Revelations: Persona

"This is what gameplay is supposed to be like!"

After playing through Final Fantasy IX, I was bored with RPGs. The modern Final Fantasies were actually turning me away from RPGs. I miss the days of Dragon Warrior 4 and Lufia 2. In some RPGs today, I use a peice of tape to hold down the X button, then go eat a ham sandwhich, when I return, the battle is over and I won. I was tired of sitting through games with long (and often boring) stories like FF9 and Chrono Cross. I wanted a game, not a novel. I has about feed up with the RPGs on PSX, until....

What we have here is a MASTERPEICE in its own respect. It is very underrated. When I bought a copy of it I was simpley blown away. This is what RPGs are supposed to be like!

Graphics: The graphics aren't really eye candy, but I don't really care. I've been playing games since 1989, my NES gets more of a workout than any other system. The graphics are not high quality, but I can stand them. The sprites aren't too terribly bad. Dungeons are 1st person 3d and the 3D engine is not bad either. You'll survive the graphics without much of a problem.

Music: Some of the music is kind of catchy. Basicly its what I expected. Some nice, dark music to help set the mood.

Story: The story is good, just like Legend of Dragoon has a good story. Unfortunatly the translation/localization is pretty rough. You shouldn't really worry though, you won't spend the majority of your time reading dialoug. The story isn't bad by any means though. The setting is modern and dark. Its good overall.

Gameplay: This is Persona's prize and joy! We are talking a huge involving battle system! From the start of the game you must use strategy to survive. Battles are turn based. You use Persona for magic. Personas kind of like alter personalities. They are often mythological creatures, kind of like the Gaurdian Forces in Final Fantasy VIII. In battles you can veiw the stats of enemies that you have already fought without using MP or a special item. This helps you analyze enemy weaknesses. The contact system allows you to use special skills that each character has. You can talk to the enemy, tease them, sing to them, tell them a story, anything you want. Doing so may cause abnormal statuses to the enemy, make them join you, make them run, etc. You can change formations without wasting a turn. When you level up, you are allowed to choose what stats you want to increase. Dungoens are long and frequent, but battles are NEVER the same and don't become repetive tasks. The gameplay is what will hook you.

This is a game with alot of depth, strategy and engrossing gameplay. The story is adverage. If you want a long novel, stay away from this game. If you want to challange yourself, this is the game to play! Trust me on this, you will love it if you love RPGs.

Final Score: 10/10
This is what RPGs are all about!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/15/01, Updated 07/15/01