Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is one game in the Persona series of dark supernatural RPGs. Players should note that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Golden, for the PlayStation Vita, is a 2012 re-release of the game with slightly updated content.
Great Characters
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Story & Themes
Persona's themes include coming-of-age, friendship, dealing with negative emotions, and coming to terms with adulthood. The games are heavily based on Jungian Psychology, with elements of H. P. Lovecraft's vision appearing as well. Shinto myth, urban legend, and murder mystery are common themes.
The game mechanic is based on the manifestation of characters' innermost thoughts as either "Shadows" or "Personas." Shadows are negative emotions, fears, or aspects of the personality that manifest as dangerous beings. Characters must face their own Shadows and come to terms with these malevolent inner thoughts. If they are successful, the Shadow will become a Persona.
Persona 4 features an entirely new set of characters and story from previous games. The player will take on the role of the new kid in town, who must befriend a group of teenagers and try to solve the mystery behind several murders. The group ends up in a mysterious dreamlike area inside a television set, and there must face their own fears, as well as battling enemies forged from the collective fears of the town they live in. Meanwhile, a mysterious mist begins covering the town outside the television, and each time it appears, another person is murdered.
The protagonist must help his newfound friends through some emotionally trying times, some mundane, others not so much. While these troubles are fairly typical for the teenage crowd (questioning of traditional gender roles, feelings of uncertainty about the future), they are treated with maturity and taken seriously.
Save Points
Parents should know that savepoints may be few and far between.
Difficulty
There are a bunch of different difficulty modes ranging from very easy to nightmare.
Heads Up!
Violence Fantasy violence (bloodless, cartoony) only. In animated cutscenes, however, dead bodies of the murdered townsfolk can be seen, and some characters get in a violent car accident.
Scary Imagery The overall story is somewhat frightening, and all the more so for its mysteriousness. The game involves murder, a creepy world that can only be entered via television screen, and some strange and unsettling interactions between characters. Monsters, however, are less scary than the overall atmosphere.
Sex & Nudity In Persona 4, several monsters resemble human genitals to varying degrees. One demon (called Mara) is shaped like male anatomy, for instance, and is probably the most explicit depiction of genitalia. Another demon appears to be covered in female breasts. The enemies in Persona are all modeled after real-world mythological figures. Human genitalia is not considered as taboo in Japan as it is in North America, and thus characters do not react to these demons as Americans might. In fact, the resemblances and the monsters themselves are easy to miss if you aren't paying attention. This "nudity" is not sexual in nature.
There is some suggestive dialogue (e.g., "What are the school computers used for?" "Porn.") and one instance of a succubus-like monster appearing, but no overt references to sex. Characters do flirt with each other fairly often, however. At several points in the game male characters get excited about seeing female characters in swimsuits or at a bathhouse.
Several characters must confront inner turmoil over gender identity and sexuality.
Strong Language Mild swearing is common (e.g., sh*t and a**hole).
Substance Use One character in Persona 4 is the daughter of a family who runs a liquor store, and adult characters may reference beer or cigarettes, but they are not presented as positive influences.
Conversation Starters
- Do you think the games point the player in the "right" direction? Are some endings worse than others?
- Do you feel that the Personas and Shadows are a realistic way of thinking about inner turmoil and acceptance? Would you use a visualization like this to come to terms with your own inner turmoil?
- What do you think of the Evokers? Why are they shaped like guns? Did this bother you?
- Did you relate to any of the characters? Do you think they are realistic depictions of teenagers?
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