Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4

 PlayStation 2
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 943 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 713 out of 943
  2. Mixed: 44 out of 943
  3. Negative: 186 out of 943
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  1. Shimmeywill
    Feb 19, 2020
    5
    Great music and presentation doesn't overcome the average gameplay and mediocre writing.
  2. Ghost7100
    Nov 18, 2021
    10
    Persona 4 stands as one of the absolute best games ever made, Amazing novel experience, exceptional gameplay & storyline, the atmosphere is straight up the best I found in a PS2 game, the art design screams soul throughout the whole experience & the soundtrack is incredible, Persona 4 stands tall as one of the most memorable experiences ever.
  3. MercusMassacre
    Mar 23, 2020
    9
    A bit too light hearted for an SMT or Persona game, but it's fun none the less.
  4. BlackKanbaru
    Aug 3, 2020
    10
    Um dos melhores jogos que já joguei na vida, vale muito apena! Todos os personagens são muito carismáticos, e a historia prende muito fácil.
  5. tenforten
    May 1, 2020
    6
    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 The gameplay is basically the same as P3, showing little improvement for the series. Music/Sound: 2 There is a huge library of music and most of it    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
    The gameplay is basically the same as P3, showing little improvement for the series.

    Music/Sound: 2
    There is a huge library of music and most of it is very nice and the voice acting is definitely an improvement over the P3 games.

    Graphics & Visuals: 0
    While they aren't bad, the graphics were not improved over P3 at all which is a big problem as the graphics for the P3 games were not great. This game looks like it much, much older than it is.

    Story/World-building: 2
    The small town limits what you can do but plays perfectly into the characters and the story. The story, while a touch bloated with high-school slice-of-life crap, works well as a simple murder mystery.

    Characters: 1
    This cast you will either find boring and unlikeable or you will be sucked in like you are one of the gang. I found them unlikeable as they told eachother to accept their true selves while doing things like bullying their friend for questioning his sexuality. Many of the characters behaviors have aged terribly to the point where if this game gets remade post 2020 there will need to be some serious edits just to not cause a boycott.

    TOTAL: 6/10    … Expand
  6. H9Stalin
    May 15, 2020
    8
    Es un juego muy bueno, que se aleja del tópico del Jrpg común pues nos presenta una situación diferente e interesante.
    Pero el comienzo del juego es lenta y pausada para que pueda llegar a lo verdaderamente interesante aunque después mejora su apartado narrativo dándonos una historia más profunda con unos personajes increíbles cuyas interacciones son de lo mejor del videojuego.
    Persona 4    Es un juego muy bueno, que se aleja del tópico del Jrpg común pues nos presenta una situación diferente e interesante.
    Pero el comienzo del juego es lenta y pausada para que pueda llegar a lo verdaderamente interesante aunque después mejora su apartado narrativo dándonos una historia más profunda con unos personajes increíbles cuyas interacciones son de lo mejor del videojuego.
    Persona 4 es un buen Jrpg.    … Expand
  7. Clayton_
    Jun 27, 2020
    10
    It’s very good. The story is amazing, the characters are lovable, and it’s overall just a well-made game. Good stuff.
  8. grizzlymagnum
    Jan 3, 2021
    10
    The best JRPG ever made. Great storyline, soundtrack, gameplay and artstyle. And to top it off, great animated shows too.
  9. kolarz3
    Oct 6, 2021
    7
    Very nice game. I think the story is the biggest advantage of that game. The second one is interesting gameplay - fusing persona etc. Things which are not the best:
    * Lack of voiceover for most dialogs
    * Generic dungeons
  10. ItsBooker
    May 3, 2021
    10
    The Persona series is probably one of my all time favorite game series in a long time and Persona 4 was my first ever introduction to the series (play it back in 2018). I feel a lot of people should be introduced to the series through this game and it's even more accessible now than ever since it’s on PC. Now I'm going to tell you why Persona 4 is a Masterpiece.

    Now let's talk about the    The Persona series is probably one of my all time favorite game series in a long time and Persona 4 was my first ever introduction to the series (play it back in 2018). I feel a lot of people should be introduced to the series through this game and it's even more accessible now than ever since it’s on PC. Now I'm going to tell you why Persona 4 is a Masterpiece.

    Now let's talk about the story you play as the protagonist name (Whatever you want) and he moved to a small town recently with his uncle and cousin. Later on in the first half of the game you learn about the Shadow world inside the T.V. and the evil creatures known as Shadows. Of course the team doesn't think much about this at first until they realize it is linked to a bunch of people deaths in the town. So you and your new friends have to figure out who is causing the deaths in the town and how they are doing it. I gave you a very basic run down of the story with most of the big plot points being left out but if this seems interesting to you then you should check it out.

