User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1064 Ratings

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  1. Dec 18, 2020
    10
    This game is just awesome, I would recommend it to everybody. Played this after P5
  2. Dec 15, 2020
    9
    One of the best RPG's I've played in years. Music is some of the best music in gaming I have ever heard. Combat is quite strategic. The dialogue is interesting and has benefits such as raising your stats. The game has a good balance between dialogue and combat even though there is much more dialogue. But considering it's a RPG what can you expect. The enemies are difficult and at timesOne of the best RPG's I've played in years. Music is some of the best music in gaming I have ever heard. Combat is quite strategic. The dialogue is interesting and has benefits such as raising your stats. The game has a good balance between dialogue and combat even though there is much more dialogue. But considering it's a RPG what can you expect. The enemies are difficult and at times frustrating but anyone can beat them if they try hard enough. And there is always the option to lower difficulty if need be. The story has a great mystery to it which I won't go into to avoid spoilers. The first few hours are a bit slow but it is worth it to continue the game if you're a fan of RPG's. Expand
  3. Dec 12, 2020
    8
    Good JRPG.
    Great anime.
    Boppin soundtrack. Some tracks get annoying real fast though. Dungeon sections are obnoxious as all hell. They just take up an inordinate amount of space between the life sim sequences. Unlike the life sim however, the dungeon crawling is a repetitive slog that can easily take 6+ hours for a single dungeon. The names of the skills are just random syllables
    Good JRPG.
    Great anime.
    Boppin soundtrack.
    Some tracks get annoying real fast though.
    Dungeon sections are obnoxious as all hell.
    They just take up an inordinate amount of space between the life sim sequences.
    Unlike the life sim however, the dungeon crawling is a repetitive slog that can easily take 6+ hours for a single dungeon.
    The names of the skills are just random syllables smashed together.
    Characters are really endearing.
    The plot is great when it doesn't involve obscure japanese mythology.
    Actual lessons in japanese mythology would have been interesting and relevant rather than knowing that Jack'o lanterns were made of turnips or the medical name for brainfreeze.
    You can see the twist coming but you don't fully get how it's gonna turn out and that's great.
    I imagine the game could be extremely frustrating if playing blind as **** up the good/gooder endings seems very easy.
    The original ending hits hard with its 4th wall breaking and the epilogue added by Golden just diminishes the impact of it.

    Very time consuming : 70+ hours WITH a guide (Do NOT play this game without one)
    Somewhat worthwile time investment.
    Be warned.
    Expand
  4. Dec 7, 2020
    9
    Aw man,I love this game.The one thing I have to admit, the gameplay sucks,it’s hard to enjoy 10 labyrinth floors for each palace.In the end it’s just getting annoying.But storytelling,a main cast is awesome.This game might be gorgeous,but still no match for P5R,at least for me.P4 have the best cast in a series though.
  5. Nov 25, 2020
    0
    It so good... and even though the 3d graphics are lame, the 2d drawing are really good, and the relationships with other npcs are truly great.
    to bad it had to end...
  6. Nov 20, 2020
    9
    I’m not someone who tends to play a lot of JRPGs, so I’m still very new to the Shin Megami Tensei series. I played Persona 5 on a whim not knowing what to expect or if I would even like it; but needless to say, I became a huge fan. Persona 4 Golden instantly hooked me from the get-go with its music, humor, story, friendships and relationships built, awesomely weird enemies andI’m not someone who tends to play a lot of JRPGs, so I’m still very new to the Shin Megami Tensei series. I played Persona 5 on a whim not knowing what to expect or if I would even like it; but needless to say, I became a huge fan. Persona 4 Golden instantly hooked me from the get-go with its music, humor, story, friendships and relationships built, awesomely weird enemies and bosses…..there’s just too much to list. This game is just absolutely stellar and I thoroughly enjoyed my experience playing it. If any of the earlier Persona games make their way onto Steam, I won’t even think twice about picking them up. Expand
  7. Nov 11, 2020
    9
    I just finished Persona 4 Golden and am writing this review to process how much I appreciated it as a work of literature more than as a game.

