When I played Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, I wondered just when it would actually become a playable video game. It had my attention, and an hour or so later it finally gave me something to do that wasn't advancing the next in a long line of dialogue text.
But I liked it, somehow, and now the 1001 list tells me that Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is an even better place to start in the series.
Does that mean it'll get going before the hour mark, or should I settle in for the afternoon and just go along with it?
Fun Times
Ignoring the weird sentence structure of the opening song as best we can, Persona 4 begins with another stylish intro video that doesn't do a whole lot to set the scene, but does go some way to tell you that it's about televisions this time around. What does that even mean?
Before we've a chance to question it, Igor returns and has a chat with us in a place between dream and reality, cryptically hinting at our future, and waffling on about contracts and the like. So far, so Persona.
Another strong indication that you're playing a Persona game next: anime cutscenes. We're on a train to the countryside. The world seems pretty reasonable and relatable so far. News of a scandal consumes people's attention. Life isn't full of walking coffins. All is good, right?
We're transferring from a school in the city to one closer to our uncle Dojima, a police detective out here in Inaba, a town known for an Inn, and that's about it. It's not ideal, but it's life, and after twenty minutes of cutscenes and light interaction through dialogue options, we're able to run around a new home.
There's not much to do other than look at things and go to sleep, though, and after a day of travelling, there aren't many better ideas than to get some shut-eye.
Our dream teases the Persona 4 combat system as we swing at foggy shadows and, as expected, get nowhere. Who or what is this figment of imagination? Is it really a construct of our mind, or is this the start of something deeply troubling for our protagonist? What, even, is the plot of Persona 4?
The next day sees us turning up to our new school and being politely introduced to the rest of the class by Mr. Morooka, the kind of teacher that really ought to not be a teacher. You all know the type. The kids here do, and they aren't especially looking forward to the year ahead.
The day is interrupted by an announcement on the tannoy that we are to remain inside our classroom until further notice. When left alone to pass the time, we learn a little more about some of the students, but mostly learn that everyone is gossiping about the scandal on the news. Someone looks like they're having an affair. One of the accused may even be hiding in town. Boy, it's awfully foggy...
Life in this town just got a little trickier. Dojima is forever busy with his work, leaving young Nanako to look after herself, something she's quite good at it seems. The news hasn't gotten to her yet, as the adverts afterwards seem to have a stronger appeal.
We are about 45 minutes into Persona 4 here. Suspicious death of someone in the news for an affair. That's nowhere near weird enough for a Persona game, is it?
We've made new friends in Chie and Yosuke here. Chie seems to be a bit of a tomboy who loves martial arts movies, and Yosuke is a bit of a clumsy idiot but can relate to our situation having only moved her recently himself.
The conversation eventually turns to a silly rumour about the Midnight Channel, a spooky campfire story that will, finally, be the introduction of the weird stuff in Persona 4. We're an hour in. I was expecting this, but still, an hour. You've got to really know what you're in for with these games, huh?
At this stage, I'm not sure if I'm fully on board with Persona 4, but I am determined to keep playing until some chunk of gameplay comes my way, and running around a house isn't gameplay. I'm going to need to watch the Midnight Channel.
I've only got Persona 3's plot to compare this to, not that I know anything about Persona 3, I suppose. In that, you had a mysterious group of students watching you sleep. Here, you're a group of friends discovering some weird shit going down. I prefer this opening much more, yes.
Still not the greatest fan of it happening an hour into a game with basically zero gameplay, but once again, there is something about this presentation, the voice work, something that keeps me interested just enough. I do want to see what's on the other side of this TV screen, even if it turns out to be a rather bad idea.
Frustrations
But first, we've got a pop quiz. Persona games are RPGs unlike any other. For as often as you roam through a dungeon fighting monsters, you walk the school corridors and attend social clubs to enhance yourself as a human being.
By answering a question about the origins of Anno Domini I increased my knowledge, I think it was, by a point. I'm not even sure I've been introduced to knowledge yet. I think my courage increased by standing up for myself when Mr. Morooka was being an arse, too. Don't know what that does, either.
The idea, in some ways, is appealing. Sometimes you've got to schedule your fun. Life gets in the way. We're just a student in a town where there has been one mysterious death. We're not a superhero. We're not a saviour. Something is going on, yes, but we can't just ignore our education to talk about it, even if we managed to stick our head through a television.
But Chie's family needs a new TV, and Yosuke happens to work at a store with an electronics department, so our after school activities for the day are decided. They even jokingly suggest we can find a TV big enough to climb into.
Further Fun Times
One hour and a quarter since starting up Persona 4 and we've fallen into a new world hidden behind the television screen, a foggy yellow stage of some sort, with no signs of an obvious exit back into the real world.
We're stuck here until we learn something. Excellent.
Further Frustrations
Like the rest of the game, we're not actually going to be doing any of the exploring ourselves. That's what cutscenes are for. We find little of note, save for a spooky room that makes us all feel a little under the weather, before stumbling back to where we came from and encountering an unexpected new character.
He kicks us out, and another day in Persona 4 comes to an end. We are an hour and a half in.
Further Fun Times
To skip ahead (only some 15 minutes it turns out, but I'm still gutting quite a lot of story to get here), whoever you see on the Midnight Channel winds up dead the next day, and sadly for Yosuke, today's victim was his girlfriend, or maybe his crush, who happened to be the person who first found the body of the reporter who had died a day earlier.
Both bodies were found hoisted up on a TV aerial or a telephone pole. That's not normal, is it? Then again, climbing into the television isn't normal either.
According to the bear here, someone is throwing people into this place. He thinks it's us, so not only do we need to prove our innocence, but we've also got to discover the mystery of just what this place is, and the bear that has lived here for as long as he knows isn't too clear on answering that kind of mystery.
