Persona 4 Arena

 PlayStation 3
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 380 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 198 out of 380
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 380
  3. Negative: 159 out of 380
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  1. Kai82
    May 28, 2022
    7
    A strange decision to continue the story of a RPG in a fighting game. It is as far as I can see competently made and they put a lot of effort into the game. However I was mostly here for the story and a bit out of curiosity. The game itself is a continuation from Persona 4 and Persona 3. You should definitely know these games aka the stories as you will get lost really fast otherwise. ItA strange decision to continue the story of a RPG in a fighting game. It is as far as I can see competently made and they put a lot of effort into the game. However I was mostly here for the story and a bit out of curiosity. The game itself is a continuation from Persona 4 and Persona 3. You should definitely know these games aka the stories as you will get lost really fast otherwise. It starts when the protagonist of Persona 4 Yu returns to Inaba to visit his friends. Shockingly when he and some of his friend meet the Midnight Channel that should be gone reappears and a fighting tournament is announced by one of their friends that is not present. They want to investigate this in the TV world which is a manifestation of human subconscious / mind (Without Persona 4 knowledge you are lost and it should look strange). Meanwhile the characters from Persona 3 are now part of an organization that deals with issues related to the subconscious world and are in the area investigating a missing anti Shadow weapon (Again without Persona 3 knowledge you are a bit lost). With this the story starts. I like the story and characters. The twists and reveals are nice and overall I was satisfied. However there are weaknesses. A mayor twist can be spotted from miles away, it feels a bit forced sometimes and the story is told in character chapters. You have to unlock additional chapters to continue the story and / or see other perspectives. The gameplay is O.K for me. Fighting games / beat em ups are not my favorite genre. I am familiar with Street Fighter, Tekken and Mortal Kombat but not as much to be anywhere near expert knowledge. They managed to give the Persona feeling without a doubt. The characters, move sets, Personas and areas are familiar and enjoyable. What should I say you have basic attacks, special moves, a SP gauge for devastating attacks etc. The characters are different and have their unique moves. For me it has depth and works well. I repeat take this with a grain of salt as I am no expert in the genre. I will however point out that some characters are better or easier to use. Maybe a balance issue or just my lack to use these efficiently. As other point out the same I lean more towards the issues. The presentation is top notch and they nail the visuals and style of Persona 4/3. The soundtrack and voice actors are excellent and enhance the atmosphere. Overall while it was a nice game I dislike the fighting game approach. It is not that great while I will defend that it is well made. A 7/10 is fair.… Expand
  2. Antonyy
    May 3, 2022
    10
    I love this game soo much! Persona 4 Series really has changed my life, and I feel very grateful for that.
  3. DarkFireUmad
    Aug 17, 2020
    8
    ¿Me he empezado un juego de lucha por su historia? Me he empezado un juego de lucha por su historia. La verdad es que el gameplay me la suda bastante, pero como secuela y crossover de Persona 4 con los personajes del 3, está bien. Labrys mola bastante.
  4. ElCaptain
    Jul 19, 2020
    8
    Outstanding gameplay, excellent art and graphics and oozing with that P4 personality
  5. Fightingchances
    May 4, 2020
    5
    You’ll love it if you love persona and don’t play fighting games much, but if you actually like fighting games this is pretty broken and you’ll be annoyed with the campaigns long cutscenes.
  6. tenforten
    May 1, 2020
    7
    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: 0 For a fighting game, the game play is very broken with some character being gods or having spam-able abilities while others are near-useless.    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: 0
    For a fighting game, the game play is very broken with some character being gods or having spam-able abilities while others are near-useless.

    Music/Sound: 1
    The music has some new tracks that aren't terrible memorable and some tracks from P4. None of the sound effects are too annoying or amazing.

    Graphics & Visuals: 2
    The graphics are a fun mix of drawn images for backgrounds and pixel art that keeps the artstyle from becoming dated with time.