    The aspects that make Persona 4 a video game are definitely fun and engaging, but nothing mind blowing. The turn based battle system is as standard as it gets for a JRPG. Finding enemy weaknesses is definitely satisfying. I've read criticism of
    I just finished Persona 4 Golden and am writing this review to process how much I appreciated it as a work of literature more than as a game.

    The aspects that make Persona 4 a video game are definitely fun and engaging, but nothing mind blowing. The turn based battle system is as standard as it gets for a JRPG. Finding enemy weaknesses is definitely satisfying. I've read criticism of the game's randomly generated dungeons, but I honestly didn't think they were much of a weakness. I still had a lot of fun exploring the dungeons and actually appreciated how predictable they became.

    The story and especially character development is what makes this game such a work of art. The main detective story itself is really well done - it was suspenseful and definitely gives the player a lot of incentive to keep playing and finding out what is really going on with all the killings in town. There is also a huge theme of city life vs. rural life going on, and the developers of the game did such a masterful job of depicting the importance of relationships and growth of heart that is much more possible in a small knit community as opposed to a metropolis.

    I don't know if I can describe how much I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, but I'll try. This is my first Persona game, and the inter-relatedness of the social links, personas, and combat are such a good metaphor for how things are in actual life. The game really operates on the idea that we become stronger and better equipped to handle the dangers of life by strengthening our relationship with our friends and 'family', however it is defined. There is certainly strength in dealing with an issue alone, but it's almost never a sustainable endeavor. All of the characters that you develop social links with share intentions, secrets, plans, vulnerabilities, and their sense of personhood with you throughout the playthrough. Their growth and realizations throughout the game are unbelievably rich and deep. The amazing thing is that almost all of the dialogue is moving and convincing. I almost never felt that something that was expressed by the characters was lame or half-baked. I also have to give the developers credit for certain scattered moments of humor throughout the game. Some of the scenes involving food in this game are so hilarious.

    The music in this game is so good and definitely helps to hammer home the emotional impact of certain scenes. 'Reach Out To The Truth' - battle theme is such a classic, as well as many of the other tracks.

    There are a few things that I really didn't like about the game that kept it from being a 10/10 for me. First off, I feel like the game is unnecessarily hard, even on normal. There were a lot of times, especially early on, where I was going through the dungeon and got one-shotted by normal enemies. In this game, if your main character dies, it's over. Thankfully you can start over from the floor of the dungeon you're on, but it still can knock out a lot of progress. One boss in particular in the middle of the game was so infuriating that I had to lower the difficulty to beat it. I almost stopped playing the game because of this. Towards the latter half of the game, I did a better job of grinding so it was much easier, but I still felt this was a weakness.

    My second gripe with the game is its structure towards the end. There are multiple endings you can get, and this is definitely a game where your choices have SEVERE consequences. I guess choices in games are good, but I like games that are generally linear and structured so that you can easily reach the end. I made a mistake at some point and got one of the 'bad' endings, which left me annoyed. I did try again after doing some research and got the ending I wanted (it was worth the effort), but I really don't like that this game allows for game-breaking choices.

    Thirdly, I feel like the game also drags on for a bit longer than it needs to be. It's nothing too crazy but I feel like a portion of the game was a little unnecessary.

    All in all, i highly recommend Persona 4 Golden. It's definitely not just a great JRPG, but an experience that'll trigger feelings of nostalgia and reflection on the player's end for sure.
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  8. Oct 27, 2020
    9
    Been a while, really. Been a while since I played a game this good. Been a while since I've last sunken 70 hrs into a game in a single fortnight.

    I have a lot of feelings about this game, all of them strong. I heard about Persona a bit here and there before, but since they were Playstation locked, and my PS4 is 2k miles away for me right now, I had to wait for its PC release. I
    Been a while, really. Been a while since I played a game this good. Been a while since I've last sunken 70 hrs into a game in a single fortnight.

    I have a lot of feelings about this game, all of them strong. I heard about Persona a bit here and there before, but since they were Playstation locked, and my PS4 is 2k miles away for me right now, I had to wait for its PC release.

