100%PC

Damn this game just kicks ass. It's kind of how I feel with Borderlands 1 (P4 in this case) and Borderlands 2 (P5 in this case). I love BL2 and it's my favorite in the series hands down, but you just get a BL1 itch sometimes and no other game in the series can cure it. It's exactly the same. I just have a hankering to go back to Inaba at certain points in my life and it feels good to do it. This game has also gotten some hate recently?? I think some creator online was calling it terrible and their argument was that "I'm a writer trust me." 1. I'm a writer too and I don't see the complaints, 2. You stink, 3. What's your bench PR? Bet it's not very high bucko.

80%PC

Pros:
- Best characters in the series
- Great story (though it was impossible not to get spoiled by it)
- Enjoyable combat (though if you played P5 you probably wouldn't enjoy it as much)
- Best social links in the series
- Great soundtrack
- Great voice actors

Cons:
- Combat system got way too easy and repetitive at the end on normal mode
- Progressing through the story and dungeons got stale at the halfway point
- Story felt pretty predictable and like a loop
- Got spoiled on the story, so it wasn't as enjoyable to play through it

80%PlayStation Vita

Makes a ton of changes from vanilla P4. The quality of life changes are nigh-essential and just make the overall experience so much better.
The story additions aren't very good imo. Characters are poorly written, Marie feels really tacked on, and so on and so forth. Not bad in theory, but executed pretty poorly.
Gameplay is made much easier in this version. A lot of that, like adding checkpoints, is great. It really eases the frustration from dying suddenly to hamaon. That aside though, the game's difficulty balance is just busted open by all the new additions. SP refills much faster, it's easier to make broken personas, and some enemies/bosses have new weaknesses added which take the challenge out of them. Playing on a harder difficulty may be recommended for anybody familiar with the series.
I also didn't realize until looking at side-by-side comparisons, but it also changes a lot of P4's atmosphere. P4G also has a great art design, but it is unfortunate that some of the charm of P4 was replaced with P4G's. Just a different feeling, not inherently worse.

I still think the game is great, but i don't consider it an all out replacement for the original like i used to.

95%PlayStation 4

Great game, I wish it was longer. It does take a few hours to get the story rolling, but the voice acting is great. The biggest gripe for me are the random procedurely generated dungeons. Some of the social links are lackluster, but the story is paced well and all of the characters are likeable.

90%PC

peak

85%PC

여전히 재미있는 페르소나
이제는 어지간한거 아니면 예전 그래픽도 거슬리지 않는듯
5는 플레 달았지만 이건 중도포기함

100%Xbox Series X/S

God damn I'm loving this game series. I loved the game, it has an amazing story, the mystery is great and the main characters are awersome I love them all and hold them closely. Overall had an amazing time with it, can't wait to start 5 Royal.

After playing 3 Reload, 4 Golden years show a little bit but it doesn't stop the game from being super polished and well done.

95%PC

Just a month after I finished persona 3 reload, I for some reason decided to begin another 100 hour jrpg by atlus and so here we are.

Persona 4 has easily one of the smallest scale situations in all the persona games I've played so far with Inaba, a small rural town in the countryside of japan. but due to its size there's a certain charm to the place that makes you remember it more distinctly when compared to the other setting cause there really isn't much to see in such a small place.

Persona 4 when compared to Persona 3 and Persona 5 has easily one of the best set of characters, all full of personality and character quirks which makes each and every single one of them distinctive and just fun to see talk. It lets you be able to feel for each and everyone of them and makes their character arcs all the more fulfilling to see.

Although I had been spoilt on the main villain of the game, It didn't deter from the fact that persona 4 has a really good story with some moments that just fricking break your heart and some that just make you want to explode from joy. such that its one of the most enjoyable experiences with good combat gameplay and just excellent life sim segments.

5%Nintendo Switch

Game so bad I couldn't bring myself to finish it.

95%PC

Japanese HS simulator with murder mystery plot and fantasy elements, its also a dating sim.

90%PC

Pros:
Persona 4 Golden's best aspect is its atmosphere. The one in this game is much more friendly and welcoming than what P3 or P5 had. You can see this clearly with Dojima and Nanako. This is greatly complemented by the interactions and dynamics between the party members. They are top-tier, especially in terms of comedy, there are so many hilarious scenes in the game.

I like the mystery angle that Persona 4 used for its story. As a big murder mystery fan, I was instantly hooked. Even though I pretty much already knew it was Adachi due to spoilers, it was still interesting to see how exactly it was foreshadowed using certain aspects. The party members facing their true selves to awaken their personas seemed to be the most in-depth and interesting way to do it across the 3 Persona games I've played. You actually learn a good amount about each character that way and I was always looking forward to how the next party member would handle theirs.

