Persona
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Revelations: Persona (Megami Inbunroku Persona (女神異聞録ペルソナlit: Alternate Goddess Tale Persona): Be Your True Mind (JP PS1/PC) is a 1996 role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus. It is the first entry in the Persona series, itself a subseries of the Megami Tensei franchise, and the first role-playing entry in the series to be released in the west. Originally released for the PlayStation in 1996 in Japan and North America, the title was ported to Microsoft Windows in 1999.
A remake was released on the PlayStation Portable retitled Shin Megami Tensei: Persona releasing in both North America and Japan in 2009, and the following year in Europe. This port featured new cutscenes and a reworked English localization that was more faithful to the original Japanese release.
Good Qualities
- The concept of obtaining magical cards that allows the user to use his/her mind to summon mythological beings is very interesting and well-executed which becomes the important staple in the series.
- The US PS1 versions lowered the difficulty (less trap chests, more EXP gained and less frequent random encounters) to be accessible for newcomers of the Megami Tensei franchise and learn how to play them.
- Decent-written story as it's about the protagonist and his friends must defeat the evil organization SEBEC whom are responsible for the demon attacks and Maki's state.
- Very great soundtrack in both the original PS1/PC and the PSP remaster. The PS1 and PC versions have a 1990's dark shounen atmospheric feel which fits the tone of the game and the PSP remaster version resembles the music used in the current era Persona games.
- The negotiation system in battle, while clunky. Has a very cool concept which the demons have a behavior meter which if you get a good response, it'll increase its happiness and will give you rewards such as Tarot cards and items.
- A lot of things to do which greatly expands in later Persona games.
- Collect Tarot cards to fuse and gain Personas in the Velvet Room.
- Gamble by using the slot machines to earn coins for stronger weapons and items which is advised to do this early just in case if the player gets a game over.
- Do both routes (SEBEC and Snow Queen Quest) in the Japanese PS1/PC and PSP remaster version and learn the stories which has great detail of the world surrounding the Persona series.
- "Mark danced crazy!"
- Great voice acting in all versions especially the US/EU versions of the PSP remaster.
- Though poorly optimized and a glitchy port. This is one of the luckiest older Megami Tensei games to get a PC port (Japanese and physical only) which possibly inspired others to do the same in the future such as Persona 4 and Shin Megami Tensei III: HD Remaster.
- Decent to likable characters which the most likable would be the protagonist due to his goal of saving Maki and the world, hanging out with his friends and defeat SEBEC once and for all.
PSP Remaster
- The outside map system in the PSP remaster is fixed and has the traditional old Shin Megami Tensei I and II top view feel to it.
- Normal and Easy mode balances the enemies to make them less frustrating and lowers the artificial difficulty the PS1/PC versions was infamous for.
- Agastya Trees which are the save points of the game, have increased to make the game less frustrating and lessens the difficulty spikes found in the PS1/PC versions.
- Every version uses the Japanese plot settings, character names, character designs and personalities and the only kept localization change is "Mark danced crazy!"
Bad Qualities
- The localization of the original US PS1 version was very badly done as they changed the ethnicities of the characters to Caucasian American while for Masao Inaba became an African American (possibly due to his street delinquent personality) which is stereotypically done poorly, the near removal of Japanese references except for shoe lockers, Shinto Shrines and the music for one of shops is kept, unnecessary redesigns for some characters and some Persona names are changed (EX: Vishnu is called Ashura).
- Despite the mature content being enough to get a T rating. The localized US version got an E rating (K-A) by the ESRB though thankfully the PSP remaster got the rating mentioned earlier.
- The graphics did not age well as the game looks like a low budget Strategy-RPG rather than being turned based and the models are very muddled and heavily pixelated.
- The gambling minigames are luck-based and very hard which would require save scumming and the save points are scarce in the game as trying to walk up to them will require you to go through enemy encounters a lot even worse if you're playing the Japanese PS1 version or the PSP remaster on normal or expert.
- The good endings for both routes are hard to get due to having to answer a plethora of questions in the near end which will require the player to use a guide in order to easily answer them.
- The combat animations are very slow and makes the battles tedious. Thankfully they can be skipped via the options menu.
- The PC port is very poorly optimized and buggy such as if you use a 32 or 64-bit PC. Saves will not work and the game will crash if attempting to do so.
- The original PS1/PC's outside map system is very clunky as the camera is too close to the player's icon as well as the movement.
- The Snow Queen Quest route got removed in the US PS1 versions. This is possibly because Kenta's mini-boss design would cause the ESRB to give it an AO rating at the time considering how strict they were with mature content.
PSP Remaster
- The Japanese version does not have voice acting (except in combat and for cutscenes featuring Philemon) and uses only subtitles. This is because Atlus wanted to give respect for the original Japanese PS1 voice actors.
- The Japanese PSP remaster also moved many of the Kanji and switched them to different places for the name registration screen in which if you wanted to have the protagonist's name such as his manga name (Naoya Toudou). You'll have to scan your eyes for it or look up a playthrough using the name (if it doesn't skip the name registration screen).
Reception
Original
Revelations: Persona received positive reviews.
Famitsu was generally positive about the setting and plot, and enjoyed the careful incorporation of Megami Tensei gameplay mechanics alongside new features.
GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann called it "a truly different RPG", praising the story, setting and gameplay, while criticizing the quality of the localization and feeling indifferent about the graphics and level layout.
The Electronic Gaming Monthly review team considered the contemporary setting and multitude of options in battle to be refreshingly original, though they found the complexity of the battles overwhelming at points.
Next Generation also complimented the originality of the setting, but concluded the game "lacks the kind of cohesion needed to be called great." The reviewer elaborated that the frequent shifting of gameplay perspectives is frustrating, and that "Missing is a fluid unraveling of the story, and in its place is a fragmented disclosure of the facts, interrupted entirely too often by battle scenes."
Game Informer variously complemented the game for its challenging gameplay, and story and setting, with one reviewer calling it "the best PlayStation RPG available."
GamePro's Art Angel said the same, and added that it "may even challenge the upcoming Final Fantasy VII as the season's best RPG." He cited the informative and efficient interface, lack of pixelation, spell effects, voice clips in battle, fun persona system, and the replay value stemming from the multiple endings. Jeff Walker, writing a retrospective review of the game for RPGamer, generally shared points of praise and criticism with Gerstmann, summing the game up as "a sure winner". RPGFan writer EsquE was positive overall about the game, calling it "an achievement in dedicated game design", and saying in closing that "[Revelations: Persona] deserves much more respect than it has received."
During its debut week, Persona sold 201,147 copies. These would remain the best first-week sales in the franchise until the release of Persona 5 in 2016. In its year of release in Japan, Persona sold 391,556 units, reaching number 21 in the 100 best-selling games of that year. Persona was described at the time of its original western release as a "sleeper hit".
Remake
Eric L. Patterson of Play was highly positive about the game's old-school mechanics and the chance to replay it with an improved localization and the Snow Queen route reinstated. He did say that for fans of the PlayStation 2 Persona games, "[Persona] could very well feel like a punch to the face and a boot to the crotch."
Jeremy Parish of 1UP.com said that the way Persona broke away from RPG norms through the communication with demons during battle made it essential playing for fans of the genre. He was generally positive about most aspects apart from its visuals.
Game Informer's Joe Juba, despite noting awkward navigation and the inability to appreciate character and enemies designs due to their small sprite size, generally praised the game for improving on the original game's flaws.
GameSpot's Lark Anderson was more critical than most, praising the story and improved localization, but finding the combat, navigation and graphics fairly dated compared to both recent and contemporary RPGs. IGN's Sam Bishop shared critiques about the graphics with other reviewers, but enjoyed most other parts of the game, and particularly appreciated the inclusion of the Snow Queen route. RPGamer's Glenn Wilson and RPGFan's Neal Chandran generally echoed other reviewers' sentiments: Wilson cited it as a less enjoyable game than the PlayStation 2 Persona entries while still being a quality project, and Chandran called it "a killer trip down memory lane with a pair of high-definition rose-colored glasses." Shin Megami Tensei: Persona was also awarded RPGFan's Editor's Choice Award.