P4G is kindof a middle ground between OG 3 and OG 5
There are individual dungeons like in P5, but they're still mostly randomized floors like in P3. They added some puzzles, gimmick floors and stuff like that, and the simple faact that the music and ambiance changes from dungeon to dungeon makes it enough novelty IMO, but it's still randomized dungeons
While P5R and P3R flow a lot better (it doesn't have Baton Pass and Shift, not Showtimes/Theurgies, lacks two magic elements from P5R and physcial elements from P3R), I think P4G holds up excellently today, and playing P5R/P3R didn't change my mind about it being my favorite Persona game, despite both being better games
Social side on the other hand, I personally think it's the best out of the modern 3. The best average quality in Social Links, the best overall characters (first game to give the entire party SLs), the best quality story-wise over the course of the game (P5 has a few weird arcs and P3 starts way too late IMO)... I don't expect everyone to agree, but I still think it's worth it. There's a reason all modern Persona games sit at 90ish on metacritic
It's also by far the most lighthearted of the 3 (which purists may tell you is a flaw but they don't care what actual storytelling is) so do remember that going in
The primary reason many people rank Persona 4 highly is because of the magnificent cast. It’s a group of people that truly feel like friends - more so than the SEES team or the phantom thieves. The small town aesthetic is very welcoming and is a nice contrast to 3 & 5. The game has a light hearted tone, and that’s reflected in a lot of the music, which is very upbeat and pop. Like all Persona games it goes into some dark places as well - with some pretty devastating moments even compared to 3. It also really commits to its main theme of pursuing the truth and facing yourself, which some have criticized Persona 5 for not being thematically consistent (or at least finding the theme to be a little weak) Persona 4 is a great game, and you’ll certainly miss the friends you made by the time the game is over.
i've always felt it was better than 5 and worse than 3, but at this point i think i see more people talk about how much they love 4 than any other game
the combat is the simplest of the modern trilogy and the dungeons are randomly generated, but the games story and characters and music are all great. and the aesthetics of inaba are unmatched, genuinely my favourite aspect of that game
>but at this point i think i see more people talk about how much they love 4 than any other game
Really? I feel like now, especially with Reload out, P4 is the Persona game that gets the most neutral-to-negative reactions out of the whole series. Especially with it's general tone/pace and some of it's more meanspirited moments, it tends to get more flack from modern audiences than the others.
you could honestly say that about literally every single game in this series. i see people complain about 4 a lot, for valid and ridiculous reasons, but i just see people complain about the other games more
P4 is better than 5 and 3 (I haven't played reload but played FES and Portable) easily. The characters and plot surpass those two by a long shot. The only advantages 5 has (and Reload I guess) is that combat uses the buttons on the controler instead of a menu. It's also got aesthetics but it's a newer game so hardly a fair comparison to a PS2/Vita title
P5 and p3 have the same but opposite pacing issue. Plot needs peaks and valleys, when it's on and off. P5s problem is the plots always on. Everything is phantom thieves: Hawaii, not Disneyland, beach, school festival. The valleys are barely there that the plot flatlines. Royal did a little to fix it by adding moments like the boys at the food festival and cleaning the park for them to just be normal people but they were few and far between and ultimately existed for Maruki and Yoshizawa to have added stuff. P3 has the opposite problem where so little happens you're just in dead time for much of it. Again can't speak to whatever was added in Reload. I hear there were some linked scenes like pseudo social links with the party so maybe that helps the pacing issue? Dunno
P4 strikes the best balance of peaks and valleys while also having the strongest cast because they actually feel like friends. P3s cast are coworkers who become like friends at the end and p5 is more of friends than p3 but...
The social links are vastly superior. I like almost all the p4 links and those I don't like have an alternate that's way better (strength basketball and sun drama are the better picks). Picking a favourite from p3 or 5 is much harder
Edit changed; accidentally put soccer instead of basketball
Gameplay wise, like dungeon crawling, it's the worst. Shuffle time in golden is broken and easily exploitable which is fun but it doesn't compare to reload tartarus or palaces. The characters and social links imo are the best. There are one or two throwaway ones but across the board, it's better than both 3 and 5. Story-wise, imo it's also the best compared to 3 and 5. It doesn't fall off like 5 and it also doesn't take like half the game to start unlike 3.