    Now to talk about the gameplay there are 2 components to this game that should be brought up. This game is a visual novel mixed with a turn based RPG. In the game you get to choose whether or not you spend time working on your social stats and your friends' relationship or go into the T.V. world to save the missing person and defeat shadows. Let's talk about the social aspect of the game first. In this game you get to spend life as a high school student which means typical high school things you can buy items to help you in the T.V. world, Work a part time job, Study, Go out to eat, and hang out with friends, During this segment you have this thing called Social stats there are 5 different social stats these are Courge, Knowledge, Expression, Understanding, and Diligence and all of these stats can be raised by doing part time jobs, doing certain task, hanging out with certain characters, and yes even fishing. Now this might not seem that important but they are very important for Social Links and Certain jobs you need to work at. Speaking of which lets talk about the Social links. Social links are this thing that represents the bond you have with your friends and going through this social could help you out during battle by giving your party members new attacks and abilities, Increase how much exp your persona fusions get, and even let you have discounts of a full hp and sp restorses. Not only that but the characters' stories are all very interesting (I recommend finishing Yosuke Social link even if you don't like him) but there's one last thing. You can romance almost all the girls in this game. It's completely optional and doesn’t change a thing to the gameplay, it's just for story purposes. Now onto the RPG aspect of the game. When you get the ability to enter the T.V. World through the Midnight Channel you get this amazing ability called a persona which represents your characters personality and of course since you character is almost a blank slate he can wield multiple personas this comes in handy because your character can become a healer, tank, mage, or a glass cannon depending on what persona you use. Now i'm going to get into a bit of story here but basically each of your party members have a shadow that look like them and this shadow sort of represents the hidden feelings that character wants to be hidden from the world and basically every character denies their shadow as being apart of them which lead to the boss fights of the game. Just a warning these bosses are super hard so look up a guide on how to beat them or start the game out on easy. Then there is how you obtain a persona. First there is the possibility of getting a shuffle time where a bunch of cards pop up and there are either one or two cards that have a persona on them and if you get the card with the persona on it you get to keep it. There is also the other option of fusion. Basically if you have way too many personas on you and you need to make room for stronger ones then you fuse your weaker persona together to get more powerful ones. Think of the RPG element as a more mature pokemon game. Although there are some gripes I have with the game first of if you die you have to go all the way back to your last save it could be really annoying when you have grinded a whole bunch of exp and then die and have to go all the way back it sucks but other then that the gameplay is great.

    Now some of my final thoughts on this game. This game has done a lot for me so I might be a bit biased but this game helped me out through a really dark time in my life and when the game was over I basically cried I really enjoyed this game and seeing this characters that have become my friends says goodbye is the most heart wrenching thing ever. Yes it might not be a perfect masterpiece but not everything is perfect and everything has flaws. Give Persona 4 a chance you won't regret it. Also the music is amazing. -Booker    … Expand
  11. TheQweast
    Mar 3, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really love the environments of this game and the whole midnight channel concept. The only shame is that the stakes are significantly lowered compared to its predecessor and the only time I found myself truly worried was the heaven part of the game when Nanako could be dying. I do love the characters they give off the small town vibe for sure and adachi just being an edgelord also is very fitting. Boss fights in this game are also just so nice.… Expand
  12. Envenenado
    Jul 11, 2023
    10
    Simplesmente o melhor jrpg de todos os tempos, eu nunca me apeguei tanto a personagens fictícios, recomendo esse jogo a todos que querem uma experiência marcante
  13. Dumbass555
    Aug 23, 2023
    4
    Although it is a very good game nice story and gameplay
    It is just too grindy
    Like when you play the game for 50 hours trying to level up you will only level up by 4 levels
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PS2 Game of 2008
1
#1 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2008
1
#1 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 47 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 47
  3. Negative: 0 out of 47
  1. RPG Fan
    94
    Among the cookie-cutter sequels and half-hearted remakes, Persona 4 is a near flawless example of the perfect balance between "falling back on what works" and "pushing the genre forward." That said, I wholeheartedly recommend it as one of the best RPG experiences of the year.
    Read full review
  2. Gamervision
    100
    An outstanding achievement in gaming. There’s no question that this is going to be one of my top games of the year, and any fan of JRPGs should be playing it when it’s released next week.
    Read full review
  3. 1UP
    100
    What really sets Persona 4 apart, though, is its endearing, relatable cast.
    Read full review
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