    Story/World-building: 2
    Oddly enough, this is the strongest part of the game. The use of adding details from P3 and interrogating them with P4's setting works wonders expanding the world and creating a story that is appropriate for the series.

    Characters: 2
    It is mostly existing characters, but the new ones are stronger than you'd expect for a spin-off.

    TOTAL: 7/10    … Expand
  7. DanHazy
    Feb 27, 2016
    7
    I will tell my 3 favorite games so you will know what type of gamer is writing this review.

    Atelier Totori  Danganronpa Fire Emblem  (You should know this review is of the story mode only.) THE GOOD: VOICE ACTING: Great voice acting, voice acted about 80 percent of the time.  MUSIC: Great music, from piano melodies to heavy guitar riffs.  CHARACTER CAST: Great    I will tell my 3 favorite games so you will know what type of gamer is writing this review.

    Atelier Totori 
    Danganronpa
    Fire Emblem 

    (You should know this review is of the story mode only.)

    THE GOOD:

    VOICE ACTING: Great voice acting, voice acted about 80 percent of the time. 

    MUSIC: Great music, from piano melodies to heavy guitar riffs. 

    CHARACTER CAST: Great characters and character interaction.

    GRAPHICS: Game has a great look in my opinion. My brother said he couldnt get past the fish lips though. He meant when the characters talk, the way thier mouths moved up and down very quickly looked like a fish in some way.This didnt bother me because i hardly ever looked at the mouths of the characters. When they talk, you will most likely be reading along with the text so i dont think this will be an issue for too many people. It was worth mentioning though. 

    GAMEPLAY TIME: Long story mode for a fighting game. Over 20 hours. A lot of this time is spent reading. About 85 percent reading and 15 percent battles. Definently more of a visual novel then anything else if you are playing in story mode. This wasn't really a bad thing though. The story is written well enough to keep you rather intrigued. 

    THE BAD:

    Watching the same scenes over and over with another persons outlook got old. You will do this often. 

    Gameplay is drab. I won every fight with the same combo. If you and your opponent are running to each other, you will always get your combo in before them. Its the way the ai is programmed. I won every fight by just running up to the opponent and pressing square multiple times. Difficulty could have been amped up I believe but i didnt see the need as i dont particuraly care for fighting games anyway. Played this one mostly for the story. 

    Another slight complaint is the way you have to read the people thoughts in each character storyline. They are not voiced and the dialogue is shown in bright white letters with a bright background. Found myself squinting my eyes just to read this.You should definently take a break from this game every hour or so in my opinion. Just to let your eyes rest. I did try adjusting the brightness on my tv but it didn't help much. 

    I would reccomend this game to a persona fan who wanted to keep in the know with the story but if you dont particulary care, I might pass. You should know that this game can be bought for under a 20 dollar price tag though. 

    That wraps this review up.Hope it helps someone. Just in case you didn't catch this, Persona Ultimax is a sequel to Persona Arena and not a remake.     … Expand
  8. habibitheimpale
    Jun 23, 2015
    0
    persona 4 arena is a very bad excuse for a fighting game. the only way anyone could get any enjoyment out of this game is if they are weaboo trash like Daniel mills. ****
  9. Sploolordcam
    Sep 19, 2014
    8
    Persona 4 Arena brings the fighting game production skill of Arc System Works together with the publisher Atlus to bring out a strong entry in the 2d fighting genre. This game has been featured at the most recent EVO in 2013 which can attest to its viability for competitive play. The gameplay itself feels extremely smooth and the large amount of unique skills per character allow for aPersona 4 Arena brings the fighting game production skill of Arc System Works together with the publisher Atlus to bring out a strong entry in the 2d fighting genre. This game has been featured at the most recent EVO in 2013 which can attest to its viability for competitive play. The gameplay itself feels extremely smooth and the large amount of unique skills per character allow for a varied landscape of play. An auto-combo system is included for newer players to the fighting genre which can be a downside for some, but a player who knows their combos will always outshine one button mashing. The story mode is true to the style of the Persona series and is able to follow the canon without leaving plot-holes quite skillfully. The story mode is extremely text heavy, and surprisingly long for a fighting game. There are routes for all playable characters. This is both a blessing and a curse, as learning characters through story mode is nice, but there is extreme overlap in lines of dialogue and scenarios regardless of what character you're playing. Overall Persona 4 Arena is an extremely solid Persona game, as well as a fighter which can stand on its own merits. Overall I rate this game an 8/10 for shining above my expectations for a fighting game adapted from a jRPG.… Expand
  10. TheZebra
    Sep 6, 2014
    9
    As a fan of the Persona series, I was originally highly worried that Arena would be a "cash in" title. I can safely say that after purchasing the game, those worries have been put to rest. Fighting game fans will be pleased to know that the gameplay has been handled well by Arc. Controls are for the most part smooth, with beautifully done animations. Mechanics work differently for eachAs a fan of the Persona series, I was originally highly worried that Arena would be a "cash in" title. I can safely say that after purchasing the game, those worries have been put to rest. Fighting game fans will be pleased to know that the gameplay has been handled well by Arc. Controls are for the most part smooth, with beautifully done animations. Mechanics work differently for each character, utilizing some of their most common moves from the RPG. However, the core actions remain similar across the board, allowing for a player to learn the basics of playing a new character fairly quickly.

    In terms of the story, it adds on to the excellent world created by Atlus in Persona 4, with additional characters and story elements from Persona 3 thrown in for good measure.

    Persona 4 Arena definitely earns a solid recommendation from me, and I would highly recommend a purchase if you are in the US or Canada (the game is sadly region locked. Fortunately the sequel, Persona Arena Ultimax, will be region free.)    … Expand
  11. Banlu
    Jan 16, 2014
    0
    Bought with legally earned dollars, can't play because of region locked, (even though it's the year 2014) can't get refund even though it's digitally purchased, can't even find any physical copy.

