Persona 4 arena has taken a long journey to reach European
shores. Initially expected at the start of the year it was then delayed
indefinitely. Now we are finally getting the chance to see the characters of
Persona 4 in a new environment, but can it hope to live up to the precedent set
by its RPG forebear?
This is certainly one of the more unique collaborations to
have happened. The game basically takes the story elements from the Persona
team and adds in a fighting game developed by the makers of Blazblu. The music,
art style and voice acting will be familiar to Persona fans and it certainly
sets the scene very well.
The story is set a few months after the events of Persona 4 (and
several years after Persona 3), and has our hero returning to Inaba to visit
his friends. Upon arrival it soon transpires that something isn’t right, a
feeling that’s confirmed when the midnight channel bursts into life once more
to show all the main protagonists as targets for a strange new tournament.
From then on our team decide to dive into the world inside
the television once more and soon become locked into a battle against each other.
It’s fair to say that as plots go it’s completely crazy. It makes the plot of
the original Persona 4 look positively normal and realistic in comparison. But
it’s best not to think too much about it and just go along for the ride.
Along with the main playable cast from Persona 4 there are
also a couple of the investigation team from Persona 3 and some new ones thrown
in for good measure. The thematic choices in storyline and design of the boss
character may ring a few bells with Blazblu fans and it has Arc Systems
personality stamped all over it. That isn’t to say characters from Blazblu are
copied over to here – far from it in fact, but there are certain times you can
see the core of a Taokaka or Nu 13 spread across a couple of the characters
move sets.
A fighting game lives and dies on its combat system and
Persona 4 Arena has one unlike any we have come across before. Arc Systems have
not created a Persona 4 version of Blazblu and have instead tried to produce
something that fits the characters and game world more completely.
Along with the usual super and special moves there are a
fair few unique things to look out for. Attacks are designed around the four
face buttons with the square and X buttons making your character perform light
and heavy attacks. The interesting part of the system comes with the triangle
and circle buttons. These are used to summon your persona to attack. If carried
out carefully and precisely it’s possible for both your character and their
persona to hit at the same time. This opens up the possibilities for big combos
if executed successfully.
It’s also possible to disable an opponent persona by
striking them. Do this enough and they will need to recharge before being used
again. This gives a major advantage to the attacking player as it
effectively cuts your opponents move list in half.
The combat system is deep and will take a very long time to
master. It is also not really comparable to other fighting game systems which
means for hard core fight fans you are going to need to re-wire your brain to
think in a new way in order to get the correct flow and timing. Luckily there
is an extensive tutorial and challenge mode available to get you used to the
new characters and the way the game works.
Hitting the square button continuously while your special
bar is filled carries out an auto combo that leads into a super move. This may
well be aimed at getting more casual players involved but it doesn’t really
serve much of a purpose and can certainly end up being overused.
Something else that may need levelling out in an update is
the ‘awakened’ mode that characters drop into when they fall below a certain
amount of health. In our experience, both against the computer and other humans,
this proved to be far too powerful. Opponents who simply weren’t in the contest
suddenly managed to destroy our health bars, sometimes within seconds of
awakening. We are all for leveling things up but we hate to think how this
could be used by someone who had put hours into training.
The other thing that seemed to be slightly off was the games
focus on trapping characters against walls. Again, whether playing against the
computer or a human it seemed far too easy to be forced against the edge of the
screen and simply be spammed over and over by the same cheap move (even the
computer does this). The ability to attack as two separate characters often
seemed to leave no way out.
We’re sure with training all these points can be
counteracted but new comers to the genre may well be put off by the high entry
level required to progress. That said, is Persona 4 Arena really the type of
game that anyone other than a hard-core fan might buy? You could argue it isn’t.
But then we can envisage a fair few RPG fans picking it up, maybe not that
familiar with other fighting games, and being roundly ground into the dirt by
it.
This frustration is also compounded by the fact the standard
PS3 pad doesn’t seem to be up to the input requirement needed. An arcade stick works
fine but this is certainly the most precise input we have come across in any
console fighting game. When a Street Fighter veteran can’t pull off a double
fireball input every time you know something is a little off. Again, this may
well be worked out in a patch but for now perfect precision is key.
Negatives aside, there is much to like about this. The story
mode in particular captures much the same feeling as that of the original
Persona 4. The story itself is interesting and told in a dedicated story mode
where players will take control of each of the characters as the mystery
unfolds.
There has also clearly been a lot of care and attention into
making this game feel a part of the Persona universe. All of the characters remain
true to types and act in the way fans will expect. The presentation and art
style is also of the highest of standards and ticks the boxes for both bringing
up nostalgic memories of the original source material and excitement about
seeing it used in a new way.
The game does throw up some truly spectacular battles as
well. When you find a character you’re comfortable with and get to grips with
the game system it really does open up into a veritable wealth of different
attacking options. It certainly isn’t lacking in flashy special moves either
and at times things can become a blur of sparks and colour as characters and
personas smash around on screen.
Chances are you already know if this game is going to appeal
to you. This game will find fans with both Persona 4 players and gamers who
spend their days mastering combos in Street Fighter, Blazblu and King of the
Fighters. The fight engine is solid and the game is filled with charm. Be
prepared to have to put the hours in though, this is a game that needs to be
mastered in order to get the most out of it.
8/10
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