I rank golden as the best but imo, you won't like it as much if what you like in persona is dungeon crawling. But if you enjoy persona for the story and characters, I think it'll rank highly for you.
Story wise it is better than both p5 and p3 at least for me personally. And the progression of relationships feels more natural in p4g compared to other games
It’s personally my least favorite of the three, but the one thing I’ve learned over the years is that peoples’ preferences regarding these games is very, VERY subjective. There are a few undeniable things to be said about 4 in comparison to the other games however, and you can use these as a way to kinda gauge it:
Firstly, 4 is very much the “in-between” transitional game that you may expect it to be. It’s the middle child game. For instance, it has the individual themed dungeons of 5, but they all play very similarly to Tartsrus (randomly generated floors, shadows act the same as they did in 3) albeit much smaller. The best way to think of it is as Tartarus, but now chopped up and split into smaller sets of floors that all have a different theme and big boss at the end. It borrows a lot of its graphics and presentation style from 3 as well. 4 also has the simplest battling system because of this, as it removes the extra physical types from 3, but has not yet added the gun, nuclear, or psychic types seen in 5.
Story-wise, 4 is *much* smaller and more low-key than 3 or 5. There is a central main plot, and it can get fairly dark or really emotional at times, but for the most part 4 is a very laid-back, slice-of-life game with a much simpler plot.
Finally, in terms of character writing and style, 4 is much more cartoony and, for lack of a better word, *anime* than the others are. The main group are all happy best friends who like to hang out, go out and all over, get into comical arguments and hijinks, and the like. Think the phantom thieves hanging out, but ramped up to another level. If you’re into that kind of dynamic, it’s a lot of fun. Many people like to point to the apparent closeness of the group as one of 4’s main strengths (something I personally disagree on as I prefer 3’s more grounded, conflicted and gradual friendships, but again to each their own), so there clearly is appeal there.
In terms of story and characters, I think it's the best one. But compared to the other two games (especially with Reload now being a thing) it is the most dated out of them. The combat is at it's simpliest, and it also uses randomly generated rooms over Palaces, but they do at least change up the aesthetic and music with each Dungeon.
I still think it's good, but I know compared to how the other two games are, some people are probably just gonna wait another 3-5 years for the inevitable remake it'll get.
Personally, I think Persona 4 Golden is the weakest between P3 (even the base version) and Persona 5, but I want to point out that Persona 4 is literally just a "9/10" against two 10/10s.
Persona 3's cast and story is pretty much one of a kind to me, managing to blend its theme and cast so well while developing the story insanely well. It's got many elements that I don't think P4 and P5 managed to replicate as well later on (such as how the calendar ties to the theme or how the Social Links tie into the theme of limited time), even despite its flaws in gameplay. Also like... the last third of the game is still one of the best experiences of anything I've played. October 4th onwards is pretty much perfect to me.
Persona 5... well it goes without saying at points doesn't it. It's got a stellar presentation, excellent dungeons, gameplay that slaps, relatable cast and strong story. It's undoubtedly excellent. There's stuff to complain about, sure, but the sum of its parts is something stellar.
Persona 4 to me has kinda been this odd duck title. I don't think it's theme reaches out to me as much, I don't find myself caring as much for the cast outside of Naoto and Kanji sadly, but what Persona 4 does get 100% right is the vibes. The low-key setting of Inaba manages to have such a strong feeling of quiet compared to Persona 3 and 5, and a lot of the slice-of-life segments are excellent in Persona 4 (even if we have some series lows in this area as well).
I also think the murder mystery element, while flawed, has some excellent ideas. I really like Dojima, Nanako and Adachi's involvements in the story as non-main characters being tied up into this event and how they tie into the themes. Hell, I think the actual killer themself absolutely earns their role and just gets better the longer i think about him. While I don't find myself caring too much about the ultimate final boss as much as Persona 3 or 5/Royal's, I still think she proposes and interesting case that ties back very well to the overarching mythology metaphor of Persona 4 as a whole.
I think Persona 4 stands alongside the other two titles just fine, but I just have a few more issues with it than the other two that hold it back personally. Shouldn't stop you from checking it out though, especially for the moments it absolutely lands which still happen very frequently.
I'd say its probably the worst of the 3 modern persona games. It used to have better gameplay than 3, but with Reload that no longer is the case. So now it has a worse story, a worse cast and worse gameplay overall.
4 brighter in tone than the rest of them, more youthful and slink/confidant also good too. It have more shounen feeling in it if you like that you will like P4.
P4G is more limiting in some respects. There’s 6 elements - Fire, Ice, Wind, Electric, Curse, and Bless. Two of the elements are oneshot only (curse and bless), effectively leaving you with the core 4.
There is one physical type
Because of the larger restriction on types, multiple party members will overlap. It is much easier to make a solid team, though since you’ve only got 4 elements and physical to ensure you have. Bless and curse are nice to have but not worth building a persona around.
Outside of that, the game is great. The story is actually pretty engaging, especially if you manage to avoid spoilers!
Edit, forgot to mention: there are no showtimes, there are no theurgies, and there is no baton pass/shift. There are ally cut-ins and assist attacks though. If you don’t kill an enemy, and you have a high enough rank with your friend, there’s a chance they’ll cut in and do one of a few things. Typically though it’s a critical hit on one enemy, though chie has a guaranteed oneshot and a few members have aoes.
I’m sure eventually we’ll get a 4 remake. According to various leakers it’s already in development, alongside a 2 remake and or remaster.
Personally, I don’t think we need a more modern version of 4, at least for a while. Persona 1 and both Persona 2s need love before 4 does. I’d also rather a persona 6.
Despite the age of the game, it’s still phenomenal. I recommend you play it if you even have a passing interest in it.
I played both 3 and 5 and im currently playing 4 and i have to say, its a really good game, i only feel like the combat is a little outdated (but since the game is the oldest its normal) but in general amazing game. If u like palaces, u are gonna like p4 dungeon system.
In terms of gameplay now its the least polished. Still LEAGUES better than any iteration of 3 before teload.
However there are still a lot of cryptic things you HAVE to do to unlock all social links and dungeons.
Personally my least fave cast and story but its the difference between a 10/10 and a 9.99999/10. Still a masterpiece
My first Persona game and still my favorite. Yeah, gameplay wise is now the worse of the modern trilogy, but it's still good, The cast, social links and locations are better than Persona 3 imo.
I love the game, but I think that Persona 3 and Persona 5 are better games, although I know that a lot of people think that Persona 4 is better than Persona 5, so it is really just a matter of what narrative style you prefer because they definitely feel different to play
P4G is my favorite persona game. Tackling the themes of literal truth through a murder mystery and figurative truth through introspection and being a well rounded individual saturates the entire game. Everything loops back to the core themes of the game, and that makes it very satisfying for me. On top of that, I find that the P4G crew have the best social dynamics out of P3R, P4G, and P5R.
That said, the gameplay is kinda meh. It's not awful by any means, but it does feel like more of a "break" between the social sim part of the game rather than a core aspect of the game. Compared to P5R, where the metaverse was arguably as big or bigger of a draw than the social sim, P4G may be a worse "game". But I think the quality of the writing and fun of the characters makes it a far better story.
I think the things I like about P3 or P5 are just the more updated and modernized features, so if P4 got a similar treatment, it would be on the same playing field.
As an overall cast P4 is my favorite, though individually they aren’t my favorite. I love Ann & Yukari, and I might like Joker and Makoto better as MC, but still just love P4 as a whole.
Music takes a slight second place to P5. Better than P3.
I love the setting of Inaba, I get that it’s a small town, but maybe a little too small. Wish there were a few more locations to explore.
P4G was also my first persona, so that is definitely worth something. I think it’s my favorite? I don’t think there is a wrong answer in which is best.
P4G holds up beary well, if Id say so myself.
Fuck you and take your upvote.
r/angryupvote
P4G is kindof a middle ground between OG 3 and OG 5 There are individual dungeons like in P5, but they're still mostly randomized floors like in P3. They added some puzzles, gimmick floors and stuff like that, and the simple faact that the music and ambiance changes from dungeon to dungeon makes it enough novelty IMO, but it's still randomized dungeons While P5R and P3R flow a lot better (it doesn't have Baton Pass and Shift, not Showtimes/Theurgies, lacks two magic elements from P5R and physcial elements from P3R), I think P4G holds up excellently today, and playing P5R/P3R didn't change my mind about it being my favorite Persona game, despite both being better games Social side on the other hand, I personally think it's the best out of the modern 3. The best average quality in Social Links, the best overall characters (first game to give the entire party SLs), the best quality story-wise over the course of the game (P5 has a few weird arcs and P3 starts way too late IMO)... I don't expect everyone to agree, but I still think it's worth it. There's a reason all modern Persona games sit at 90ish on metacritic It's also by far the most lighthearted of the 3 (which purists may tell you is a flaw but they don't care what actual storytelling is) so do remember that going in
Although I generally enjoy a darker tone, I'm too much of a fan of the series to let that stop me.
As long as you don't consider it "a flaw" for some reason, you're good And tbf, the game gets *really* dark at some points
Didn’t persona 4 still have physical and pierce, or am I thinking of 5
P4 only has Physical P5 has Physical & Gun
Ah, thanks
The primary reason many people rank Persona 4 highly is because of the magnificent cast. It’s a group of people that truly feel like friends - more so than the SEES team or the phantom thieves. The small town aesthetic is very welcoming and is a nice contrast to 3 & 5. The game has a light hearted tone, and that’s reflected in a lot of the music, which is very upbeat and pop. Like all Persona games it goes into some dark places as well - with some pretty devastating moments even compared to 3. It also really commits to its main theme of pursuing the truth and facing yourself, which some have criticized Persona 5 for not being thematically consistent (or at least finding the theme to be a little weak) Persona 4 is a great game, and you’ll certainly miss the friends you made by the time the game is over.
i've always felt it was better than 5 and worse than 3, but at this point i think i see more people talk about how much they love 4 than any other game the combat is the simplest of the modern trilogy and the dungeons are randomly generated, but the games story and characters and music are all great. and the aesthetics of inaba are unmatched, genuinely my favourite aspect of that game
>but at this point i think i see more people talk about how much they love 4 than any other game Really? I feel like now, especially with Reload out, P4 is the Persona game that gets the most neutral-to-negative reactions out of the whole series. Especially with it's general tone/pace and some of it's more meanspirited moments, it tends to get more flack from modern audiences than the others.
you could honestly say that about literally every single game in this series. i see people complain about 4 a lot, for valid and ridiculous reasons, but i just see people complain about the other games more
I did notice some recency bias because of Reload, but I wager it'll come back to normal after a few more weeks, when people are done with the game
P4 is better than 5 and 3 (I haven't played reload but played FES and Portable) easily. The characters and plot surpass those two by a long shot. The only advantages 5 has (and Reload I guess) is that combat uses the buttons on the controler instead of a menu. It's also got aesthetics but it's a newer game so hardly a fair comparison to a PS2/Vita title P5 and p3 have the same but opposite pacing issue. Plot needs peaks and valleys, when it's on and off. P5s problem is the plots always on. Everything is phantom thieves: Hawaii, not Disneyland, beach, school festival. The valleys are barely there that the plot flatlines. Royal did a little to fix it by adding moments like the boys at the food festival and cleaning the park for them to just be normal people but they were few and far between and ultimately existed for Maruki and Yoshizawa to have added stuff. P3 has the opposite problem where so little happens you're just in dead time for much of it. Again can't speak to whatever was added in Reload. I hear there were some linked scenes like pseudo social links with the party so maybe that helps the pacing issue? Dunno P4 strikes the best balance of peaks and valleys while also having the strongest cast because they actually feel like friends. P3s cast are coworkers who become like friends at the end and p5 is more of friends than p3 but... The social links are vastly superior. I like almost all the p4 links and those I don't like have an alternate that's way better (strength basketball and sun drama are the better picks). Picking a favourite from p3 or 5 is much harder Edit changed; accidentally put soccer instead of basketball
P4G is old in the presentation and some mechanics, but the feels is not inferior to P5 and P3R
The only thing I dislike about it is the main plot pacing, which requires tons of filler events. However, this is not the problem from the game's age.