The music in P4 is also absolutely superb. I think it might also be that the musical style of the game really fits me. I especially enjoy all the main day themes. The only real disappointments are the first 3 dungeon themes, but luckily there's also a bunch of bangers in those as well. My favourite song is I'll Face Myself. It plays during those aforementioned Persona awakening scenes but also during other impactful emotional scenes, which is what makes it extremely strong for me.

The number of references to the person you're dating is much more than you'd expect. P4 has a large amount, especially minor ones in small scenes. No idea why it was cut back in P5 because it makes the relationship seem so much more believable.

The customizable difficulty options in the game are nice as they allow you to change specific aspects to fine-tune the difficulty to what you think is appropriate.

The true ending is also great. It ties up all the remaining plot threads and reveals the true culprit behind the entire game. I wasn't expecting the scene where you return to Inaba for the summer either, it's a great showcase of how the characters have truly grown after you helped them face themselves. This is illustrated especially well through the new designs that each character has, which break the color coordination each character had before alongside drastic alterations to their design overall.

Neutral:
Speaking of the true ending, I missed it the first time and had to reload a save to get it. I didn't even have a clue I didn't get the best ending until my friends told me. The game barely gave any hints that there was more to the game, especially the moment where you have to find the route to the true ending. You have to go back to the Junes food court after talking to all the social links you maxed on the last day. I find this illogical because you had to go all over town to talk to the social links, so you think that there's nothing left to see at that point. That's on top of the fact that it's the last day of the game. I was already considering the game done at that point. Because how could there be anything else? There's only one day left in the game.

Regarding the story there are some minor nitpicks. I already knew the culprit was Adachi all along and was expecting some grand reveal, but the way it was eventually revealed felt a bit too cryptic. You have to choose him from a list of your social links, but I don't think there was enough evidence given to the player at the time to support that conclusion. Of course, since I knew the culprit from the start, I can't say this for certain.

Cons:
There are only two parts of the game that I truly disliked. The scene in where you can get the bad endings and the Golden dungeon. Starting with the former.

The way to get the path forward wasn't clear in the slightest and I was very confused as to what it was until I got it. If it was just that I would be able to excuse it since it's a mystery game after all. But it's so incredibly tedious and annoying that I can't forgive it. Every time you fail you have to go through the unskippable credits sequence. But you can't even save right before you make the choice so you have to redo the same segment over and over. It's the only time I got so annoyed at the game it took me out of the game emotionally.

Lastly, there's the Golden dungeon. It goes against the mechanics you've been taught throughout the rest of the game. You can't use the items you had before, you don't gain money and you lose half your SP after every battle. It restricts your strategy and makes you play a simpler playstyle. That's the last thing a JRPG should do, it should be trying to facilitate the creation of unique strategies by new challenges. Not removing features. I have no idea how this dungeon made it into the final game.

70%PC

I would say Persona 4 is a great game extremely weighed down by its major defaults: uninteresting dungeons (except for the bonus Golden content), poor writing in a lot of place, huge queerphobia and very weird and cringe dialogue, but I am glad I finished it. If like me you are around 20 hours in and feels lacking, know that the finale is in my opinion worth it to push further.

100%PC

Good music, really great story with crazy twists, fun and awesome characters. The gameplay when it come to being in the dungeon is kinda meh, mostly in it for the story and characters

95%Nintendo Switch

Great game, the worst in the modern Persona trilogy, although is not bad, it's a 9+ game

80%PC

Persona 4 Golden’s social elements are the perfect addition to JRPG gameplay and its storyline is well done, but the high school drama can be grating and the combat feels like a step back from mainline Shin Megami Tensei.

100%PC

I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game, I love this game.

90%PlayStation Vita

Overview - Persona 4 Golden Edition was a lot of firsts for me. First Persona game, first game completed on PS VITA, and the first game I'd played with an in depth social system that I later learned was somewhat of a staple for the genre. For a while I considered it my favorite game of all time, and although that spot has changed hands several times since, Persona 4 will always have a place at the table when I recall the most fun I've had playing a video game. It's a near perfect JRPG experience that feels timeless. For a game that's nearly 20 years old as of this review, it still stands head and shoulders above most JRPGs released before or since.

Story - The story is a compelling mystery surrounding a series of ritualistic deaths that are plaguing a town in Japan, a town that your character has just moved to. The main cast of characters are fun and vibrant, with lots of cute and comedic interactions balancing the darker moments that drive the main plot forward. The mystery is always at the forefront, but getting to know and love the characters is equally fulfilling. Each character has their own backstory, unique motivations, and with such an expansive cast, there's plenty of charm and story to find.

