Revelations: Persona

"It's a shame that this game never got the credit it deserved... very, very underrated."

Revelations: Persona is a game that's part of the extensive, wonderful, Megami Tensei (MegaTen for short) series. Persona is one of the only few MegaTen games that have made it to American shores, and it's sad really, since the series never got the chance to prove itself. And, as you can tell from the synopsis, this game has a lot to be desired from... if you can get into it, that is. Just ignore what everyone else says, and try it out for yourself. I promise you, you_will_not be dissapointed.

GAMEPLAY:
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Well, the gameplay is excellent. To start things off, the battle system is turn-based. You can acquire weapons like swords, spears, whips, gloves, and so on. Eventually, you can get guns, like uzis and shotguns, for example. But, it doesn't stop there. You have a ''Persona'', or an alternate self of you, to cast magic on your enemies. To top things off, no two Personas are alike, and there's 99 of them. Next comes the negotiation. You can negotiate with your enemies, but you're probably saying that's nothing new, since you can do the same thing in games like Suikoden. But, it's entirely different. Negotiating with the opposition practically depends on getting new Personas, since you'll need the enemy's spell card to create them. And, there's other sides of negotiation, as well. You can either provoke the enemy, scare the enemy, or make the enemy happy. Use the negotiation to your advantage. Also, some of the battles aren't easy street, either. If you think this, you'll be wasted in only a few minutes. Survival usually depends on what Personas you have, how well your weapons are, how strong your armor is, and so forth.

STORY:
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The story in this game is a beauty which cannot be described by words. In other words, it's one of the highlights of the game. It seems almost dark, yet beautiful, and it showcases the philosophical aspects of the human personality, as well. (hence the Personas.) The game has a modern setting, and it does a good job of portraying that. Get into it, and you'll be hooked, wanting to see the outcome of things.

AUDIO/VIDEO:
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Well, the video just may be Persona's only weak point. The overworld map seems a bit bland, with no interactivity going on. The dungeons are kind of bland, as well. But, some of them stand out quite good, and have a lot of detail to them. Also, the game is shown in a first-person perspective. This may be of some trouble when you first start the game, but when you get used to it, everything is fine and well. Now, the Audio is excellent. The Persona discovery theme and the boss themes are excellent, and I applaud Atlus for that. Not just those two, but the music throughout the entire game is excellent. Ranging from bass beats, to ambient, the composer for this game did an excellent job of making the situation stand out with the music.

REPLAYABILITY:
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Once you finish the game, you'll be going back to it, time and again. As I mentioned earlier, there's 99 Personas waiting to be discovered out there, and the game has 2 endings. At first, when you think you finished the game, it doesn't end there... that is, if you gone through some of the game's procedures correctly. Then, the game spans on even longer. You can have different characters in your party, with one of them being a secret. And, when you know what to do, you'll want to play this game again, for nostalgia.

TO BUY, OR TO RENT?:
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If you see this rare game that was once abundant, buy it. This game will probably change the way you look at RPG's, forever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/04/00, Updated 02/04/00