The review of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

After playing the two games Persona 3 and Persona 4, I was looking to play the other games in the series. When I discovered that It was for sale on the Playstation Network at a decent price, I knew I could not pass this opportunity up. I didn't know what to expect when I started playing, but as I got more and more into the story and the gameplay, I can say I was not dissappointed.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is definitely not your average RPG, as it strays from the tried and true formula of all other RPG's. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is the first game in the acclaimed RPG series Persona, which started on the Playstation Entertainment System in 1996, and was re-released for the Playstation Portable in 2009. What I experienced in Persona was a very well written story with deep, interesting and engaging characters, addictive gameplay, and alot of in-game content to keep you playing for a long time after you buy it. Without giving out any spoilers, the game basically revolves around a group of high school students who get caught up in an apocalyptic like nightmare with monsters and Demons roaming the outside world. The game is highly based upon your choices and can directly affect how the story turns out in the end. Even more, since the game comes pre-loaded with a completely different storyline, seperate from the main story your choices in the beginning of the game can even change which storyline in the game you drift into.

There are a few things that set the game back, but by not much. The game's story can prove to be a bit confusing. Since the main idea of the Persona series revolves around the use of many mythological beasts and demons from various religious beliefs, as well as the story being a little confusing in itself, it can take a while to understand what is going on. It being a full on RPG, there are random battles where you are thrusted into battle against your will. In other RPG's like Final Fantasy, this is not a problem, as it does not happen alot to where the player gets annoyed at the number of fights. This is not the case in Persona. It seemed like almost every step that is taken thrusted me into a battle, and because of it, the game began to get somewhat repetitive. One more thing that set back Persona in my opinion is it's difficulty in some parts of the game. They are not too difficult that you can't proceed with the game. It is just that it can prove to be overwhelming for someone who might have never played a Persona game in the past, and will not know what they are doing.

Negatives aside, I really enjoyed this game. The story was engaging and interesting. The music was altogether great and well composed. The visuals are awesome. The art style is unique and is a refreshing sight to see in a different RPG, even after being ported from the original Playstation version with its original visuals. The amount of content included at the start is also a definite plus, as you wont get bored anytime soon.

Altogether, by buying Persona, if you can get over the minor snafu's that the game has that I mentioned earlier, you will not be dissapointed in the slightest.