    The game store's page doesn't tell me about any of this region lock stuffs

    This game is a scam.
  12. i_liek_gamez
    Nov 3, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The opening to this gaime is amazing. It goes "Persona 4 Arena bwee bna bee bna" The combat mechanics are very good. So very good overall. 10 kudos! Ye… Expand
  13. boshi
    Oct 20, 2013
    10
    it's just as good as persona 4, in it's own way. there is a story mode, which involve a lot of reading through dialogue, as well as your character's thoughts. it takes place two months after the true ending in persona 4 and is very well done. the game-play itself is also very good. it's simple to understand the basics, but difficult to master it there is also an arcade mode, which is ait's just as good as persona 4, in it's own way. there is a story mode, which involve a lot of reading through dialogue, as well as your character's thoughts. it takes place two months after the true ending in persona 4 and is very well done. the game-play itself is also very good. it's simple to understand the basics, but difficult to master it there is also an arcade mode, which is a shorter version of story mode, online battling, a score attack mode in which the a.i. difficulty shoots up past 'hell' difficulty, and 390 total combo challenges between all the characters.… Expand
  14. ERB
    Aug 2, 2013
    9
    Probably one of the best fighting games.Game play is good and It is fun playing this game.
  15. lisq199
    Jul 7, 2013
    8
    It's one of my favorite fighting games.
    The fighting mechanics are decent. The graphics are superb, and controls are great and simple.
    The story mode is actually very intriguing, and I didn't expect that in a fighting game. I give it an 8 in stead of 10 for 2 reasons: 1. It is region locked. It's not a big deal for me, but it is for a fairly large group of people. 2. The game can only    It's one of my favorite fighting games.
    The fighting mechanics are decent. The graphics are superb, and controls are great and simple.
    The story mode is actually very intriguing, and I didn't expect that in a fighting game.
    I give it an 8 in stead of 10 for 2 reasons:
    1. It is region locked. It's not a big deal for me, but it is for a fairly large group of people.
    2. The game can only be really appreciated if you have played Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden. Otherwise, it's just another decent fighting game.    … Expand
  16. FinPete82
    May 15, 2013
    9
    Classic 2d fighting with lots of speed and depth, love it! There's mode for beginners with automatic combos, but pros wont use this kind of help. Story mode is deep, graphical novel and takes your time about 10 hours. Net-code is pretty decent, but not as good as ssfivae. Challenge mode is classic nightmare, at least for me, but its rewarding at the same time.
  17. Westwell90
    May 14, 2013
    8
    I own P4G so i had to get this game, i dont play fighting games but its great i havnt put it down even thought its tough especially online. A must own for fighting/persona fans
    And who in the right mind reviews a game on region lock i really dont understand that
  18. GentlemanGamer
    Jan 14, 2013
    10
    To all those who are giving this gamer a bad review, stop giving bad scores because of the region lock! People who are wanting to give this game a try will get the wrong impression of game quality because of your complaints. Yes, I concur that it sucks, its unprecedented and just not right... but tell the company that! Don't deter potential players from the game, please and thank you. ITo all those who are giving this gamer a bad review, stop giving bad scores because of the region lock! People who are wanting to give this game a try will get the wrong impression of game quality because of your complaints. Yes, I concur that it sucks, its unprecedented and just not right... but tell the company that! Don't deter potential players from the game, please and thank you. I mean no offense to all of you- it's just something that personally bugged me.… Expand
  19. darkdreamerx
    Nov 29, 2012
    9
    This game is awesome! Great graphics and the soundtrack is superb. Fighting system is intuitive enough for beginners, but also difficult enough for experience players to put in some serious combos. Shame about the region lock, but thats why you should do your research on a game before buying it!
  20. Kanazawa
    Nov 15, 2012
    8
    I normally hate fighting games like this, but I found this one oddly entertaining. The story was surprisingly pretty good and was a great follow up to Persona 4. This was the first fighting game I've found to be fun at all, good job Atlus.
  21. Misreckon
    Oct 27, 2012
    9
    This fun-to-play fighting game is backed by a beautifully catchy score and incredibly balanced characters. A must-play for any fighting game or Persona fans.
  22. Skycrimson
    Oct 24, 2012
    0
    Persona 4 is a highly touted fighting game of 2012. However, it is overrated and failed to deliver a great experience. The action is way too flashy and you really can not even see what you are exactly doing.
  23. Liberi_Fatali
    Oct 15, 2012
    10
    Atlus always making gold of what they touch.
    This game is amazing, not only the fighting but also the story that tells you what happened after Yu Narukami left Inaba.
    Is a great title if you want a guilty gear/blazblue fighting style game and a great title for gamers like me who love Persona 4 and want to know what happened next.
    Great graphics
    Great story
    Great soundtrack
    Great gameplay
  24. Jotamide
    Oct 8, 2012
    10
    This is the first fighting game I've picked on day 1 and the first Persona game I've ever played. As a newcomer to both worlds I can say that P4A is incredibly accessible and at the same time packs a ton of content to keep you hooked for weeks.

    I've been playing it since it came out and between the story and arcade modes, challenges, score attack, and incredibly smooth netplay, I    This is the first fighting game I've picked on day 1 and the first Persona game I've ever played. As a newcomer to both worlds I can say that P4A is incredibly accessible and at the same time packs a ton of content to keep you hooked for weeks.