Gameplay - The gameplay is split between your day to day social life as a Japanese high school student, and the turn based combat found in an alternate world you can go to at night. The social aspects during the day help strengthen your bond to the characters that comprise your party, which in turn results in greater strength when battling at night. The turn based combat is unique and interesting thanks to the Persona system. Persona are essentially spirits that help you fight, and in many ways act as your proxy in battle. If you're familiar with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Personas are analogous to Stands, with each character having a signature Persona with strengths and weaknesses that somewhat mirror the personality of their wielder. All of this makes for highly customizable parties, deeply strategic and satisfying combat, and an overall great experience.

The Bad - Firstly, graphics. It's a game that's nearly 20 years old, and while it was really well done for the time, it does still show it's age, especially if you've already played the newest entry in the series. This is actually helped by playing on the PS Vita, since the screen is smaller so the flaws are smaller too, but it's still worth noting.

And lastly, as late as 50 hours into the game, if you haven't done a small sequence of things, then you'll get the "Bad Ending" which is particularly crushing because of how attached you get to the characters while playing. Because of the nature of the game, even if you had a backup saved data, it would take several hours to course correct, and by that time you've already learned the game's biggest twist, so it can feel tedious, and getting the "Good Ending" after getting the bad ending feels hollow. You can't really find out what it is you need to do without spoiling the ending somewhat, so it's just up to you to do as much as you can before the late game to avoid that.

80%Nintendo Switch

O melhor cast de personagens da franquia disparado. O nível de humor e sinergia deles é de longe o mais divertido e impactante. Agora eu entendo porque esse jogo é o mais querido de uma boa parte da fanbase. Os personagens parecem que tem vida entre si, independente do protagonista (ao contrário do P3 e principalmente do P5). A história não é a melhor e nem a mais impactante, eu achei que se arrasta um pouco além da conta (é o mais curto dos 3, mas pareceu o mais longo por isso), mas vale a jornada para quem já jogou os outros 2. O jogo é muito bem balanceado, mas as boss fights são cansativas demais porque são repetitivas e eles tem muito HP. O remaster deixa tudo mais palatável e fácil, que é muito bem vindo. Os social links são bons, um ótimo upgrade do P3, mas todas as barreiras e "esconder" as coisas é bem ruim. Impossível jogar isso sem um guia para várias partes cruciais do jogo, e eu particularmente detesto jogar qualquer coisa com guia. Excelente pra época, mas muito datado pra jogar em 2024 (se você não conhece e é fã da franquia).

90%PC

If you like RPG’s play this. This game leaves a true legacy that is fully deserved. I should warn that the game has systems that feel quite dated compared to persona 5. If you have just come off that game don’t think that it works the same way.

75%Nintendo Switch

Haven't completely beaten P4 Golden. The Marie and Izanami dungeons were skipped. Really good game though with its story, characters, and settings. The murder-mystery was intriguing for only certain parts to me though, mostly near the end of the game. Favorite characters were Kanji, Rise, Naoto, Chie, Nanako, and Adachi. Romanced Chie on first playthrough. Probably my least favorite of the modern Personas.

85%PC

My first persona game. Yosuke is literally me

60%PC

Good story, but boring side quests, annoying Teddy and very balanced opponents on hard ruined the overall experience of the game

100%PlayStation Vita

All time favorite.

100/100

95%PC

The best persona I've played, it's true that it does lack in dungeon and combat aspects, but the characters, their development in the story, the story itself is probably one of the best I've played in a game, it's really good, definetly recommend it👍

100%PC

10/10

100%PlayStation 4

Really good game with great characters and gameplay. One of my favorite games

100%PC

This is also my favorite game.

Everything about this game is great. The music, gameplay, story, and atmosphere are all on point.

100%PC

THIS. THIS IS THE GAME FOR ME. Persona 4 Golden is a 2012 game that was originally released on the psvita as an enchanced version of the 2008 ps2 hit Persona 4, and was ported to pc in 2020, with a console port releasing in 2023. I first played this game in 2020, as soon as it came out on pc and just a few months after completing P5 for the first time. I needed a new persona experience, and what P4G gave me was completely different from P5, in a good way. You can see this game is a decade old because of the graphics, but the gameplay itself aged quite nicely and if you're coming from P5 you won't be left confused and will actually adapt quite quickly to it. The story doesn't take itself too seriously, with its many comedic skits, even though it revolves around a murder mistery, whose weight can be felt, at the right times. For what concerns gameplay, it's basically the same as P5, alternating between infiltrations this time into the "TV world" and life sim activities. What really sets out this game from its successor, and its predecessor, P3, is the cast of characters you come to know during your stay in Inaba. Every character is memorable, they all represent an archetype of some sorts of course, but its done in a way that is never boring or feels like something already seen: what i'm trying to say is that they feel like real people, people who you'll miss after completing the game and will look at as real life companions when remembering the time spent with them while playing. Most importantly, they are strong people, who managed to face themselves and accept what and who they are, and as easy as it might be done in the story, it's something every one of us should come to terms to: you don't have to be like someone wants you to be. Be yourself. That's what matters, is it not?

