One of the hallmarks of Persona titles is its famed dungeons which make up half of the gameplay. When not studying or raising social links, players can delve into the protagonist's secret life: battling dangerous enemies known as shadows in a world different from their own.
In Persona 4, the player can traverse through televisions into the Midnight Channel and confront the dangerous shadow-versions of potential new allies, but not before hours spent exploring and grinding levels in their dungeon. Each dungeon is uniquely designed to perfectly reflect the weaknesses or secrets of the character who it is designed around, but there are some more balanced and palatable than others.
9 Hollow Forest
The Hollow Forest is Marie's dungeon, which is one of the available social links for the player to rank up throughout the game. Ranking her link up to the maximum level is necessary to unlock this particular dungeon, meaning those unaware would miss out on this dungeon entirely.
The secrecy of this level and its punishing difficulty make this the worst dungeon in the game. The player would lose all of their items, denying any possibility to revive fallen allies or recover SP during battle, the latter of which being a major problem in this dungeon, as the parties' SP would half following every battle.
8 Marukyu's Striptease
Rise's dungeon seems to take heavy inspiration from gentleman's clubs just from the name and implications alone, painted in eye-watering hues of red and pink with plenty of elegant decorations that do make a pretty enough dungeon, but it isn't without any issues.
While her dungeon, shadow form, and even her whole character itself are an excellent commentary on idol culture in Japan, seeing the blatant sexualization of an underage girl can be uncomfortable for some people. While it could be argued it's not for the titillation of the audience but to expose the depths of the pressure on Rise and all idols, for many adults it's still uncomfortable to witness.
7 The Secret Laboratory
Naoto's dungeon is one of the later locations in Persona4 and seemed to be setting her up as a transgender character, but ultimately her story took a different turn in which Naoto would try to pass herself off as a man to advance her career but remained identifying as a woman.
Her dungeon takes the form of a secret laboratory to reflect her struggles with concealing her identity, and while by name alone it seems exciting enough, it did fall somewhat short in terms of design in comparison to others.
6 The Steamy Bathhouse
Kanji's dungeon takes the form of a steamy bathhouse in traditional Japanese style which can be interpreted to represent Kanji's inner conflict about sexuality, but his story instead explores Kanji's fondness for activities that contradict his tough biker-guy front.
With its traditional Japanese accouterments, the dungeon itself is well-designed and doesn't present too much of a challenge. Were it not for Atlus's bait-and-switch with Kanji's sexuality, his arc would be much more satisfying and provide Persona 4 with much-needed diversity.
5 Yukiko's Castle
Yukiko's dungeon takes the form of an elegant castle complete with lush red carpets, stone turrets, and plenty of medieval enemies such as knights to complete the overarching aesthetic which holds strong throughout.
Her dungeon is a reflection of her worries that she would be tied down to inheriting her parent's inn, stripping her of the freedom to carve her own path in life. However, Yukiko's shadow throws out some peculiar lines about wanting to attract a "stud" which seems unfitting considering her arc deals with less superficial matters and is a direct contradiction to her proper character.
4 Void Quest
Void Quest serves as pure nostalgia for some gamers with its charming pixilated graphics for both the environment and enemies, harkening back to the time of 8-bit games. Even the soundtrack for this dungeon is appropriately vintage, committing to the fun retro theme.
Although it is the dungeon of self-professed serial killer Mitsuo Kubo, his dungeon adds a splash of creative fun with its aesthetic, aptly named Void Quest, representing the emptiness of Mitsuo's life. His profession to all the murders is likely a craving for the attention that he lacks.
3 Yomotsu Hirasaka
Another somewhat secretive dungeon exists in Persona 4, players must achieve the True Ending to gain access to it. Thought to be first created by a worker at the gas station, their identity is revealed to be Izanami, a deity from Japanese mythology which adds a fascinating twist to this dungeon.
However, this dungeon is perhaps one of the most challenging as players cannot leave upon entering. If the party lacks sufficient recovery items and raw strength, it will encounter difficulty completing it.
2 Heaven
Nanako quickly became a favorite among fans thanks to her adorable character and sweet personality. Being only a young child, most would assume she is safe from the killer on the loose, and they would be wrong.
Though not outright murdered, she is abducted and taken to the Midnight Channel, giving life to a dungeon of her own. Her's takes on an angelic appearance and given the equally angelic name Heaven, where she believes her dead mother to be. The ethereal appearance and peaceful music are a welcome reprieve from earlier dungeons, even if it is a race to save her.
1 Magatsu Inaba/Magatsu Mandala
After months of fighting their way through dungeons, rescuing those who fell victim to the Midnight Channel, and uncovering the mystery of the killings, the party find themselves back where it all started: the Desolate Bedroom.
By itself, it is a chilling location, complete with a noose ominously hanging in the middle of the room, but the culprit leads players into an even more hellish dungeon, a twisting red labyrinth reminiscent of toned-down Dante's Inferno. The two-part boss battle that acts as the climax is the icing on the cake, delivering an ending players wouldn't soon forget, and firmly securing its place as the best dungeon in Persona 4.
Persona 4 Golden is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch.