Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

 PSP
  • Publisher: Atlus
  • Release Date: Sep 22, 2009
User Score
4.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 262 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 92 out of 262
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 262
  3. Negative: 145 out of 262

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. SteveM
    Sep 25, 2009
    10
    Buy this game. Period. Random battles are a good thing. Especially when the battles are this damn interesting. The choices you are provided in battle are extremely diverse. Honestly, this game holds up today because no one has copied this formula since this game was released 13 years ago, which is insane because the battle system is so satisfying. Graphics are dated, but you quickly get Buy this game. Period. Random battles are a good thing. Especially when the battles are this damn interesting. The choices you are provided in battle are extremely diverse. Honestly, this game holds up today because no one has copied this formula since this game was released 13 years ago, which is insane because the battle system is so satisfying. Graphics are dated, but you quickly get used to them and they do the job. And the story is excellent...sure, it can be glanced at and dismissed as a semi-standard tale (though not really; it really is pretty damn original), but the details are so wacky and unique that it makes it fresh...once again, 13 years later. Don't listen to critics condemning this as an archaic RPG. This game was ahead of the (current) curve in 1996. It may not have all the bells and whistles of current RPG's, but it's got heart, and a lot of it. And perfect music. Really great music. Go for it! I've never posted a review on Metacritic and simultaneously been more sure of my recommendation.… Expand
  2. tenacious_K
    Oct 24, 2019
    4
    I want to like this game, I really do, but after a few hours I had to put the PSP down and ask myself "how is this the first installment of one of my favorite gaming franchises?" I love the newer entries of the Persona franchise (and especially like that the company has the confidence to now just call it Persona in the west), and this just isn't what I was expecting. To put things intoI want to like this game, I really do, but after a few hours I had to put the PSP down and ask myself "how is this the first installment of one of my favorite gaming franchises?" I love the newer entries of the Persona franchise (and especially like that the company has the confidence to now just call it Persona in the west), and this just isn't what I was expecting. To put things into perspective, I got introduced to Persona with the third installment, and played through the fourth installment right before picking this up. To my surprise there was little to no connection between this and the later entries I've played (save for the usage of "personas" by the characters) making me immediately adjust my expectations. I don't want to compare this too much to the later entries of the series and that would be unfair, and this is a review of just this game and not the franchise so I'll try my hardest not to do so from here out. That being said the first thing one my notice about this game is its age. When this was originally released in 1996 the first person view was probably a novel idea at the time, however today it feels uninspired and at times confusing because everything in the hallways look the same. Further more the battle system just feels dated, now I can play a game with a slow moving text based battle system any day (I frequently play Dragon Quest 3 on my phone when bored) but this one just doesn't feel fun, as a matter of fact that best describes this game, it's not fun. The characters just don't interest me and I play the game to progress the story but when the story kicks in I want to go back to playing the game because it's at least a little less boring. I know some consider this a classic but I just don't get it, maybe it's me but I can't bring myself to even give this a 5 as some may see it as a light recommend, try this game and go through the same life draining wast of time I did.… Expand
  3. TheRebel
    Oct 19, 2014
    7
    Story:
    The Persona series is well known for its creative storylines, and Persona PSP is no exception. The main character(you), and his friends play the "Persona" game at school, until a strange occurrence disturbs them. Their world is subsequently attacked by creatures from another world.
    Gameplay: Persona is a turn-based jrpg, with elements of a dungeon crawler. I want to begin by    Story:
    The Persona series is well known for its creative storylines, and Persona PSP is no exception. The main character(you), and his friends play the "Persona" game at school, until a strange occurrence disturbs them. Their world is subsequently attacked by creatures from another world.

    Gameplay:
    Persona is a turn-based jrpg, with elements of a dungeon crawler. I want to begin by stating this: You WILL eventually become annoyed of the random encounters. The encounters interrupt the flow of the storyline and could potentially ruin your overall enjoyment of the game, depending on how patient you are. As an example, imagine playing Pokemon with an unlimited amount of tall grass in every inch of the game. That is how Persona's random encounters work. Thankfully, the gameplay is very solid. You and 4 other characters battle against the creatures using your Personas. The battles take place on a grid, where you can arrange the formation to your liking. A fun aspect of the game is creating your own Personas. You can get spell cards from enemies and create Personas with new abilities by combining them together.

    Graphics:
    The entire appearance of the game is its weakest aspect. The animations are stiff, repetitive, and aesthetically unpleasant. The enemy designs are typically creative, however, some are just plain odd. The walls on each dungeon are as repetitive as the floor above and below it. It shows extreme laziness from the developer, who did not want to draw more walls to help differentiate floors from each other.

    Verdict:
    Persona is a good game, with some
    annoyances. Impatient gamers should NOT play this game, as the random encounters will destroy the experience. Persona and RPG fans should enjoy this game because of the game's many positives: The storyline, gameplay mechanics, and the length (50+ hours).    … Expand
  4. INU4SH4
    Jul 25, 2020
    7
    And so I finally play the first Persona game and I got to say it was quite surprising. I've heard a lot of terrible things about this game from the fans and I was quite pessimistic before playing it but after I actually finished it, I can say it was a positive experience. I don't really get why this gets so much hate from the fans of Persona. It was a very solid start to a great video gameAnd so I finally play the first Persona game and I got to say it was quite surprising. I've heard a lot of terrible things about this game from the fans and I was quite pessimistic before playing it but after I actually finished it, I can say it was a positive experience. I don't really get why this gets so much hate from the fans of Persona. It was a very solid start to a great video game series.

    I will just sum it down to pros and cons since this game has a mix of flaws and also some great design choices.

    Pros:

    - Fantastic soundtrack. Just like the other Atlus games, it sports very upbeat music to contrast with its serious themes and it's quite fitting
    - A lot of combat options and a decent demon compendium to try out
    - 2 very different story routes basically making this a 2 games in 1 disc. Therefore, good replay value
    - Interesting twist close to the end of the main story route with smart writing
    - Good fusion system encouraging you to get all the Persona cards
    - Decent looking for a PS1 game
    - Long game. So if you're looking for a game to sink dozens of hours this might be it. Just prepare for some frustrating fights

    Cons:

    - Some of the dungeons felt like a shore and overstayed their welcome. Their design, in general, wasn't that great and most dungeons felt repetitive
    - The cast wasn't that great. Some characters didn't really get fleshed out and were just plain annoying throughout the game. Good thing you have multiple choices but once you pick one you have to stick with them until the end. And some of them are mandatory depending on the route
    - For the most part, the main route was pretty uninteresting and not on par with the other Persona games' writing, unfortunately. It gets good later, but it takes too long
    - The character icons could look better. Atlus definitely should have reworked this point. Although the game looks fine in general, the character faces look really dated compared to Persona 2
    - Although the demon compendium was pretty decent, there were a lot of crappy demons with useless skill sets    … Expand
  5. AceOfCakez
    May 24, 2013
    5
    This is just a standard JRPG dungeon crawler. It's nice to see the roots of the Persona series but unless you love grinding and dungeon crawling, stay away from this one. Also, keep in mind that you can reject new party members. If you choose to keep them, you won't be able to get other party members in the future.
  6. silentlea
    Mar 1, 2011
    10
    Like SteveM said, buy it. Now. The quality of the gameplay and storytelling in Persona far far outweighs the slightly dated battle graphics. Honestly, after you're an hour in you won't even care. Especially as the presentation in every other regard is gorgeous. I rate it higher than P3P, and that's saying something.
  7. BasilZero
    Nov 20, 2011
    9
    Shin Megami Tensei Persona is a enhanced remake of the PSX classic Persona Revelations. The game has a new interface and a complete makeover in the graphics department. The music has been remixed and a few new additions to the spells and skills have been added. Along with that Atlus added the Snow Queen Arc which is a separate storyline once unlocked when beating the game which was neverShin Megami Tensei Persona is a enhanced remake of the PSX classic Persona Revelations. The game has a new interface and a complete makeover in the graphics department. The music has been remixed and a few new additions to the spells and skills have been added. Along with that Atlus added the Snow Queen Arc which is a separate storyline once unlocked when beating the game which was never in the original. Players who loved the first person game will surely love this game as it retains most of its original gameplay mechanics but added it with a tweak in graphics.… Expand
  8. TheNotuJP
    Apr 11, 2013
    10
    Thought provoking first person dungeon crawler with demon negotiation, 2 really different from each other and huge routes, 4 total endings, good characters, great music (can get a bit repetitive but it's still ipod worthy), great experience, not really suited for casual gamers who hate difficulty, specially if you're not used to this type of game, basically it's: you suck you don'tThought provoking first person dungeon crawler with demon negotiation, 2 really different from each other and huge routes, 4 total endings, good characters, great music (can get a bit repetitive but it's still ipod worthy), great experience, not really suited for casual gamers who hate difficulty, specially if you're not used to this type of game, basically it's: you suck you don't advance. It's that simple, that said, I think everybody should try this out, even if you are a terrible gamer and use a walkthrough, it's still worth it for the story.… Expand
  9. Bombloco94
    Dec 1, 2019
    2
    This game is just awful,the random enemy encounter is just stupid and bad, the Story is hot garbage, Persona 1 is my least favorite game in the series,it only get 2 because of the Soundtrack and the cast
    (Sorry for the bad English, I'm Brazilian :/)
  10. JoeS
    Nov 18, 2009
    6
    Mildly fun but overall lacking a lot. Perhaps the other reviewers were right in saying that I should have started with another Persona game first because this game just isn't grabbing my attention. Annoyingly frequent monster battles mixed with poor graphics and, what feels in this day and age to be a rather uninspired combat system make this something that I could have just as Mildly fun but overall lacking a lot. Perhaps the other reviewers were right in saying that I should have started with another Persona game first because this game just isn't grabbing my attention. Annoyingly frequent monster battles mixed with poor graphics and, what feels in this day and age to be a rather uninspired combat system make this something that I could have just as easily skipped.… Expand
  11. Igor
    Jan 21, 2010
    2
    This game really sucks. I like every game in the series except this and Devil Survivor. The dungeons you go through lack any detail what so ever, as well as the battle screens do, so the graphical presentation is probably the worst I've ever seen. Also the combat is no fun. You get so much variety in moves, but in a bad way so it can feel redundant at times. Also, just because there This game really sucks. I like every game in the series except this and Devil Survivor. The dungeons you go through lack any detail what so ever, as well as the battle screens do, so the graphical presentation is probably the worst I've ever seen. Also the combat is no fun. You get so much variety in moves, but in a bad way so it can feel redundant at times. Also, just because there are more options in negotiations than in other SMT games does not make it better. You just find one that makes the enemy tick and use it over and over untill they get bored and you try a different option. Going back on this game's uglyness, everyone who is not a school friend is so weird looking. Also, going on friends, I should probably mention that there is no social link system this time, all though I all ready knew that when I bought it. The music can be cool at times, but it isnt anything to die for, but it certainly was nice of them to pack in a HUGE OST CD. The random battles are a huge problem. Remember Digital Devil Saga? Remember how you'd run into enemies every two steps? Well, this is nothing like that!! Every inch you move across the screen is another set of the same enemies over and over again, and the character development is as slow as Devil Survivor. This game is also one of those "where am i supposed to go now" kinds of games. According to some reviews I've read, the origional Persona for the Playstation was full of mistranslations. I've never played the Playstation version, but everything looks normal to me on this, so I guess they get a pat on the back for proofreading in this remake. It just makes me wish that they fixed everything else, too. Again, the Shin Megami Tensei series is my favorite franchise in video games, and this game does not reflect on the masterpieces on the Playstation 2. Even though it's a pile of garbage, I am at least glad this game was made so I could get a chance to see what the games were like when they were just starting without spending a hundred dollars for the origional Playstation version on ebay.… Expand
  12. slim1985
    Dec 3, 2014
    9
    it has flaws but this jrpg is amazing the compelling story line and the amazing soundtracks the high monsters encounter is a bit frustrating as a SMT fan its a must
  13. death12123
    Jun 12, 2020
    5
    Sometimes you have to start somewhere. Persona 1 is the start of the Persona franchise and grew into a much bigger franchise today. Never forget Atlus where you came from.

    My review will be going off from moving to the PS1 to the PSP. Everything about the game is way more improved than the original however I consider some things to be downgrades. Pros 1. The game is complete this    Sometimes you have to start somewhere. Persona 1 is the start of the Persona franchise and grew into a much bigger franchise today. Never forget Atlus where you came from.

    My review will be going off from moving to the PS1 to the PSP.
    Everything about the game is way more improved than the original however I consider some things to be downgrades.

    Pros
    1. The game is complete this time including the original JP names
    2. Added cinematic cutscenes overall feel nicer.
    3. The original counter rate is now here where as the PS1 version it was reduced with more EXP.
    4. The game is WAY faster than the PS1. It's not even a comparison, this is a overall upgrade on that part.
    5. Snow Queen & SEBEC

    However the cons make me dislike the game overall.
    Cons
    1. Persona Revelations had a more darker feel and look. It actually looked like a SMT game with the original release. This just feels off.
    2. The soundtrack. It's AWFUL compared to the original PS1 soundtrack. There's not even a way to use the original soundtrack and even years later with mods to have the original soundtrack, it's not perfect and it's missing many songs for generic ones.
    3. The battle theme. This alone made me mute the game after three battles. Revelations Persona had a billion times better battle theme. This soundtrack really ruins the feel of Persona 1.
    4. Not a fan of some voices. This is more of a personal feel. I actually liked the PS1 voices specifically because of the old school effects and voice lines that added to that dark feel you never have today.
    5. Removed sound effects. They have the text bubbles yes BUT WHERES THE SOUND EFFECTS? The whole point of a remake is to improve on stuff and add on from the original not remove things and make it worse.
    6. Certain cutscenes I think would've been fine off as regular dialogue. I don't know, in the original it went by faster but here some cutscenes just felt tedious.

    If it wasn't for the soundtrack and removed things I could've rated this game a 8 but playing a game muted isn't fun and playing the game unmuted is just god awful and annoying.

    Nowadays you can slap on the PS1 Ost (Mostly) and enjoy the game but this review is based off my initial experience. 5 out of 10 but with the soundtrack mod 7 out of 10. A soundtrack really can effect the way how a game feels. The PSP soundtrack took away every feeling of the original Persona I ever had and destroyed this version of the game.

    If it was perfectly made with all the improvements but had all the removed stuff from the PS1, I'd rate it a 8 like how I did the PS1 version.    … Expand
  14. ChristianAnime
    Jan 16, 2020
    8
    This being the first game in the sub-series, I found it really fun to play, the encounter rate is terrible, the game alone has an ok story with good characters. It is my least favorite persona no doubt, I still had my fun with this game.
  15. XDanielol
    Jul 28, 2022
    10
    Amazing game, even in 2021 I loved every part of it, the story, the characters, the soundtrack, and yes, also the random battles are very cool. I recommend it for everyone.
  16. BambiRue
    Mar 31, 2020
    7
    Outdated but not bad.

    While the game is seriously outdated and barely playable for modern players, the story has real charm even if it is simple. It isn't hard to see why this game sparked a sequel. the characters aren't deep, but they are all pretty likeable for what they are. I think a lot of people dismiss this one just because it isn't as flashy as the games that came after it. And    Outdated but not bad.

    While the game is seriously outdated and barely playable for modern players, the story has real charm even if it is simple. It isn't hard to see why this game sparked a sequel. the characters aren't deep, but they are all pretty likeable for what they are. I think a lot of people dismiss this one just because it isn't as flashy as the games that came after it. And the OST has some serious bops.    … Expand
  17. retr0_1992
    Aug 19, 2021
    10
    I put an 10/10 because this game deserves more love. I love this game and I think is really underrated. The aesthetics, the story, the gameplay and the music are great. Not perfect of course, some dungeons are a pain in the ass, and the encounter rate is really high. But this game is an 8/10
  18. 4zero4
    Jun 28, 2020
    4
    A really well made game in my opinion but bogged down my some clumsy design choices and some samey dungeon design. A great start to an amazing series that would only get better from here on out.
  19. GChenierr
    Feb 28, 2022
    9
    As a persona, rpg, retrogaming fan, I was really surprised of how this game was good compared to what everyone was telling me

    Except for the amount of battles you have to do, which I am kinda habituated, considering farming is an important thing in RPGs, especially old ones, the game is just great imo I would say the music first Even if for some songs, the original ones on the PSX are    As a persona, rpg, retrogaming fan, I was really surprised of how this game was good compared to what everyone was telling me

    Except for the amount of battles you have to do, which I am kinda habituated, considering farming is an important thing in RPGs, especially old ones, the game is just great imo

    I would say the music first
    Even if for some songs, the original ones on the PSX are better, the new battle songs and School Days is good, and the boss battle song is imo, the best Boss normal battle song of all persona game, considering P6 isn't out ATM

    You may like persona 1, or you may not, if you like the persona series, retro games, turn based RPGs, hard rpgs, and don't really care about the quality of the graphics, you may have more chances to like this game

    If you're new to the persona series, except if you like hard old turn based rpg with long period of farming and are opened to new concepts, you shouldn't really begin by this one, I mean you really shouldn't

    This Persona game is, in the majority of things, the most similar to Persona 5, and probably Persona 2, but I haven't played persona 2, also that it is apparently the sequel of persona 1

    If you play I hope you'll be able to enjoy this game as I did, but one advice:

    Don't expect this game to be good, that is probably that one fact that made me love this game, the fact that it was really better than I had expected, so considering that, tell you also that I may just like it because I'm weird, I'm an huge persona fan, and that I'm only 17, so my video game experience isn't that big

    So put you in the head "This game's bad but I must try it to be sure"    … Expand
  20. Webes
    Dec 5, 2020
    10
    My favorite game of all time gods gift to this world would play again, why you may ask, because brown pooped his pants in the 6th grade
  21. Alex2492
    Aug 16, 2021
    10
    Achei o jogo muito bom! A história é interessante, mas infelizmente é inferior a maioria dos os outros da série
  22. ShinyViola
    Apr 24, 2022
    10
    10 cause this game gets to much hate, still worth playing to this day and should be
  23. RandowGuy
    May 16, 2022
    8
    Mesmo sendo tecnicamente o pior persona, foi o que eu mais me diverti jogando, bem divertido. Sinto que as pessoas criticam muito os controles, eu me adaptei fácil mesmo sendo o primeiro jogo que jogo nesse estilo.
  24. psvitaboy1782
    Nov 24, 2022
    0
    A poorly aged mess that seriously feels like a chore to play. Boring and bland dungeon design and gameplay, horrifically common random encounters, mediocre soundtrack, boring premise and characters all add up to make this one of the worst JRPGs of all time, and by far the worst game in its series.

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best PSP Game of 2009
9
#9 Most Discussed PSP Game of 2009
6
#6 Most Shared PSP Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. Gamervision
    85
    It may be unfair to compare the first game in a series to titles that came much later, but in a post-Persona 4 world such comparisons are inevitable. That being said, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is a great game in its own right, and worthy of being in the collection of any RPG fan.
    Read full review
  2. Destructoid
    85
    For both new and old series fans, it's really fun to see how one of the most popular role-playing game series started out.
    Read full review
  3. RPG Fan
    91
    Persona for the PSP was a killer trip down memory lane with a pair of high-definition rose-colored glasses. The new upgrades made the experience smoother without sacrificing the game's integrity.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »