Hey guys, Seiko Wolf here again with a post in what seems like forever. Forgive me for my time away, but here I am, ready to talk of another title I managed to get my hands on.
Frankly speaking, I heard many good things about the Megami Tensei franchise, notably regarding the spinoff series Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, though I never got my hands on any of the games... until recently. From my Tigercon exploits, another con group Magfest set up a number of games, one of which happened to be P4A, that is Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - The Ultimante in Nayomaka Arena. Stateside, it's known as Persona 4 Arena, hence the aforementioned acronym. To my surprise, the companies behind this are Arc System Works, who are notably known for Blazblue (which is about to hit trilogy status), and ATLUS, a company that worked on titles like Arcana Heart, Catherine, and SNK Playmore's King of Fighters XIII. The latter company is mainly responsible for the development of not only Persona, but many of the Megami Tensei titles. Unlike the Persona titles before it (which were RPG/Simulation games), this is a fighting game that's made in a similar fashion to the visual novel Tsukihime and it's fighter spinoff Melty Blood by ECOLE.
Moving on to the game, the plot involves the P-1 Grand Prix. Following the events of Persona 4, the story takes place 2 months following this games conclusion, and the P4 characters are forced to fight one another with the use of their Persona, all with the intent on finding the host of this event. However, they're not the only ones, as characters from the preceding Persona 3 title join the fray. What's more, there is an android similar to P3's Aigis debuting this title. Originally the arcade version's boss, Labrys is without a Persona, and suspected to be the one behind the tournament... or a hidden side of herself... Other cheracters from the series are involved, some as combatants, some as navigators, and some just for the sake of being there.
This product is the collaboration of ATLUS and Arc Systems, the former providing the story. That means the gameplay was done via Arc Systems, so those who know inside and out the Blazblue series may have an easier time adapting, since the core gameplay is almost similar. It's a mix of that and Arcana Heart, in a sense, with the use of Personas in battle. The stage views and gameplay are designed well, courtesy of Arc Systems. Shoji Megure once again took helm as the music composer. The roster isn't much, though your navigator is selectable. Unlike the RPG titles, you're limited to only one Persona, which is preset, but you can mix and match the color scheme of your character/Persona before battle. During battle, you have 4 cards, which act as a gague for your Persona. Should it get attacked all 4 times, it "breaks", and it's inactive for a short time, similar to Melty Blood's "Circuit Break" trait. Like Blazblue, some attacks can carry a status element, commonly poison, which drains health over time. This is indicated by the coloration of the character sprite. P4A also has Instant Kill moves, which work when the SP Gague is at it's peak level. IT can be refilled with the use of your Persona, or if damaged enough, via the characters "Awakening State when the HP is low (shown by turning orange). If it connects, the move ultimately ends the battle in cinematic fashion, much like the Blazblue series' "Astral Finish". Another noticable trait, aside from featuring an Online Mode, is the Arcade Mode, which is a campaign of sorts. In the beginning, you can only select from 1 of 4 characters, and choices made in the character's campaign can affect the ending to their story, something Persona is known for, as well as Arc's Blazblue. Completion of a character's story will give access to more characters to use.
I have to say that even though I'm coming from under a rock in regards to Persona in general, I grew onto this title rather quick. Characters are designed well, and there are choices a plenty to how you wish to fight. The choice making trait in the game I wish to see more of in some fighters in general, for I only know of this, Namco Bandai's Soul Calibur III, the original Melty Blood, and the Blazblue titles to have this. Beautiful as it is, the only thing I'll say not in favor is how, at face value, it can be possible for a character to be broken, which is something I see common with fighters these days. Right now, I've yet to see this happen, but there's always a possibility, and I'm using past fighters, even Blazblue: Continuum Shift as proof on this. Other than that, there isn't much ill things I can say
about P4A at the moment. Like most games, DLC is available in the forms of glasses, navigators, and color schemes. The X360 version carries a lag, but I want to say a patch was made to fix this, can't verify that yet.
I only had one day with this, but I'll grade it as a 9 of 10. Omitting my earlier statement, I see high potential for this title, and wouldn't be surprised if EVO featured this title numerous times. I hope to play this again relatively soon, even more to own an actual copy.