    I've been playing it since it came out and between the story and arcade modes, challenges, score attack, and incredibly smooth netplay, I haven't had the chance to bother with any other games. My GOTY 2012.    … Expand
  25. VidsRule
    Sep 27, 2012
    3
    This is terrible. Maybe I should never play another anime inspired fighting game, because between this and the terrible Skullgirls, I've lost faith. Although I love Blazblue so go figure. Small chars, slow gameplay, it takes me all day just to get to the other end of the screen. Stupid persona concept (again, similar to the terrible Skullgirls), and stupid visuals. I'm so glad my gamestoreThis is terrible. Maybe I should never play another anime inspired fighting game, because between this and the terrible Skullgirls, I've lost faith. Although I love Blazblue so go figure. Small chars, slow gameplay, it takes me all day just to get to the other end of the screen. Stupid persona concept (again, similar to the terrible Skullgirls), and stupid visuals. I'm so glad my gamestore let me take this back. The developers of this and Skullgirls should get together and rewrite their resumes (leaving these games out of course), and then try to get on a team that actually knows how to put an ounce of fun into their fighting games.… Expand
  26. Seiryuu
    Sep 5, 2012
    0
    This is the first PS3 game with region locking, a terrible precedent and one that was not announced in the 20 or so fluff emails about the game. Nothing beats getting a game and then getting an error you didn't even know existed.

    On top of that, the game is rather weak. P4Arena is a solid pass.
  27. JPoppaWUSC
    Aug 29, 2012
    10
    I was already a huge fan of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue from Arc System Works, and the Persona/SMT games are my favorite RPG franchise now that Final Fantasy has reduced itself to constant SUCK. But when I heard that Atlus was teaming with Arc to make a Persona fighting game, I could hardly believe it. Atlus is no stranger to trying weird things with its franchises (see: Catherine), butI was already a huge fan of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue from Arc System Works, and the Persona/SMT games are my favorite RPG franchise now that Final Fantasy has reduced itself to constant SUCK. But when I heard that Atlus was teaming with Arc to make a Persona fighting game, I could hardly believe it. Atlus is no stranger to trying weird things with its franchises (see: Catherine), but even after its release, I have a difficult time believing it exists. First things first, please ignore the importers that spammed this section with low scores because of Atlus' region lock, as they went out of their way to make gamers aware of this decision long before its release in Japan. Only a few weeks separated the Japanese and American releases, both included dual language capability, and the solid-as-a-rock multiplayer netcode for region-specific servers all led to the decision, and ultimately Atlus' fans have supported it as having our best interests at heart. Anyway, as for the game itself, I have been blown away by the quality of the whole thing. In combining an RPG with a fighting game, you might expect Arc and Atlus to dumb it down to the lowest common denominator for both genres. Instead, it feels like Arc saw this as an opportunity to expand on the things it learned from GG and BB, while Atlus didn't shy away from including Persona's signature social elements, extensive story, mature themes, and excellent voice acting. Yes, Arc managed to implement some entry-level mechanics like autocombos and common counters to make the game accessible to all player types, but it also included instant blocks, breaks, cancels, SP meters, and a variety of other deep mechanics that rival the best tournament-level fighters (SSFIV, UMvC3, etc.). The inclusion of Persona's status ailments was also a pleasant surprise, since it deepens both the tactical aspects of combat and the aesthetic connection to the Persona series. This is canonized material that serves as a sequel to both Persona 4 and, by proxy and inclusion of four particular characters, Persona 3. Even the end boss is a Kirijo Group android directly related to Aigis and other P3/P4 events, and since we already know that Aigis shows up in P5, Arena may serves as a light story bridge into that game as well. Also, I think it's worth noting that the Personas themselves [in Arena] were brilliantly implemented. You can alter color combinations between the human user and their Persona, allowing 64 different combinations for each character pairing. Using them in battle feels like the best parts of MvC's tag/assist system mixed with Vanguard Princess's support character mechanic, though Arena feels more advanced than both in certain ways. Even special moves are named after SP skills in Persona, ranging from Agidyne and Zionga to Megidolaon and Myriad Arrows. Guilty Gear's dust attacks have been repurposed as All Out Attacks from P3/4, and Persona users can enter an Awakened state to have a fighting chance once their health drops below 35%. Furthermore, Guilty Gear's instant kills have returned, but in a much less cheap manner, requiring certain conditions to be met before executed. BlazBlue's beginner and advanced combat modes have been blended so players always have a fallback autocombo if they get lost, but these combos are, of course, very predictable to seasoned players and not terribly effective as a button-mashing technique in the long run. That means first-time players will find the game "easy to play but hard to master", while veterans will be able to form their own refined play styles with each character and focus on technical things like frame count and recovery time. Persona 4 Arena also includes [arguably] the best soundtrack, the best 2D animation, and the best story of ANY fighting game to date, not to mention a wide variety of loveable characters that far eclipse the more formulaic BB roster or the tired SF and MK line-ups. This game is definitely worth the purchase, it will soon be a rarity along with other Atlus/Arc products, and with DLC and solid network modes to keep you interested for a long time, it may satisfy you more than other recent efforts, especially the disappointments from Capcom of late. No matter whether you like RPGs, fighting games, or just gaming in general, P4A offers enough unique content that you shouldn't pass it by. Calling it a simple fighting game would be like calling Catherine a simple puzzle game. Don't judge it just on its genre.… Expand
  28. RUST
    Aug 28, 2012
    8
    I just love Persona and as such I love any reason to revisit the wonderful cast of the games, particularly the latest two additions. While it's not another Persona game, it's an example of a spin off done right. Loyal to the subject matter and interesting in it's own light. Solid fighting mechanics with memorable characters, a no thrills sort of affair that leaves you satisfied and contentI just love Persona and as such I love any reason to revisit the wonderful cast of the games, particularly the latest two additions. While it's not another Persona game, it's an example of a spin off done right. Loyal to the subject matter and interesting in it's own light. Solid fighting mechanics with memorable characters, a no thrills sort of affair that leaves you satisfied and content in the end.… Expand
  29. pyrominsoo
    Aug 20, 2012
    0
    Thanks a lot, Atlus, for region lock. As a traveler I bought my PS3 overseas and you wasted my money with this unprecedented stunt. I couldn't expect it because PS3 titles are never region-locked, and you screwed your faithful customer big time. Good job!
  30. Ramen_King
    Aug 17, 2012
    5
    10/10 for the game. Excellent fighter, arguably the best Arc System Works game since BlazBlue.

