Summary
Persona 3 Reloadis still a few months away, but it’s hard not to look beyond it. Although thePersonafranchise has a sprawling network of spin-offs and side games, it doesn’t have much of a remake track record, soPersona 3 Reloadfeels like the start of something new for the series. Given the new precedent it sets and the broader remake trend in the game industry right now, odds are good thatmorePersonaremakeswill come afterP3R. Atlus has no shortage of options in this regard, butPersona 4 Goldenseems like the most plausible candidate.
Persona 4and its expanded editionPersona 4 Goldenare very close cousins to thePersona 3family of games. A lot ofP4elements ranging from the UI to third-person dungeon crawling to the new Social Link system were drawn directly fromP3, which makes sense, given that the originalP3andP4released only two years apart. Atlus hasn’t confirmed anything, but their close relationship makesP4feel like a shoo-in for a remake afterP3R. Trailers show thatP3Rnotably changes and upgrades a lot ofP3’s original elements, so a remake ofP4– or ideally a remake ofPersona 4 Golden– could follow in its wake by upgrading its own story and game elements.
RELATED:Why Persona 4 Golden Should Get a Remake Before Persona 6 Releases
Activities in Persona 4 Golden’s Inaba and Yasogami High
The dorm inPersona 3 Reloadhas a lot of new activities to offer players; the protagonist can cook, watch TV, and work on a rooftop garden, all with his fellow SEES members. These can go a long way to flesh out relationships and diversify the life sim elements ofPersona, so aP4Gremake could do the same thing. For example, Yasogami High might add new school clubs that let fans hang out with party members and other Social Links under special circumstances, the Shopping District might gain extra businesses with job or shopping opportunities, and Junes might become fully explorable.
Enhancing Persona 4 Golden’s Dungeon Crawls
BothP3andP4feature procedurally generated dungeons, which helps their replayability, but they were mostly composed of featureless hallways and dead-end treasure rooms, meaning exploration could feel repetitive anyway.Persona 3 Reload’s Tartaruslooks dramatically enhanced with more diverse architecture and new interactive features, which is an excellent precedent for aP4Gremake’s dungeons.P4dungeons already feature some puzzles, but a remake could make them significantly more elaborate, more on par withPersona 5’s room-sized puzzles. Aside from that, each dungeon could feature rooms unique to it that draw on the dungeon’s design theme and make procedural generation more exciting.
Borrowing From Combat in Persona 5 Royal
P3Ralready uses a lot from the highly successfulPersona 5 Royal. Two key elements fromP5Rcombat are in the remake: Baton Pass, referred to as Shift inP3R; and flashy All-Out Attack finisher screens for the party members.Persona 3 Reloadsets these newer ideas up as corePersonacomponents moving forward, and both would be great forPersona 4 Golden. Its memorable cast of characters has more than enough All-Out Attack content to offer, andP5’s Baton Pass is too good an innovation on turn-based RPG combat to pass up – as long as Atlus balances combat around it properly.
Persona 4 Golden’s Story Can Grow Further
Persona 4 Goldenarguably has a tighter and more complete story, consideringP3’s occasionally awkward pacing and how Strega falls a little by the wayside, but it can still draw onPersona 3 Reload’s story enhancements. Much like howP3Radds new cutscenes and interaction to flesh out Strega and SEES' male members,P4Gcould use new scenes to strengthen Marie’s relationship with the Investigation Team, further integrate thelate-game party member Naoto Shiroganebefore she joins the team, and so on.
Persona 4 Golden
WHERE TO PLAY
The world-renowned Persona 4 Golden promises unforgettable adventures, meaningful bonds, and heartwarming experiences shared together with friends. They say your soulmate will appear if you stare into a television set on a rainy night… This strange rumor slowly spreads through the rural town of Inaba, the protagonist’s new home, just as a chain of mysterious murders begin. As the protagonist and his teammates chase after the truth, they find themselves opening the door to another world.Explore otherworldly dungeons, take down monstrous Shadows, and confront the darker sides of one’s self as you inch closer to the truth behind the serial murder cases. Venture around the town of Inaba, partake in an eventful school year, meet kindred spirits, and forge invaluable bonds. New quality of life features including improved graphics and smoothness, difficulty selection and quick save functionality.