    I stumbled upon P4G on a steam sale, and now I wish I could've paid full price to support Atlus even more, make them bring P5R to PC faster.

    But enough gushing, let's get down to business:

    Pros:
    - THE WRITING. For the love of god this is how you write a mystery, how you write plot twists, how you write characters, how you write chemistry and humor. The characters are high-schoolers but they could have easily been adults without changing much of the themes handled. Mature, but not without their pinch of craziness because the game was made by people who know how to balance things out.
    The end of the game really felt like saying goodbye to a group of my own friends. Bravo.
    - Visuals. Now, this is a decade-old game. Technical mastery is not something I expected. But even then, the updated Inaba does the job. The dungeons are innovative in their art styles, the interface is also super stylized.
    - Personas. They're the core of the dungeon side of gameplay, and they're a fantastic core. They allow for such flexibility of builds, for some very creative uses of their skills, and they're cool. Izanagi FTW.
    -THE MUSIC. I'm a sucker for games that have a good soundtrack, and this one blows a lot of other soundtracks out of the water. You definitely feel the late 2000s-early 2010s vibe, and that's awesome. The max s link music makes me shiver, the dungeon battle osts get my blood pumping, Never More makes me choke on my own tears.
    And how could I not mention the opening? Catchy, rhythmic, perfect... Never skipped it once.
    - The slice of life aspect of the game is also perfectly mastered. The s links are well-thought-out, advance naturally, you can get a part-time job, you have to actually remember your courses to ace your exams... For 70 hrs, I was back in high school.
    - Choices that matter. Sometimes games offer choices, mostly they're just illusions (ain't that right, Horizon: Zero Dawn? Joking I still like you). Here, a bad choice can lead you to a bad ending. Simple. And good.

    Cons: Yes, there are a few.
    - While I loved the dungeons, their design sometimes felt lacking in both clarity and complexity if that makes sense.
    - For god's sake, implement an autosave feature. And that's because...
    - ...I crashed a few times after 1.5 hrs crawling through a dungeon. Having to redo an entire dungeon I *just* almost cleared because I forgot to exit and save (or just didn't have the time to do it) is not a good experience.

    9.5/10 GG EZ.
    One of my favorite games ever, and I'm probably about to plunge back in with a NG+ in order to fuse you-know-who as soon as I can.

    Best JRPG I ever played and I'm excited to play P5R Day One whenever it finally graces PC with its presence.

    Sega, Atlus?

    Thanks a lot. You made me fall back in love with video games.
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  9. Oct 13, 2020
    10
    Possibly the best JRPG of all time. The music, story, characters, and gameplay are all top-notch. You should definitely play this game.
  10. Sep 23, 2020
    0
    I have played hundreds of RPGs in my life (western and JRPGs), on consoles, handhelds, and PC. Simply put, Persona 4 Golden is one of the best games i have ever played. This game is truly one of the funniest things i have ever experienced. I cannot stand crappy humour or cringy humour. This game has non of that. It truly had be cracking up all the way to deep belly laughing consistently.I have played hundreds of RPGs in my life (western and JRPGs), on consoles, handhelds, and PC. Simply put, Persona 4 Golden is one of the best games i have ever played. This game is truly one of the funniest things i have ever experienced. I cannot stand crappy humour or cringy humour. This game has non of that. It truly had be cracking up all the way to deep belly laughing consistently.

    It has a bit of a slow start for those not accustomed to a Persona game (this was my first). You have to realize that the story and player with NPC interaction is the BEST part of this game. Combat is great, so are dungeons, but they arent not the main show. You will truly fall in love with the cast. The voice acting is superb, the best of any game i have ever played. Dialogue, superb, the best of any game i have ever played.