    Bu, unfortunately, 1/10 for the region lock. Unless you read niche gaming blocks, you may not be aware this game contains a lockout preventing PS3s from outside of the USA and Canada from reading the disc. As I have the FFXIII limited edition PS3 from Japan, I cannot play the game. I    10/10 for the game. Excellent fighter, arguably the best Arc System Works game since BlazBlue.

    Bu, unfortunately, 1/10 for the region lock.

    Unless you read niche gaming blocks, you may not be aware this game contains a lockout preventing PS3s from outside of the USA and Canada from reading the disc.

    As I have the FFXIII limited edition PS3 from Japan, I cannot play the game. I bought it completely unaware of this, and now am stuck with a $60 coaster. After googling the issue I found information on it, but now it is too late. I will have to purchase a Japanese copy of the game to play it.

    If you have a USA PS3, I highly recommend this game as it is amazing, but if your console is imported be aware you will have to buy the version that matches your region or it will not work.

    Atlus, in the future if you must region lock again, please print a warning sticker or something to prevent unaware buyers from purchasing the game. Nothing sucks more than playing $60 to be stuck with a coaster.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PS3 Game of 2012
47
#47 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012
50
#50 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 47 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 47
  3. Negative: 0 out of 47
  1. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Sep 4, 2013
    86
    Fans of the series will rejoice, but newcomers who never tuned in unto the Midnight Channel may be overwhelmed by the walls of text developer Arc Systems throws at the player. Luckily for them, there is still an arcade mode to enjoy. [June 2013, p.78]
  2. Everyeye.it
    Jul 30, 2013
    85
    Persona 4: Arena is a great fighting game, able to conquer without much difficulty the hearts of the genre lovers.
    Read full review
  3. SpazioGames
    Jul 2, 2013
    85
    It takes a lot from Blazblue's combat system, but remains a great game in its own right, due to some brilliant mechanics and a balanced and varied roster.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »