I’ve always been a casual observer and player of JPRGs, so it was with much trepidation that I bought Persona 4. The only JPRG I’ve played hardcore over and over to completion is Final Fantasy VII, since it came out at exactly the right moment for me; I was in secondary school so had peers I could talk to about it, we were dirt poor so I didn’t have many games to distract me from it, and generally playing it brings back memories that I like to experience over and over. Its why when I hear people say FFVII is terrible, I cringe a little. I fully understand the problems they have with it, I’m not blind, but I can’t help but love it and feel like I need to defend it. But this post isn’t about FFVII, it’s about Persona 4.
Persona 4 is (to me anyway) an obtuse, deliberately awkward JPRG. If there were a genre of “Deliberately Fucked on Purpose,” Persona 4, Trash Panic and Dark Mist would all fit in there.
I find myself using FAQs to find out an enemy’s weakness, if I don’t my party will fucking die. This happened around 2 am this morning; fighting some enemy who would summon allies every single turn. By the time I gave up there were 5 monsters pummeling my party. I opted to go to bed.
About an hour ago, I got to the same point, but knowing the weaknesses this time got me through it. All was going well until Floor 5 of Yukiko’s Castle. That was where I met Avenger Knight. He critted my two allies and then the main character. Dead. In the first turn.
Yet despite that, I do intend to continue. Its like repeatedly learning the stove is hot. You don’t learn to not touch it, you just invent ways to touch it without getting burned.