So here we are, escape rope in hand, ready to face the mystery of Persona 4, nearly two hours after it began.
The world we find ourselves in looks a lot clearer now that we've got fancy glasses to look at it through, and appears to be a kind of mirror of the real world. Does whoever comes in here bring something with them? Is this a parallel universe of sorts? Is this a weird dreamworld?
I've basically no idea what's going on, but I am going along with it, partly because I want to see some gameplay, but partly because I am interested.
Ever since playing an awful lot of the Yakuza series, I guess, I've been more interested in the slow burn of a story centred on (mostly) everyday people. The stories are extraordinary, but the minute by minute action is relatable.
Persona 4 isn't as relatable, obviously, but if you reduce the story to a bunch of kids discovering something and following their curiosity, well, that's what loads of kids do. Even while they're also juggling their school and social lives.
It's now coming up to 2 hours without any 'real' gameplay, though. I need something to happen, and thankfully it seems like it's all about to kick off.
Pulling what I think is a persona out of my pocket, I go all super saiyan and finally get to swing this golf club at some monsters.
Combat in Persona 4 is a turn-based affair where you can use basic attacks to bonk a shadow on the head, and call in some support from your allies to tell you what your target's weakness is. Each enemy has a long list of stats, and the more you fight them, the more you'll learn about what they don't like, what they tend to do and so on.
The cool stuff happens when you invoke your persona, a guardian of some sort that can pull off some stronger attacks at the cost of some of your health if I recall correctly. Why attack when you can cleave?
Teddie - oh, yeah, the bear is now called Teddie. Guess he believes us more now - is impressed by our newfound ability, which came about because we faced a hardship? Not exactly sure what triggered that, other than the cutscene.
Not that I should complain. I levelled up, I think. Briefly saw a stat screen, if you can believe it. There's a game in here somewhere, and it's a turn-based RPG like the last one, though I didn't have Yosuke fighting by my side there. Maybe that'll come in future. I hope so.
We're hearing voices, include that of the deceased Saki, and she's not exactly speaking about Yosuke in good terms. In fact, it seems to be his families arrival in town, and the business they run, that is the root of her problems with her family.
This place appears to show the reality of a situation, the thing people go about hiding and shying away from in the real world, making excuses to get by. Do people have to face the truth in a place like this? Is this where Saki came before she was discovered dead the next day?
As we start to unravel the horror, a second Yosuke emerges from the shadows...
A boss fight? So soon? Against a shadow version of our new buddy? After just two hours? Let's get it on!
A boss fight is where you pull out your big guns, and that means your persona and whatever skills it has. They level up much like you do, but their use will affect your health, so I don't think you can spam them. Probably best to learn when the best time for a specific attack is, so it's good that this fight introduces the idea of guarding for a turn so that you don't get hurt.
Attack, guard, fancy Persona abilities, skills, items... it's a combat system that has what you expect, and looks absolutely fantastic, though making out what it is you're actually looking at can be tricky sometimes. I'm looking forward to fighting many more things here, more so than Persona 3, I reckon.
There, look, proof there are stats and weaknesses and things. Another level up. It's one a fight at this rate. I won't complain unless it turns out there are only a handful of fights in this game.
Yosuke has faced some hard truths in the past ten minutes, even if it was actually me that did all the fighting. Still, he's unlocked a Persona of his own, which I look forward to seeing... well, at all, let alone more of.
After two and a quarter hours though, I really need a save point. I'm emulating, so I technically don't, but I at least want to get to the next obvious point to call it a day.
Final Word
That image sums it up for me so far. Persona 4 is hella lengthy to get into, but now that I'm surely right about to bite into the crunchy bit, I am definitely ready for more.
I'm expecting 'more' to be a lot more cutscenes, but I'm used to that. I'm expecting stuff to be delayed through schoolwork and extracurricular activities, but I'm prepared. After Teddie shows us the door back to the real world, our day isn't done, and we have chats with more friends and watch more news. The story is much more involved than we could imagine, and everything we do, both inside and outside of the television will have a purpose.
And all that happens against a backdrop of school life, and kids growing up, facing the real world. It's grounded, in ways that even Persona 3 didn't - or now doesn't - seem to be. I think it's simpler, certainly. Or so far...
Even after a few hours with both games, it's far too early to tell, but I know that if given a choice, I'd want to tackle Persona 4 first. I prefer the story and the characters more. I like the look. Teddie is a weird little fellow that I demand answers from.
But it's a tough sell when I know so little about how the game will actually play, yet have invested two hours into it. I mean, if this is an RPG, does that mean there's grinding to be done somewhere? If I can enhance my skills in everyday life, should I be exhausting all the dialogue I come across? If not exhaust, should I at least think long and hard about my answer, rather than responding to a statement as I think I would?
Have I already shot myself in the foot and made my life harder? I suspect not, and hope that that isn't how Persona plays. Some day I'll find out, when I can block in four hours just in case there's a lengthy cutscene. That's not a complaint. If I put up with it for MGS4, I'm sure I can put up with it for Persona.
If the idea of this weird after school club of monster hunting detectives sounds interesting, then Persona 4 seems to be a solid choice to look into. Will I seek out the Vita port? Not for the Vita, my goodness, no. Surely the battery can't take it. Or does the story settle down as time goes by? See, I just don't know, but I want to find out.
More story than gameplay, perhaps, but it's gotten my attention so far, even if it took so long to get there.
Fun Facts
Attention to detail in the character art lets you know who comes from the city and who was born in this run of the mill nowhere town, and it often revolves around having stylish hair...
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, developed by Atlus, first released in 2008.
Version played: PlayStation 2, 2008, via emulation.