    There are some people who may not like the game, mainly those who have a hard time connecting with story. But really, if you enjoy JRPGs this is the absolute pinnacle of the genre. I am rating it 10/10, and it TRULY deserves this rating. I am not a fanboy, these are facts
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  11. Sep 14, 2020
    10
    Best RPG game I’ve ever played. The game crafted with incredible story, character, and soundtrack that will immerse your experience. There is no crash or random issue on current pc version. This game is very recommended for all veteran persona player or newbie player who wants to know about persona game. After all, this is very good game for cheap prices.
  12. Sep 12, 2020
    6
    When I watched the trailer it said this game had a 93 on metacritic however it actually has a 88 instead of a 93, I am pissed off at this fake marketing. However I appreciated the tasteful nudity in the game for story reasons. 5/10
  13. Sep 8, 2020
    8
    This game is very much worth the money, amazing story, gameplay, etc. The only complaint would be the voice acting for a few characters, they're either too exaggerated, or too unenthusiastic. Other than that this game is a solid 8/10.
  14. Sep 5, 2020
    10
    I have not felt a rush of emotions like this since Witcher 3 to be perfectly honestly, while the gameplay became rather dull towards that last 10-15% of the game it more than made up for it with its amazing atmosphere & character building. If you find yourself nostalgic over old Final Fantasy titles and have not yet played this then do yourself a favor and get it ASAP! P.S. Snowflakes isI have not felt a rush of emotions like this since Witcher 3 to be perfectly honestly, while the gameplay became rather dull towards that last 10-15% of the game it more than made up for it with its amazing atmosphere & character building. If you find yourself nostalgic over old Final Fantasy titles and have not yet played this then do yourself a favor and get it ASAP! P.S. Snowflakes is quite probably one of the all time most beautiful songs i've ever heard. Expand
  15. Aug 30, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is great. The story is very intriguing at the beginning, most of the characters are pretty likable and for the most part the game still holds up a decade later when the original came out years ago. But, there are some things that reeeeaaally don't hold up anymore with specific characters such as Teddie. He is ok at the beginning but quickly becomes the creepiest character and really takes away from the story because it's so random and completely unnecessary. Another character is Marie, who is basically the purpose of Golden adding extra content and a whole new dungeon and character to experience from the original one and she is SUPER UNINTERESTING. And you have to max her confidant to unlock January, otherwise it's just like the original. Every time I spent time to increase her social rank, I felt like I was grinding a story I didn't care about and I was skipping all of her dialogue because it's so dated and just tedious to sit through. She also has these poems that really don't amount to anything in my opinion. Yosuke is another character that's kinda unlikable but he has redeeming qualities sorta. After that it comes down to voice acting and the voice actor for Chie is so ridiculously cartoony it doesn't fit with anyone else in the game and it makes her very unlikable even though she's an interesting character for the most part, but in the end it's held up by the voice acting for her character. That's pretty much it for the characters, now the story. The story is consistently good to a point and that's in December. You have a big showdown and it's really crazy and lives are on the line and I was on the edge my seat for this. But after, you have a certain string of dialogue come up and you have to answer like 8 questions in this exact correct order, otherwise you don't get the TRUE ending of the game. It's almost a double edged sword where on one hand, I find that really unique and cool that you have to figure it out but on the other hand, it makes no sense for them to expect you to get that correct without looking it up. I didn't know that until I accidentally beat the game within 40 hours of a 60 hour game and it just ends with like no resolve and is pretty confusing. So I had to go back, look up the correct answers and I got to the true ending. But that took me another try because at the end when you say bye to LITERALLY EVERY CONFIDANT IN THE GAME, it somehow expects you to go back to Junes and randomly find out that you didn't actually kill the final boss and you'll have to do ANOTHER dungeon and fight ANOTHER FINAL BOSS. It's kind of ridiculous by the end on how much is just padding to a point and is kind of frustrating. But with all of those complaints, I still loved the game. The characters that are great really hold the game up such as Yukiko, Rise, Kanji, Naoto, Naoke, Ai, Daisuke and Kou. All of them really make this game special and super fun. Now to be fair I did play Persona 5: Royal and that was my introduction to Atlus games and I immediately got this to fill the scramble sized hole in my heart. And I think that's why I'm so "harsh" on this game because P5: Royal is so much better at literally everything but if it wasn't for the mistakes in this one then 5 wouldn't be so good I think. But overall, I still highly recommend this game to almost anyone honestly. Expand
  16. Aug 30, 2020
    10
    My 2nd fav game of all time. I highly recommend it if you like the slife of life + jrpg genre with a really interesting a well written story.
  17. Aug 29, 2020
    10
    great game, a game I can come back to multiple times and still enjoy played and finished on vita re-bought for PC to enjoy again