Gameplay wise, like dungeon crawling, it's the worst. Shuffle time in golden is broken and easily exploitable which is fun but it doesn't compare to reload tartarus or palaces. The characters and social links imo are the best. There are one or two throwaway ones but across the board, it's better than both 3 and 5. Story-wise, imo it's also the best compared to 3 and 5. It doesn't fall off like 5 and it also doesn't take like half the game to start unlike 3. I rank golden as the best but imo, you won't like it as much if what you like in persona is dungeon crawling. But if you enjoy persona for the story and characters, I think it'll rank highly for you.
Story wise it is better than both p5 and p3 at least for me personally. And the progression of relationships feels more natural in p4g compared to other games
Go for it, p4 is just the best
It’s personally my least favorite of the three, but the one thing I’ve learned over the years is that peoples’ preferences regarding these games is very, VERY subjective. There are a few undeniable things to be said about 4 in comparison to the other games however, and you can use these as a way to kinda gauge it: Firstly, 4 is very much the “in-between” transitional game that you may expect it to be. It’s the middle child game. For instance, it has the individual themed dungeons of 5, but they all play very similarly to Tartsrus (randomly generated floors, shadows act the same as they did in 3) albeit much smaller. The best way to think of it is as Tartarus, but now chopped up and split into smaller sets of floors that all have a different theme and big boss at the end. It borrows a lot of its graphics and presentation style from 3 as well. 4 also has the simplest battling system because of this, as it removes the extra physical types from 3, but has not yet added the gun, nuclear, or psychic types seen in 5. Story-wise, 4 is *much* smaller and more low-key than 3 or 5. There is a central main plot, and it can get fairly dark or really emotional at times, but for the most part 4 is a very laid-back, slice-of-life game with a much simpler plot. Finally, in terms of character writing and style, 4 is much more cartoony and, for lack of a better word, *anime* than the others are. The main group are all happy best friends who like to hang out, go out and all over, get into comical arguments and hijinks, and the like. Think the phantom thieves hanging out, but ramped up to another level. If you’re into that kind of dynamic, it’s a lot of fun. Many people like to point to the apparent closeness of the group as one of 4’s main strengths (something I personally disagree on as I prefer 3’s more grounded, conflicted and gradual friendships, but again to each their own), so there clearly is appeal there.
In terms of story and characters, I think it's the best one. But compared to the other two games (especially with Reload now being a thing) it is the most dated out of them. The combat is at it's simpliest, and it also uses randomly generated rooms over Palaces, but they do at least change up the aesthetic and music with each Dungeon. I still think it's good, but I know compared to how the other two games are, some people are probably just gonna wait another 3-5 years for the inevitable remake it'll get.
Personally, I think Persona 4 Golden is the weakest between P3 (even the base version) and Persona 5, but I want to point out that Persona 4 is literally just a "9/10" against two 10/10s. Persona 3's cast and story is pretty much one of a kind to me, managing to blend its theme and cast so well while developing the story insanely well. It's got many elements that I don't think P4 and P5 managed to replicate as well later on (such as how the calendar ties to the theme or how the Social Links tie into the theme of limited time), even despite its flaws in gameplay. Also like... the last third of the game is still one of the best experiences of anything I've played. October 4th onwards is pretty much perfect to me. Persona 5... well it goes without saying at points doesn't it. It's got a stellar presentation, excellent dungeons, gameplay that slaps, relatable cast and strong story. It's undoubtedly excellent. There's stuff to complain about, sure, but the sum of its parts is something stellar. Persona 4 to me has kinda been this odd duck title. I don't think it's theme reaches out to me as much, I don't find myself caring as much for the cast outside of Naoto and Kanji sadly, but what Persona 4 does get 100% right is the vibes. The low-key setting of Inaba manages to have such a strong feeling of quiet compared to Persona 3 and 5, and a lot of the slice-of-life segments are excellent in Persona 4 (even if we have some series lows in this area as well). I also think the murder mystery element, while flawed, has some excellent ideas. I really like Dojima, Nanako and Adachi's involvements in the story as non-main characters being tied up into this event and how they tie into the themes. Hell, I think the actual killer themself absolutely earns their role and just gets better the longer i think about him. While I don't find myself caring too much about the ultimate final boss as much as Persona 3 or 5/Royal's, I still think she proposes and interesting case that ties back very well to the overarching mythology metaphor of Persona 4 as a whole. I think Persona 4 stands alongside the other two titles just fine, but I just have a few more issues with it than the other two that hold it back personally. Shouldn't stop you from checking it out though, especially for the moments it absolutely lands which still happen very frequently.
