Yesterday on June 13th 2020, ATLUS announced and released the PC port of Persona 4 Golden. It's not only the first mainline Persona game to be released on the platform. It's the first Megami Tensei game on PC! Although with Catherine before it, it's the second game by ATLUS on Steam store.
If you read my articles for the past few months you know I'm a huge fan of Persona franchise. I wrote #ArcanaInPersona series of articles which includes info about Persona 4 characters. I also wrote about the meaning of the spell names in the franchise.
For those new to Persona 4 it's a JRPG that combines turn-based battle system with monster collecting/summoning and a slice-of-life side with relationship building. Outside dungeons, you go around in town and develop friendship and/or romance with various characters.
The story follows the protagonist and his friends as they get involved with a mysterious serial kidnap/murder where people get thrown in a strange world inside TV.
In order to save people and find the murderer, the hero and his friends awaken their Persona: Another self inside each of them that manifests and give them the power to fight shadows, the mysterious beings that roam the TV world.
Persona 4 first released on PS2 in 2008. An updated version called Golden released years later on PS Vita and is regarded by many the best Vita game of all time and enough reason to buy the handheld. This updated version is released now on PC and it's a direct port with the only addition being Steam achievements.
The peaceful town of Inaba
So, Why is P4G on PC a Huge Deal?
Because it shows that ATLUS care! The company is known for not porting their games on other systems. Persona franchise in general is known for being PlayStation exclusive. Only spinoffs like Persona Q were released on other platforms and most of them are exclusives to said platforms.
ATLUS even tried a legal action against the emulator RPCS3 for trying to emulate the PS3 version of Persona 5. Here's a page of their statement on Emulation.
I think Persona 4 Golden is the best game ATLUS could choose for a PC port. The game is neither too new or too old for the current generation of gamers. The original platform, PS Vita can be considered dead by now so the timing of release can't be better!
The other perfect choice would be Persona 3 but P3 doesn't have a definitive version yet. PS2's Persona 3 FES lacks the quality of life additions of the later version of the game. PSP's Persona 3 Portable has these quality of life changes and a new route with a female protagonist, but since the PSP was a weaker system than PS2 it removes the 3D exploration of town to save space. It doesn't include The Answer* story which can be unlocked in P3Fes. Creating a new definitive version with the best features of each Persona 3 version won't be easy.
If ATLUS wanted to test the waters of PC ports, Persona 4 Golden is really the better choice in my opinion!
Battle screen of Persona 4 Golden
Just to note: I realize that ATLUS already tested the water of the PC market by releasing Catherine Classic in 2019 but that game doesn't have the mass appeal that Persona games have.
Golden Port Is Great
The game seems to have sold quite well. According to SteamDB, at one point there were 27,000+ concurrent players for Persona 4 Golden few hours after its release. That means the game have sold more than 27 thousand copies in few hours, WAY more. Which is a good sign that will surely let ATLUS know that there are a market for Persona on PC. We'll probably see other games in the future~
I should mention that the price of only $20 is very attractive. They could easily sell the game for $40 or more, but they opted to sell it for a price most PC gamers can afford.
While I haven't tried it myself, I read some reviews of the PC version of Persona 4 Golden. Most of them are praising the port. Usually, a PC port by Japanese game studios tend to be after thoughts and are not polished experiences, it seems to not be the case with P4G.
Live the life of a High-schooler who has the looks, the the brains and the strength
What do you think?
I believe releasing Persona 4 Golden on PC is just the first step for ATLUS to release more games from its franchises on the system. They can't ignore the numbers of those who bought and played it.
So what are your thoughts about this release? Do you plan on picking this game up now that it's on Steam? Do you enjoy persona games? Please let me know in the comments section!
All images are promotional images for Persona 4 Golden, taken from the official sources.
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