  18. Aug 28, 2020
    9
    First I would like to start off by saying that this port was perfect and from all the hours that I have on the game I only crashed once.It's functional and easy to use and play for PC which most companies somehow always **** it up but not this one.
    The game is great I enjoyed the interactions you can have with it's characters and the story is also pretty good with some great twists in
    First I would like to start off by saying that this port was perfect and from all the hours that I have on the game I only crashed once.It's functional and easy to use and play for PC which most companies somehow always **** it up but not this one.
    The game is great I enjoyed the interactions you can have with it's characters and the story is also pretty good with some great twists in the end.
    All of the characters personalities are fleshed out and when you interact with them you keep asking yourself why my friend's are so boring and wish I was in the game's group.
    Unfortunately this game is pretty old which will mean that the graphics are of course outdated as ****.
    The gameplay is an old style dungeon crawler and this is the one thing that i DESPISED about this game.It has the same issue as Caligula effect and that is that its annoying , boring and a total time waster of your time.
    The enemy designs are pretty cool and creative but unfortunately by the end of the game I was either escaping the encounters or trying to dodge them as much as possible due to the fact that it takes too long to fight some of them and the loading screen and attack animations can't be skipped and that just adds more time being wasted on dungeons that are so convoluted and hard to navigate at that the entire game becomes a long ass chore. I literally had to make up plans on my calendar of when I will have enough time to do a dungeon since it takes around 1-2 hours depending entirely if you get lucky and find the next floor door fast.You can't pause inside dungeons which means that one **** up can ruin your entire run and I just couldn't be bothered to waste more time running around like a jackass.
    The game's story and characters are great and it made me fall in love with the entire Persona franchise but unfortunately the gameplay is tedious and boring as hell.
    I will also suggest watching both Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden the animation since there are a lot of cool things added that you can't find in the game.
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  19. Aug 20, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I didn't played Persona games after trying Persona 3 Portable ( I still have nightmares with tartarus ). Now when game came out on pc (never had PS Vita) I decided to give it a try and I loved it. No
    one super long palace but few with more interesting layout. Characters are also more fell like real persons (its not a pun) . If I would choose between P3 team and P4 team P4 team win 's. And even if controls on keyboard aren't best game in itself is still great.
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  20. Aug 19, 2020
    10
    I picked this up as soon as it came out, and then after 139 hours of doing the story twice, I feel great! If you're thinking about P4G, you need to get it. 10/10 easily.
    + fantastic characters
    + top tier music
    + addictive combat and dungeons
    + challenging endgame
  21. Aug 17, 2020
    5
    Archaic and repetitive but if you are a connoisseur of JRPGs you would probably find it fun.
  22. Aug 13, 2020
    10
    The best persona game are now available on PC, if you're interested in the series just get it now and thank me later :)
  23. Aug 12, 2020
    10
    The best persona game ever release way better than the new release persona 5
  24. Aug 11, 2020
    10
    Great mistery game, the story is interesting, the characters are loveable and it's, generally, a really great game
  25. Aug 11, 2020
    8
    This is an amazing game, fun comat, dungeons are fun to explore if a bit repetitive as the simple layouts really don't hold a candle to the set piece and puzzle design of persona 5's palaces but they do their job as gauntlets akin to something in mystery dungeon well enough to be fun. The story and characters are mostly great, although there are some issues with one annoying characters andThis is an amazing game, fun comat, dungeons are fun to explore if a bit repetitive as the simple layouts really don't hold a candle to the set piece and puzzle design of persona 5's palaces but they do their job as gauntlets akin to something in mystery dungeon well enough to be fun. The story and characters are mostly great, although there are some issues with one annoying characters and a recurring issue of attempting to write a character about one societal issue the writer end up creating scenes that come off as homophobic and transphobic so can be hard to sit through (although are short enough and rare enough to not be a huge detractor). The biggest issue is a fault of this port specifically, the special anime cutscenes run HORRIBLY. I may not have exactly the most powerful pc ever or anything but the anime cutscenes suffer from ridiculous stuttering running at about 0.5 fps which is just shocking for an upres of a vita game! The cutscenes are few and far between, being most common near the start and end of the game, but if this may shatter your immersion or be a general deal breaker I wont blame you for trying to find a different version of this game to play, even if this is by far the most readily available. Expand
  26. Aug 10, 2020
    8
    After more than 80 hours of play, Persona 4 Golden left me a very complete mystery story with very memorable characters and situations.

