Summary
Persona 4 Goldenis something of a modern classic.P4was released in 2008 on the PS2 to critical acclaim but failed to become a widespread hit in the West.Personawas a fairly niche franchise at the time, but its release asPersona 4 Goldenin 2012 on the PS Vita started to change the series hidden gem status.P4Gwas considered one of the few good reasons to own the unpopular handheld. Now thatPersona 3is being remade asPersona 3 Reload, fullPersonaremakes are on the table. Before moving on toP6, Atlus should pay respects toPersona 4 Goldenwith a remake; it is, after all, the game that set the stage forPersona 5’s ascent into the mainstream.
Persona 6is set to make a big departure for the franchise.Persona 5came out in 2016 in Japan before coming to the rest of the world in early 2017. The title began initial development in 2008 before kicking into high gear in 2011.P5pushed the systems that the previous two games had built out to new extremes, and with its conclusion, series creator Katsura Hashino left P-Studio and the franchise he had become known for. Hashino began work on the upcomingMetaphor ReFantazio, and leftPersonaand its development studio to Kazuhisa Wada and Daiki Itoh.
RELATED:Persona 4 Golden Getting Surprise Physical Release
P3, P4, and P5 Were a Series of Their Own
Persona 3,Persona 4, andPersona 5form what many regard as the “modern Persona” games. This distinction has come about because of the vast departures made inPersona 3from previous entries.P3focused on new social elements that helped make the series widely known. It also was the point at which the franchise locked into its high-school setting and focused on combining striking aesthetics with a rich original score.P5, likeP4before it, built on its predecessor, pushing flashy visuals, slice-of-life anime themes, and a unique soundtrack to new heights in each entry. Together, the three games form a complete thought, working increasingly toward Hashino’s vision of what the series could be.Persona 5was genre-defining, so it makes sense then that the series creator wanted to move on after its completion.
Persona 3Reloadis setting out to takeP3and bring it up to date with parts fromP5.P3Ris adding more social mechanics, overhauling its visual presentation, and updating its RPG gameplay with some of the innovations of newer entries. The goal ofReloadisn’t to makeP3intoP5but rather to update the systems and presentation of modernPersona’s foundation to match the version that Atlus spent over a decade forming and refining. There is no reason thatPersona 4shouldn’t receive the same treatment.
It’s time for a Persona 4 Golden Remake
Persona 4pushed whatP3started forward, but its presentation and gameplay isn’t as sleek and refined asPersona 5 Royal. UpdatingP4with the knowledge acquired in makingP5, similar to what is happening withPersona 3 Reload,would serve not only as a great way to give fans of the entry more content to enjoy but would serve as a perfect capstone to an era ofPersonagames. Even ifPersona 6isn’t as big of a departure asP3was fromP2, the series being in new hands will surely be felt.
A Persona 4 Remake Would Be the Perfect End of an Era
Wada and Itoh have worked on thePersonafranchise for a long time, and while their vision will surely be faithful in some ways,Persona 6is the start of a new era. Before saying farewell to the current one entirely, Atlus should givePersona 4the remake treatment as well.Persona 4Golden’s reputation of being the reason to own a Vita set the groundwork forPersona 5’s success. Furthermore,Persona 4is still a great game, so taking fans back to Inaba one last time would be not just a great capstone to an era ofPersonagames, but also a well-deserved victory lap for a classic.
