Over a decade ago, Revelations: Persona was released for the original Playstation and, although it was never a huge success, it achieved a large cult following. Gamers who tried it were enthralled by the unique setting, characters, and story. The game quickly became a sought after collector’s item. E-bay prices quickly soared up into triple digits.

Atlus apparently got tired of seeing other people making hundreds of dollars selling their game on E-bay and made the wise choice of remaking it. Read on to see if this cult classic stands the test of time.

The first thing that stands out about Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is the unique setting. Even today, most RPG’s take place in mythical, Tolkien style fantasy realms or steam-punk style towns. Persona breaks away from all that by starting you off in a Japanese high school. Your characters are hanging out in a classroom when one of them poses the idea of playing the Persona game. As the story progresses, demons are unleashed and the city is sealed off from the outside world. To defeat these demons, your party learns to unlock the hidden potential of the “personas” that dwell within them. These “personas” are based on a concept from psychology where people put on different masks in different situations that change the way they behave. In SMT: Persona, this concept is expanded upon to the point that your party members are literally able to use these “personas” to defeat demons.

After some initial fumbling around on my part (trying to figure things out), I came to really like the battle system. The battles are quick enough that they don’t drag out, but complex enough that you have to pay attention. With a lot of RPG’s, I can zone out and get into “grind mode” where I am just holding down on the “X” button to continuously attack. SMT Persona would have none of that. Every time I thought about zoning out, an enemy would take me by surprise and I would have to actually strategize or face defeat. This meant I was constantly engaged in what was going on because I was afraid that, if I wasn’t paying attention, I would die.

If you get tired of beating up on the demons, you can actually pause the action to negotiate with them. Each of your characters have four different ways of talking with the demons and each demon reacts differently to the conversations. For example, one demon might respond positively to being bribed while another might want you to flatter them. Figuring out the best way to talk to each demon rewards you with items or spell cards. You can then fuse together two demons’ spell cards and an item to create entirely new personas. Discovering the best combination is fun and will have you conversing it up with each demon to get their spell card.

As if all the demon collecting wasn’t enough, there is a casino full of various games where you can trade your winnings for new equipment. I spent a little more time playing video poker than I care to admit.

The remake seems to have improved upon the original North American release in just about every way. This is a better game than the one selling for $100 on E-bay. In the original release, Atlus tried to make the game more palatable to the U.S. market by making the game easier. Certain characters names were changed, Mark transformed from a Caucasian to an African-American, yen became dollars, and Nanjo became Nate. Why anyone would want to be Nate when you could be Nanjo is beyond me (sorry Nate). With this release, it seems Atlus got everything right.

There are really only two drawbacks to the game. First off, the graphics, while serviceable, are nothing special. Dungeons are navigated through a first person perspective with old school four point turning. These sections have very little textures and the walls and floors look like an early PS1 game. Once you enter a room, the camera switches to an overhead, isometric perspective. These sections have a little more detail, but are still nothing special.

The second drawback is the J-pop music. It is fine and catchy, but I think the game would have been better served by an orchestral score. It is weird to be fighting demons and listening to J-pop. I know this type of music is a staple of the series and there are definitely those who will love it, but a more serious score would just push the game to even greater heights.

These are really small concerns when compared to the opportunity to play the best version of an all time classic. I can’t stress enough how addictive the game can get. For the past few days, my PSP has been constantly within arms reach. I was playing the game so much that my wife had to literally peel the PSP from my hands. SMT: Persona is easily one of the best RPG’s on the PSP. If you like RPG’s, you owe it to yourself to pick it up. Don’t let it pass you by a second time.

The game is available as a download in the Playstation Store or as a physical copy. So, which version to get? They both cost $40, but the physical copy comes with a 2 disc 67 song soundtrack and a nifty cardboard box that looks pretty sweet on your shelf. The download won’t ever crack when your sister steps on it. I would suggest getting the physical disc, unless you have a mean sister or a PSP Go, and I think Captain America would agree with me.

This review is based on a copy of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona provided to us by Atlus.

Tags: Atlus, Captain America, Nate, Persona, PS1, psp, remakes, Revelations: Persona, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, SMT: Persona

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.