    Pros: -Very good development of characters and situations that make you become attached to them. The Persona 4 team is more endearing and has more group development than Persona 5. -Even with the cliches of a Japanese game, Persona 4 is a game with a
    After more than 80 hours of play, Persona 4 Golden left me a very complete mystery story with very memorable characters and situations.

    Pros:
    -Very good development of characters and situations that make you become attached to them. The Persona 4 team is more endearing and has more group development than Persona 5.
    -Even with the cliches of a Japanese game, Persona 4 is a game with a lot of Personality: both in its colorful visual style and in its soundtrack.
    -Fusing Personas is very entertaining.
    -Port very well optimized.

    Cons:
    Procedurally generated dungeons become tedious the fourth or fifth time, easily the weakest parts of the game
    -Teddie is **** Lol. It is overused as a comedic character, although it is still enjoyable due to the funny nature of the situations...
    -Some japanese cliches (like a pop idol falling in love with you for example) , I'm not a big fan of that personally
    -The start is very traditional, the game takes some time before gaining strength.

    Recommended 8/10
    I hope to see more Atlus games for PC
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  27. Jul 29, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So while the graphics haven't aged well, the story, characters, the overall tone of the game and the vibes have not changed at all. I bought this on the vita when it came out and again on PC since my poor Vita died (broke).

    The story follows the protagonist and his friends who dive into the rumored midnight channel, where victims who appear on the midnight channel are murdered when they appear. That's the basic as to what I can give about the story without spoilers, but believe me, the story has some interesting twist and turns in the plot and its characters depth.

    Game-play wise, you play as a high school student where you take part in classes and activities which further your "stats" -including your courage, knowledge, diligence, understanding and expression - which contribute to dialogue options when you interact with others. There's also the social link aspect where you hang out with a particular character and unlock better fusions when fusing personas as well as learning about that characters struggles and how they grow as you hang out with them.

    The game is most rewarding when you replay it on New Game + since some Social Links require you to have a certain status within your stats, but spending another 60 + hours on New Game + is very rewarding when you unlock better fusions and abilities.

    I give this game a 9/10. The graphics haven't aged well, but the story is still the same and the character are just as fun and interesting as ever.
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  28. Jul 27, 2020
    9
    Graphics 7/10
    Soundtrack 9/10
    Gameplay 10/10
    Animations 8/10
    Characters 8/10
    Best JRPGs
  29. Jul 20, 2020
    10
    You get very emotional to the end of the game due to the genuine bonds you forged with your
    countryside friends and then leaving them behind.
    The Original Soundtrack alone warrants a purchase, just leaving "Snowflake" and "Heaven" here.
    Play it
  30. Jul 20, 2020
    10
    A great port of a masterpiece! Keep them coming and I shall reveal my money at you again.
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 29
  2. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Sep 15, 2020
    90
    It’s a strong showing that is genuinely fun to return to, even if I think certain characters’ stories deserved better representation and development. I’m glad a whole new audience will get to visit Inaba.
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Sep 3, 2020
    80
    By the end of the game, Inaba will feel like home to you. [Issue#247, p.50]
  3. Jul 14, 2020
    90
    Persona 4 Golden was largely considered one of the PlayStation Vita’s must-play titles and for good reason. Inaba’s small-town feel, the fantastic cast, incredibly personable dialogue, excellent audio, and strong gameplay combine to make the game a superb all-around experience. Though there are no distinct advantages of playing this version over the Vita one, its release on PC should be rightfully celebrated for giving a whole new set of RPGamers the chance to play a game that resonates just as strongly now as it first did.