Today, Persona 5 is considered one of the definitive modern JRPGs. The game received praise for its complex plot, varied characters, catchy soundtrack, and more. It is still receiving new installments and spinoffs in 2023, with Persona 5 Tactica currently planned for a November release. However, despite Persona 5's near-monolithic presence in the genre, its predecessor, Persona 4, still holds its own. The quirky small-town mystery of Persona 4 is still going strong even as it approaches the fifteenth anniversary of its initial release.
Debuting in Japan on July 10, 2008, Persona 4 tells the story of a series of bizarre murders that rock the small Japanese town of Inaba. Released only two years after Persona 3 and only a year after the enhanced Persona 3 FES, concern at the time was that fans were suffering from "Persona burnout." This proved not to be the case. Persona 4 sold and reviewed amazingly well, topping the charts in Japan and then again in North America when it released that December. Today, Persona 4 has an updated re-release, Persona 4 Golden, three spinoffs, Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and Persona 4: Dancing All Night, plus multiple animated adaptations, manga, and stage productions. Additionally, characters from Persona 4 appear in both Persona Q and Persona Q2, both crossover titles with other entries in the franchise.
Persona 4 Golden's Unexpected Steam Debut
For eight years, Persona 4 was the definitive Persona title, receiving the majority of developer Atlus' attention. Although Arena and PQ were touted as crossovers, the P4 characters dominated the screentime, especially in Arena and its sequel Ultimax. Dancing All Night was a completely unexpected addition to the franchise, transporting the central characters to a brand-new genre: rhythm games. But then came the much-delayed Persona 5 in 2016, and its sales and reviews quickly eclipsed that of P4.
Persona 5 got its own updated re-release in Persona 5 Royal and its own spinoffs -- Strikers, Dancing In Starlight, and the upcoming Tactica. P4 seemed reduced to a footnote, its characters relegated to DLC battles in Royal and an appearance in the three-way crossover Q2. Until, in 2020, with almost no prior announcement or advertising, the previously PlayStation-exclusive Persona 4 Golden appeared on PC via the Steam service. This was a massive success, eventually prompting a wide release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and the Nintendo Switch in 2023, a full fifteen years after the original release of Persona 4.
Despite the Steam release of Golden coming a decade after Persona 4's debut and well after that of Persona 5, it was a massive hit. It was Steam's best-selling JRPG for many months, beating the record previously set by Final Fantasy 15 Windows Edition. Just a month after its initial release, the game had over 500,000 players on Steam. One year later, in 2021, news site Persona Central revealed that the game had sold over one million copies on Steam alone. Golden's Steam was release successful partially due to timing -- it dropped in the middle of COVID-19 lockdowns, when people were more eager than ever to dive into a long game -- but Persona 4 Golden's compelling story, fun setting, and intriguing central mystery are definitely also responsible.
It's No "Mystery" Why Persona 4 Succeeds
Persona 4 certainly features the series' standard supernatural elements -- the characters travel through TVs to battle Shadows, representations of their doubts and fears -- but it is, at its core, a classic "whodunnit" mystery. Bodies are found hanging from telephone poles on foggy mornings, and the police seem to have no idea who's responsible. The Investigation Team, a determined octet of high school students (and one mysterious bear-like creature pretending to be a high school student), decides to solve the mystery on their own. In the end, the player is forced to select the culprit's name from a list of suspects, and ultimately bring them to justice when law enforcement can't or won't do so.
It's a well-written mystery, tricky to solve but not impossible. While the game spends a lot of time on the supernatural dungeon-exploring Persona-battling part, it also includes all the standard mystery-solving stuff: collecting clues, interrogating witnesses, and pursuing suspects. Putting the final identification of the culprit in the player's hands is a great narrative move, as it makes the player feel like they've really been a part of Persona 4's Investigation Team the whole time.
The mystery genre has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years, thanks to a mix of factors including the escape room craze, games like Among Us, and films like Knives Out and Glass Onion. Although the solution to Persona 4's central puzzle can be found online -- and is treated like open knowledge in the Arena and Dancing games -- it's definitely possible that many of the new players introduced to Golden via the 2020 and 2023 releases were playing unspoiled. The allure of a mystery game with a possibly still unknown solution during this "mystery renaissance" made Persona 4 Golden perfectly situated to experience a quite literal "Golden age" of its own.
What Does This Mean For Persona 4's Future?
Persona 4 Golden's ongoing success, even amidst Persona 5's nearly overwhelming presence, is a potentially good sign for the game's future. Persona 3, its predecessor, was recently announced to be receiving a remake for modern consoles. It is definitely possible, especially if this remake does well, that Persona 4 Golden will get the same treatment in a couple of years. A Persona 5 Strikers-style musou spinoff or a Tactica-style tactics spinoff seem less likely, but are not impossible if Atlus wants to celebrate the game's success in a major way.
It is truly impressive that Persona 4 Golden has managed to maintain such a presence in the gaming world while competing with the juggernaut that is Persona 5. Like the Investigation Team that forms its central cast, Persona 4 is scrappy and ragtag, yet still able to stand up against larger and more powerful foes. One thing is certain: for gamers who have not yet experienced Persona 4 Golden, now is the perfect time.
Persona 4 Golden is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
