Persona 4 Revival impressions: Back to Inaba, with the 'Royal' treatment

Persona 5 Royal was a turning point not only for Atlus and Sega, but for the entire JRPG genre, which has, in one way or another, been influenced - almost 'infected' - by some of the features that defined that title in its definitive version. It's not hard to find other games that have drawn inspiration from the use of fonts in the menus, the presentation of skills, items, the HUD, the map, and even the post-battle sequences, with the distribution of experience, loot, and so on. Indeed, Persona 5 Royal, as well as being a masterpiece, breathed new life into a genre that has continued to grow and expand. And that includes not only turn-based combat games such as its 'first cousin' Metaphor ReFantazio or the Western title Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

But for Persona 5 (and Royal) to exist, Atlus had to blaze a trail, clear many paths and find a comfortable pace to walk that tightrope where visual novel elements coexist with a traditional JRPG. It makes sense, therefore, that the studio's previous instalments - which featured stories just as, if not more, ambitious than its fifth entry - should also receive a revamp, adapting them for a new generation of players eager to devour more 'Royal' titles. First up was Persona 3, which launched its 'R' version, 'Reload', and now, at last, it's the turn of Persona 4, whose 'R' stands for 'Revival'.

Persona 4 Revival is not a remaster of Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden with new graphics, but rather a full-fledged remake in its own right. All the voice lines have been re-recorded by new voice actors, the 'base' story has been altered to ensure better coherence with the third term of the adventure and, of course, new locations, dialogue, and variety has been added to its systems. Yes, Persona 4 Revival has received what we at P3R call 'the Royal treatment', but at the same time it knows how to capitalise on its stunning visual identity, which was already one of the best in the entire franchise.

With all this in mind, we arrive at that small room with six gaming stations, where a charming Sega staff member tells me I can take a seat and enjoy 30 minutes playing the two demos they've prepared for the game. And just by seeing the title screen and watching how the game plays out in those first few seconds, you already feel as though you're back home.

The first part of the session is an introductory stage in which the game's protagonist engages in his first battle against a Shadow and awakens his inner Persona, Izanagi. It forms part of the game's opening, although this section begins straight away in the first dungeon, where we learn the basics of movement, exploration, collecting, and using items, and the fundamentals of the combat system, and here I'll give a brief introduction to these, in case, by any chance, this might be the first Persona game you've ever played.

Combat in Persona is based on using Personas - beings created from within the hearts of certain 'special' individuals, representing that part of themselves. To summon a Persona, you must accept that part of your heart from which your first instinct is to flee, but which is also what makes you who you are, and from which you draw the strength to face life. Once you have your Persona, it possesses a range of unique combat abilities, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses are determined by different types of attacks, whether physical or elemental. In recent instalments of the series, when a target is hit by an attack against which it is weak, that target is 'stunned' and the attacker has the option to follow up with a new attack. This tactical advantage is quite decisive in most battles in the Persona series, and the Baton Pass, as it's called, is also present in Revival, just as it was introduced in Persona 3 Reload.

In fact, talking about Persona 4 Revival is very straightforward. If you've played recent titles in the series, such as Persona 3 Reload or Persona 5 Royal, you'll be right at home. All the systems are carried over from those titles, and all that's left for you to do is enjoy this new story, which promises many, many hours of fun ahead.

If, on the other hand, you're coming from Persona 4 Golden or have never played the fifth instalment, you're in for a substantial overhaul tailored to modern platforms, with incredibly smooth gameplay and graphics and animations you'd always have dreamt of whilst playing the original game.

And if, miraculously, this is your first time playing Persona... enjoy it, because everything points to this Persona 4 Revival being yet another massive hit in Atlus' fantastic current run of success. I can't wait for February 2027 to roll around so I can enjoy the full adventure.