90%Nintendo Switch

I have beat 3 and 5 before so this is the last of the big Persona games I needed to play... it was really good. I really liked the characters and the story. It had a good feel to it and was really likable. The only character I didn't really like was Teddie, he was annoying. But the game has a lot of good things to it. The social links are pretty good too. I wasn't huge on the dungeon design since they were all just very narrow-hallway mazes, so every time you encountered an enemy it was very hard to avoid the fight.
But overall, I really did like this game and have a lot of great things to say about it. The pacing is good and the writing is very intriguing and fun, and I like how charming the character interactions are. The voice-acting is also amazing in it. There's a lot of content to the game too.

100%Xbox One

The second Persona game I played. Despite preferring 5 over this one, it still has its place in the series.

90%PC

Having played Persona 5 Royal prior to Golden, I can't help but compare one another. Royal has better combat features, and overall dungeon progression, but Golden's simplicity doesn't hurt it much if at all because of it's story and Pokémon like combat. Teddie is by far one of the most annoying characters you'll deal with in video game history. Outside of Teddie, the last act wasn't as satisfying as it could have been but I wouldn't go as far as to say it fell off. Heavy P5R bias in this review, wonder what I woulda thought of the game had I played Golden first.

90%PC

I like this game more than Persona 3 Reload and can't honestly say I was expecting that.

90%PC

Skipped Cutscenes, used guide for some SL later in the game

95%Nintendo Switch

PRECIOSO JUEGOOO
Claramente con una historia y un elenco muy fuertes, muy coherentes y cohesivos, mucho más directos que el juego anterior.
Sin embargo, no hubieron muchos puntos particulares, principalmente personajes, que sobresalieran a mi parecer. Esto no quiere decir que sean malos personajes pero que, por algún motivo, no sentí una conexión tan personal como la sentí con personajes de Persona 3.
Solo eso creo que me detiene de darle una nota más alta.
En términos técnicos, impresionanteee. La jugabilidad es muy buena, divertida, con una interfaz muy ágil y con dungeons muy fáciles de explorar, con puzzles ocasionales que ayudan a variar un poco la experiencia. Las peleas también tienen un buen nivel de dificultad.
Por último, en cuanto a pensamientos y aprendizajes del juego, solo me queda rescatar los motivos que uno pueda tener para buscar la verdad. El juego entrega una inspiración tremenda para buscar justicia ante situaciones que nos afecten. Simplemente, muy buenooooooo.

70%PC

Great story and characters, but combat and general gameplay are slow. The game could be much shorter. The presentation also looks quite bland in comparison to the new Persona games.

100%PC

One of my fav games of all time. A reload style remaster would go so hard

90%PC

Great game with great music. I wish I would have completed it over a decade ago when I first tried it. I felt very connected to the characters more so than the actual story itself. I was emotional by when it was time to say goodbye. This game is going to stick in my head for a long time.

90%PC

Compared to P5 and P5R, P4G is a solid predecessor. While it does lag due to its age, design, and graphics, P4's setting and characters which serve as the game's heart shine brightly. Every character you meet and locale you visit in Inaba makes the small town feel alive, giving it much more of a personality compared to P5's Tokyo metro. Furthermore, the Investigation Team feels even more tightly knit than the Phantom Thieves, making their interactions the game's highlight.

However, the story feels weaker in comparison to P5's, much more playing like a dungeon of the month formula as the main plot often meanders until later in the year when it ramps up quickly and then dumps a final boss with very little buildup right at the last minute. Then the randomly generated dungeons, which lack the carefully designed polish of P5's palaces, combined with the much more restrictive (due to age) combat system make P4 much more of a slog to play through.

But this is where the criticisms end, as the story's highs, hilarious lines, colorful cast, and rich world help elevate the game more than hinder it. Throw in the usual Persona-quality soundtrack and character designs and you've got a recipe for a truly great game.

