
    Weird, fanfictiony, and much less unique than the first one. The game struggles with having such a large cast and the plot about multiple realities to explain the presence of the female P3 protagonist felt like an excuse and is poorly handled. They bit off more than they could chew this time.

    Characters: 0
    Most of the characters become jokes and have their personalities neutered for the sake of gags while the new characters are not even slightly memorable.

    TOTAL: 3/10    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best 3DS Game of 2019
3
#3 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2019
1
#1 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 27, 2020
    80
    Considering the Persona games' high school settings, it feels fitting that in order to have the most fun with Persona Q2, you need to do your homework first! [Issue #40 – July/August 2019, p. 68]
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Jul 11, 2019
    80
    Another solid entry in the Persona series, this dungeon crawling adventure will keep you entertained for hours and maybe will be the last great title that you will play on the Nintendo 3DS.
    Read full review
  3. 3DJuegos
    Jul 9, 2019
    85
    Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth is a conservative game with respect to its first installment, but manages to connect with the fan quickly, as the exploration and battle systems are still really fun to play and the huge cast of characters from the series parades through the screen.
    Read full review
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