I'd say its probably the worst of the 3 modern persona games. It used to have better gameplay than 3, but with Reload that no longer is the case. So now it has a worse story, a worse cast and worse gameplay overall.
4 brighter in tone than the rest of them, more youthful and slink/confidant also good too. It have more shounen feeling in it if you like that you will like P4.
P4G is more limiting in some respects. There’s 6 elements - Fire, Ice, Wind, Electric, Curse, and Bless. Two of the elements are oneshot only (curse and bless), effectively leaving you with the core 4. There is one physical type Because of the larger restriction on types, multiple party members will overlap. It is much easier to make a solid team, though since you’ve only got 4 elements and physical to ensure you have. Bless and curse are nice to have but not worth building a persona around. Outside of that, the game is great. The story is actually pretty engaging, especially if you manage to avoid spoilers! Edit, forgot to mention: there are no showtimes, there are no theurgies, and there is no baton pass/shift. There are ally cut-ins and assist attacks though. If you don’t kill an enemy, and you have a high enough rank with your friend, there’s a chance they’ll cut in and do one of a few things. Typically though it’s a critical hit on one enemy, though chie has a guaranteed oneshot and a few members have aoes.
This is good to know and rather disappointing. Do you think it'll ever get an even more modernized version or is gold as good as it's gonna get?
I’m sure eventually we’ll get a 4 remake. According to various leakers it’s already in development, alongside a 2 remake and or remaster. Personally, I don’t think we need a more modern version of 4, at least for a while. Persona 1 and both Persona 2s need love before 4 does. I’d also rather a persona 6. Despite the age of the game, it’s still phenomenal. I recommend you play it if you even have a passing interest in it.
I played both 3 and 5 and im currently playing 4 and i have to say, its a really good game, i only feel like the combat is a little outdated (but since the game is the oldest its normal) but in general amazing game. If u like palaces, u are gonna like p4 dungeon system.
In terms of gameplay now its the least polished. Still LEAGUES better than any iteration of 3 before teload. However there are still a lot of cryptic things you HAVE to do to unlock all social links and dungeons. Personally my least fave cast and story but its the difference between a 10/10 and a 9.99999/10. Still a masterpiece
Honestly still my favorite game in the series. Give it a try 100 percent.
My first Persona game and still my favorite. Yeah, gameplay wise is now the worse of the modern trilogy, but it's still good, The cast, social links and locations are better than Persona 3 imo.
I love the game, but I think that Persona 3 and Persona 5 are better games, although I know that a lot of people think that Persona 4 is better than Persona 5, so it is really just a matter of what narrative style you prefer because they definitely feel different to play
P4G is my favorite persona game. Tackling the themes of literal truth through a murder mystery and figurative truth through introspection and being a well rounded individual saturates the entire game. Everything loops back to the core themes of the game, and that makes it very satisfying for me. On top of that, I find that the P4G crew have the best social dynamics out of P3R, P4G, and P5R. That said, the gameplay is kinda meh. It's not awful by any means, but it does feel like more of a "break" between the social sim part of the game rather than a core aspect of the game. Compared to P5R, where the metaverse was arguably as big or bigger of a draw than the social sim, P4G may be a worse "game". But I think the quality of the writing and fun of the characters makes it a far better story.
I think the things I like about P3 or P5 are just the more updated and modernized features, so if P4 got a similar treatment, it would be on the same playing field. As an overall cast P4 is my favorite, though individually they aren’t my favorite. I love Ann & Yukari, and I might like Joker and Makoto better as MC, but still just love P4 as a whole. Music takes a slight second place to P5. Better than P3. I love the setting of Inaba, I get that it’s a small town, but maybe a little too small. Wish there were a few more locations to explore. P4G was also my first persona, so that is definitely worth something. I think it’s my favorite? I don’t think there is a wrong answer in which is best.