The writing, too, involves unusually personal stakes. Some side-quests even focus on helping people with prosaic routine issues, from a snack-eating addiction to adolescent love. Playing with the stray cat outside of the house, for instance, yields no significant gameplay reward or story progression but renders a sense of everyday life. The stereotypical main plot about saving the world is a backdrop for much more ordinary joys. In Persona 4, the journey of self-growth and self-understanding commonly defining one’s teenage years cleverly mirrors the power accumulation tropes of the RPG while simultaneously subverting the genre’s conventions. Screenshot from Persona 4 Golden courtesy of the author. In the more unusual school life sections, players improve “social stats” (Courage, Expression, Knowledge, Understanding, and Diligence), develop friendships, and undertake household chores throughout the school year.Įngaging in combat in the game's dungeons. The dungeons, an RPG trope of enclosed areas with hostile creatures and find items or unlock new abilities, are typical video game fare. The franchise’s distinctive binary structure comprises school life and dungeon exploration. Set in the rural town of Inaba, players take control of a transfer student from the city, who discovers a fantastical world accessible through the television and its connection to a series of murders.Ĭontrasting dramatic RPG tropes against the prosaic nature of life, Persona 4 rejects romanticisation and attends to the mundane as the vital substance of living.Įach Persona game features the main cast of high school students with supernatural abilities. The game is about all these things - but it is also about none of them.Ī fantasy roleplaying game (RPG) developed by Atlus, Persona 4 was released in 2008 for the PlayStation 2 and saw an expanded version titled Persona 4 Golden for the PlayStation Vita in 2012. He asks about mechanics, abilities, loot. On a flight home from Australia, I try to introduce Persona 4 Golden to my friend Z.
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