cojoe5

Like Persona 3, Persona 4's gameplay melds traditional console role-playing game and dating simulation elements. The player controls a Protagonist they have the option to name. The game is played over the course of a school year for the Protagonist. Outside of key events, the Protagonist will attend school, then has the option of either interacting with other students or characters to improve Social Links, spend time at a part-time job or other activities to improve their basic statistics and earn money, or join with other characters to enter the "Midnight Channel", an alternate reality that the Protagonist and other characters can access by passing through television screens and where the game's combat occurs. The player can only perform one or two of these activities each day. Persona 4's timeline is driven by the disappearance of characters from the real world into the Midnight Channel; the player must watch the weather forecast and plan on saving these missing people by the end of a string of rainy days, otherwise the game will be over. Thus, the player must balance the various tasks to improve their strength in combat to be able to rescue the missing character by that time.

While in the Midnight Channel, the player explores randomly generated dungeons--each dungeon's theme based on the latest victim's fear or secret--encountering Shadows and finding treasure while he searches for the missing persons. Combat is based on traditional turn-based combat. The player has the option of assigning tactics for the other party but can also control these characters. The player may opt to make a normal attack, use an item, or use one of several skills granted by their current Persona; the player can also change the Protagonist character's current Persona and use a different Persona's skill. By striking at an enemy's weakness, the player may be able to knock down the foe and take advantage of a successive "One More" attack. If all the enemies are knocked down, the player may opt to engage in an "All-out Attack", where all the party characters engage the foe in a comical smoke-cloud fight for more damage. Winning battles earns the player experience points, money (as yen), and materials. Materials can be sold at stores in town for cash as well as to create new weapons, armor, and accessories for the party.

Each party member gains a Persona to use during battle, which level up with experience points and gain new abilities. The Protagonist is unique in that he can switch between several Personas during battle. Beside combat skills, the Persona grants certain immunities, resistances, and weaknesses to the various type of physical and magical attacks. In the Velvet room which can be accessed outside of dungeons, the player can register Personas at their current experience levels, withdraw Personas from the registry, and fuse two to five Personas to create a new one, combining selected abilities of the fused Personas. The fusion process rewards the player for making Personas that correspond with the Major Arcana of their Social Links, granting the new Persona an experience bonus. Persona 4 also includes a "Fusion Forecast"; fusing Personas on certain days will grant added bonuses.

Social links are built up through interactions with other non-player characters in the game. Building up Social links of fellow party members will gain benefits in battle, such as the member taking a critical hit for the Protagonist or being able to follow-up with an attack after an One More strike. Higher Social links allow more powerful Personas in that Arcana to be created.
Setting
Persona 4 takes place in the fictional, rural Japanese city of Inaba, which lies among floodplains and has its own high school and shopping areas. The player discovers that a rumored place called "The Midnight Channel" is actually real. On midnight on rainy days, a person can look into any television set and observe events in the Midnight Channel. Those that have learned to use Personas have the ability to reach into any television set and enter the Midnight Channel directly, though they must be able to fit through the set's screen, and each set will lead to a different location in the Midnight Channel. The weather conditions inside the Midnight Channel are the opposite of what exists in Inaba. A persistent fog exists in the Midnight Channel that can make the characters nauseated if they remain in the midnight channel for long. However, after a long period of rain in Inaba, fog will set in, and will cause the fog in the Midnight Channel to disappear, making the Shadows that reside in it stronger and more dangerous to anyone that is ill-prepared to be there.

Attached Images

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NevesElocin

I've almost reached the ending of Persona 4 and the twist and turns are incredible ( did you really think I'd spoil it?) For anyone who enjoys a challenge it is the game. Most people don't like turn based rpg's but I love this one. It isn't all about the fighting and you actually have to think to win. Not only in the dungeons but in you "day to day" life as well. The bosses were much harder this time and it took me several times to get through the first few. The rank ups for the S. Links didn't take me as long though and that was a little dissappointing. But the scenes were excellent as always.

I was glad that my starting persona wasn't a fire type like in Persona 3. My own weakness to wind was a doosy. I wont go any further. I'd give away way too much.

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Nightadvent

I was kinda saddened by the fact that you couldnt control the ending...im not giving it away and i mean there are multiple endings you get but i wanted a better overall true ending i felt like it kinda just leaves you hanging but it has really good gameplay overall and would definately tell everyone i know to play it

RayMe

Im going out to look for this game.. but first i want to replay Persona 3 before playing P4 because i haven't seen what happens with all the characters in the story (the characters used to build level in each card like Magician,Tower,Sun, ) I can't wait to play it ^^ it's one of the best RPG games... The best about this game would be the storyline ^^

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cojoe5

I finally beat Rise and Teddie.........and that was weird when Teddie came out looking like that..............I nearly craped myself!

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NevesElocin

I'm right at the end now trying to beat the final boss. And I so want to say who the real culprit is but I'll refrain. I will say that fighting in "Heaven" was quite the experience. I nearly died the first time I went in and I was far above the level of the shadows there. It was beautiful but terrifying at the same time. Plus I got distracted by the music a few times. I'm glad the deluxe release came with the soundtrack.

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SadisticCharm

Persona 4 was an awsome game and I agree with what most of you say.
But in my opinion Persona 3 was alot better.
The story line and different characters seemed to get to me more...
Although all that you could do with Persona 4 was better. (like s.links and such)

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NevesElocin

-nods- True true. But the story line in Persona 4 is a lot deeper than in Perona 3 and the twist (although not as unexpected) was a lot more painful. Even the one death ran deeper than in Persona 3. It didn't hurt half as bad when Shinji died as with... Yeah I'm not gonna say

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