95%PC

Definitely gonna play again! It's a really good game, but it's more "simple" than p3 and was struggling a bit during the beginning. Other than that, it's an excellent game!

100%PC

goty de mi vida

100%PC

This is, quite possibly, the best game I have ever played. One of the pinnacles of the RPG genre as a whole. I could talk about this game endlessly. The characters are both realistic and potently entertaining. The gameplay stands the test of time. It is a beautiful game with one of the best soundtracks of all time. The story, while it takes a back seat to a degree, in the endless day-to-day of it all, culminates perfectly. This game has one of the best RPG villains of all time, but most certainly the best Megaten villain. While it suffers from the usual god-all-along shtick, it's human villain is horribly realistic and irritatingly funny. Watch out for the fog.

85%PC

P4 Golden is a well-made jRPG. It has a decent plot but the characters are the strength of this game. When it comes to the dungeons, I found it alright. Maybe not visually stunning because I think its partially auto generated and also the game is quite old. I probably would have found the "socialising to upgrade personas mechanic" kind of strange if I hadn't played Persona 3 first. So yea, there's technically dating sim elements, but it hardly matters and isn't the focus of the game's storyline. What I love about this game is the music (good music => free points). It's pretty unique and charming. Overall, pretty good game.

100%Xbox One

best cast of voice actors

100%PlayStation Vita

My first and favorite Persona game! My favorite game of all time just absolute classic had me hooked immediately <3

90%Xbox Series X/S

Enjoyed the story. Even normal difficulty was a bit of a struggle, but it got better as the game progressed. Kanji is my favorite male character. I should've known there was a setting to auto-click the dialog.

90%PC

Fantastic game. Story is top notch, except for the January dungeon, which feels a bit tacked on. Characters are amazing and the vibe the game gives is beautiful

95%PlayStation 5

One of the best games I've ever played.

90%PC

Awesome JRPG. Better than 5 imo.

100%PC

Persona 4 Golden was my introduction to what would become my favorite video game series of all time, but how does it hold up on it's own? The graphics are dated, the combat is grindy, slow and uninteresting, the dungeons are two hallways repeated ten times, the golden hands fucking suck and the dialogue can be cringy, but I would be lying to myself if I didn't absolutely love this game regardless of it's glaring issues. It is so unique and charming, with characters so incredibly well written and realized that you really do end up caring for PS2 era jpeg's. The small setting in the town of Inaba only serves to reinforce the homey feeling of being where you belong with great friends, and their interactions and frequent outings are cute and well realized, albeit with some pretty embarrassing moments that only serve to reinforce the feeling of living in the mid to late 2000s. The story is simple, with a rather predictable antagonist (who is also great), but it's still a great whodunnit murder mystery realized with great care and passion. Some social links, like Dojima, Marie, Naoto, Adachi, Ai, Nanako and Kou (as well as the investigation team) are amazing and some of the best in the series, but some other ones, like the Temperance and Sun, are pretty mediocre. The soundtrack is charming, some dungeons are quite good, even if they are randomly generated, and some moments are very emotional, especially with the True Ending, which features one of the best epilogues of all time. Although I do believe that Persona 5 Royal has overtaken this game as an overall better experience, you'll still find a ton to love about Persona 4 Golden.

90%PC

Fusing Personas is fun. the dungeons are pretty repetitive and the one thing I enjoyed more in Persona 5. Cool themes and messages, but an average story. I enjoyed the "adventure of the month" progression, and I liked collecting teammates, but the overarching story was where it fell apart. Adachi was a pretty interesting villain, one that you don't see very often in video games, but the final boss of the game felt kind of contrived with having had little build up. Izanami felt like she was thrown in there last minute even if she wasn't. With that said though, the overall theme of truth is pretty relatable in an era of post-truth. Music is, like in all Persona games, top notch. Almost every track in the game was great. I didn't care for most of the social links, but the ones I did care for were pretty good; some even surprised me. With how much social links were in the game, I think some were bound to resonate more than others, and I think it's to be expected that I didn't enjoy all the social links. There were enough links that I liked for me to remember most of the characters positively. Persona games generally have some core motif and I think that Persona 4's motif (truth, self-discovery, and the likes) made me warm up to the characters in this game. The Golden additions to the main story did not blend in with the original story at all. I felt that they could have done more to the story if they wanted to make Golden's additions seem more natural, but how it is right now, the Golden additions seem rather shoe horned in even if Marie is best girl (fight me). I also felt that there was not enough stuff to do outside of social links. You could fish or drink coffee or something but other than that, I definitely noticed the drought of content especially during rainy days.
When the MC left to leave for the train back to his hometown, I actually felt something, which really cemented this game in my memory.