Revelations: Persona

"One of my favorite RPGs ever, and a definitely under-rated game."

Chances are, if you're reading this, you're probably thinking to yourself ''What is this nutball talking about?! Persona a 10?! I heard that game really sucks.'' And, yes, alot of people have said that. Probably the people that haven't played the game through at least once, or played it once at all. What makes this game so great then, you're asking? Well, I'll grade it on the five criteria scale: Gameplay, Story, Audio/Video, Replayability, and Buying value.

Gameplay: 8
This may be Persona's only weak point. The battles are extremely fresh in this game, and they're a nice departure from normal RPGs. Probably the most distinct element is being able to negotiate with enemies to gain their skills and alligience. The actual battles themselves are wonderful. You can choose between using normal hand to hand weapons, guns, and Personas. The battles aren't pushovers, either. You can get killed very easily. Alot of your survival depends on what Personas you have, which affect your weaknesses and strengths. Difficult battles are also a plus. If you're like me, then you're tired of the kindergarten games like Final Fantasy, which, while good in their own right, are a simple push-over in the battle department.

Story: 10
I would give this department a 15 if I could, honestly. This is probably the reason I love this game so incredibly much. The story is very dark, gloomy, and yet philosophical and psychological. It takes an excellent trip into the human mind (litterally. You'll know what I mean if you've played the game) and showcases the multiple sides and personalities that each person usually has in their subconcious. From kind and benevolent personalites to down right evil.

Audio/Visual: 10
What can I say? This game has some of the best RPG music ever. The techno beats tied in with instrumental tunes are an excellent mix. The graphics are good, too. Especially for a 5 year old game. The only drag is that the first person corridor dungeons can get confusing due to the similarity of the layouts, and few landmarks to guide you. The map system helps alot, being able to guide you from where you've already been.

Replayability: 10
This game just has too much replayability. Especially for an RPG. There's just too many secrets in this game. There are quite a few secret characters you can find that will join your party, and they do take some really hard lookin to get. The main story line is also really cool, how you get up to a point you think might be the end, and it does actually end...unless you played the game right. Then it extends on to the true final dungeon and boss. There's also a second story line! But, unfortunately, not in the US release. I bought a japanese copy of Persona just so I could have the privelege to play it. Atlus cut it out because of time constraints, but, the bottom line is, the game, even the US version, has ALOT of replayability. Especially if you want to get all of the massive number of Personas.

Buying value: 10
Buy it. That's all I can say. I rented the game at least five times before I found a copy for sale.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/26/00, Updated 01/26/00