The Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series, while definitely having reached cult status, hasn’t exactly been a mainstream franchise since its inception on the PS1 in 1996. A spinoff of the Megami Tensei games with a slightly different concept, the earlier Persona titles were largely ignored in favor of those from other long-running RPG franchises, such as Final Fantasy. When Persona 3 hit North American shores in the summer of 2007, almost a decade after its predecessor, it turned heads as a fantastic role-playing game, and even more shocking was the fact that a PS2 title was making waves in the onset of a new generation. With the Persona series finally getting more attention in North America, and Persona 4 having launched to rave reviews last winter, it was only a matter of time before the game that started it all was made available to the public again. Instead of a simple rerelease, Atlus decided to upgrade the first Persona, delivering a unique role-playing experience on the PSP.

Like many gamers, I never played the first two Persona games, both of which came out on the original PlayStation; in fact, Persona 3 was my first Shin Megami Tensei game. However, since it came out I have been a devoted fan of the series. I was worried that the original Persona would be too different from the more recent games to measure up, since the lack of social links and different battle mechanics seemed a bit foreign at first. Before long, though, I was hooked on Persona PSP. It still seems a bit dated, but the quirky fighting system, intriguing storyline, and rewarding gameplay make Persona another noteworthy entry in the beloved series.



At the outset of Persona, it may seem like nothing has changed if you have only played the more recent games in the series. As always, the game features a silent protagonist, who slightly resembles those of Persona 3 and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor. The game takes place in 1990s Japan, which of course was modern day when the game first came out, and all of your party members, including the protagonist, are students at St. Hermelin High School in the Japanese city of Lunarvale. Through some strange occurrences, these students awaken to the power of their Personas, who are supposed to be reflections of their inner selves; these Personas give them special powers when summoned. This helps them fight the demons, who have also arrived in Lunarvale, and the group soon finds that no one can leave the city due to some mysterious force. The ragtag bunch of friends decides that it’s up to them to rid Lunarvale of demonic forces, as well as stop whoever is responsible for them.

Instead of having a fixed dungeon location hidden from the rest of the world, the dungeons of Persona vary and are usually unremarkable locations: the subway, a local office building, or the high school itself, for example. Unlike the other games in the series, dungeons are presented in a first-person view in Persona, which was a bit strange to get used to. However, before long it became second nature, and I actually appreciated the throwback to older dungeon crawling games. The town map, where demons can also be encountered, is presented as an overhead view, allowing the player to see all available locations. With the exception of most boss fights, battles are random, which can be a bit frustrating at times. In the actual dungeons it isn’t terrible, but on the town map encounters can sometimes happen every two or three seconds. This is especially annoying when you’re desperately trying to reach a save point or healing spot, since escape from battle isn’t always guaranteed. Obviously I don’t mind fighting, but having multiple battles within seconds of each other can feel a bit tedious.



The fighting system is so interesting, however, that the frequent random encounters are usually forgivable. While the characters are equipped with standard RPG weapons like swords, spears, and axes, party members also have to option to carry a second weapon: a firearm. This is a bit unusual for games in this genre, and even though guns had some uses in later Persona games, no character has ever had two weapons equipped simultaneously. This gives each member the choice of attacking or shooting in battle, with different foes having separate reactions to each. Of course, this is also where all Persona abilities are used, such as familiar elemental skills. Thankfully, you can directly control all party members, and the game doesn’t instantly end if the main character’s HP reaches zero; you are also responsible for the position of each character in battle, which affects his or her attack range.

What really sets the fighting in Persona apart, though, is the ability to contact enemies, which allows you to persuade them to give you spell cards, or otherwise inflict status effects on them. Each character has a different set of communication options, which can be as straightforward as “persuade” and “invite” or as silly as “dance” or “pick up”. The enemy’s traits will determine how it reacts to your contact, with each foe becoming angry, happy, scared, or eager. Making monsters eager will force them to give up spell cards, ending the battle, while pissing them off could lead to a surprise attack; alternately, if you scare them, they might just run away. The outcomes vary, and can be pretty humorous. While it is important to collect spell cards to create new Personas, experience is not earned if the battle ends this way. There needs to be a balance between collecting cards and earning experience to progress in the game.



Creating and acquiring Personas is a bit different as well. Once again, you will require the assistance of the long-nosed Igor in the Velvet Room to create new Personas, which are made by fusing spell cards given to you by monsters. Instead of just the main character, all party members are capable of having multiple Personas and switching between them at will. Items can also be included when fusing Personas to change their abilities, increasing the number of possible combinations one can create. As expected, a character cannot take on a new Persona until he or she reaches that Persona’s level; however, higher level Personas can be created early on; you will just need to wait to actually use them.

This version of Persona has eliminated some of the unnecessary changes that the original localization included, keeping the original Japanese character models and names. New cut scenes are nicely animated, though battle backgrounds can be a bit bland. The soundtrack includes some of the catchiest Japanese pop you will ever hear, and will get stuck in your head instantly; you’ll find yourself humming along as you play to the infectious battle theme. The fresh coat of polish can’t completely hide the fact that Persona is thirteen years old, but the game certainly doesn’t feel obsolete.



Though Persona doesn’t quite live up to its PS2 successors, it was still great to see where this series got its start. The plot and characters aren’t quite as memorable as I would have liked, and often I wasn’t quite sure exactly what I was supposed to be doing, or why I was doing it. Load times can be a bit lengthy, which appears to be par for the course with PSP games, particularly of this genre. It may be unfair to compare the first game in a series to titles that came much later, but in a post-Persona 4 world such comparisons are inevitable. That being said, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona is a great game in its own right, and worthy of being in the collection of any RPG fan.