From the big success of Persona 4 to Persona 5, which becomes one of Steam’s most popular JRPGs during its release, the Persona series is now a cultural phenomenon around the world. And of course, such popularity has led to multiple spin-off games on the horizon. As a big fan, it was always thrilling to know whether these spin-offs are up to standard.
The dancing game spin-off Persona 4: Dancing All Night has been a joyful addition, arousing my curiosity of how Arc System Works translate the Persona charm to the fighting game genre. With its first released for arcades in 2013, and for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2014, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax finally gets a PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC version this week.
After diving into the game for hours, all I can say is that the developer has pulled it off marvelously. From the story that ties it all together from the previous games to the easy-to-grasp controls, you will find yourself fit in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax perfectly even if you’re not a veteran of the genre.
▍A Story That Ties It All Together
The story of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax combines the epilogue of Persona 4 and Persona 3. You will go through the story of what happened after the last events of Persona 4, and also get to see the Persona 3 cast work together to solve the mysterious problem that appeared shortly after the incidents of their respective games.
The best thing about the Story Mode is that as you go through the different chapters, you’ll get to try out the characters during the fighting segments so that you can see which one is the best for you to control. Just…make sure you select the P4A episodes instead of the Episode P4 because if you switch the order, you’ll certainly get very confused.
Unfortunately, even on a PS5, the game still has a locked framerate, and key graphical elements, such as sprites and the UI haven’t been upscaled greatly from their PS3 and XBOX older parts, and it shows, especially on a more modern display. However, the loading times are lightning-fast, taking no time at all to put you in the action.
▍Tons of Modes to Enjoy!
Of course, the story mode is not the only thing the game has to offer. You can also enjoy Campaign Mode, which allows you to choose a character and go through a gauntlet, featuring a series of opponents you must defeat. The gauntlet also includes small cutscenes involving the character as you go.
You can also try Arcade Mode, which is tied closely to the arcade version, which you can find in the Japanese arcades in the old days. Choose a character, and an AI opponent and duke it out in a quick battle! You can also pass an additional controller to a friend and enjoy a quick match together.
Next, there’s Dungeon Mode, where players have to fight a series of sequentially stronger enemies, and level up their characters. By leveling up, you’ll be able to add bonuses to your stats, and unlock new skills you can use in all of the in-game modes (with the exception of Story Mode).
And finally, we have the Score Attack mode, which pits you against 10 opponents in succession. The objective of this mode is to get through as many fights as possible while also taking the least amount of damage. This challenging mode is obviously made to satisfy the veteran gamers, who always looking for more skilful opponents.
▍Enjoy Gorgeous Art in the Gallery
One of the additions to the new version was the gallery. As you clear through the modes, you can take a look at some of the gorgeous artwork drawn by Shigenori Soejima, the artist behind most of the artwork in the Persona series. You can even zoom in and out, and take a look at the game’s early concept art and special illustrations.
▍Newbie to Fighting Games? No Problem!
Some fighting games make it hard for players who are still inexperienced to truly enjoy them. But Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is undoubtedly one of the most accessible among all. Mainly because the game has toned down the difficulty for fighting game novice. There are also many tutorials that you can replay as many times as you’d like, as well as training modes to get a grasp on the combat.
If you’re unsure which character you should start with, Teddie will be a good option. As one of the most beginner-friendly characters, Teddie can easily counter an enemy’s attack and wipe your AI opponents on the floor.
▍Battle Online in Ranked Matches
By connecting to the Internet, you can experience a few more modes such as the lobby and the Ranked Matches. Ranked Matches will pit you against a random opponent and if you win, you move up in the rankings, and the scoreboard changes periodically.
At the lobby, you can chat with other players around the world, and if you both are near each other, you can trigger a battle to occur. This one is mainly a “for-fun” battle: Losing or winning has no bearing on your ranking.
Furthermore, with the rollback netcode update, which came out shortly after release, the game inputs feel smooth, and it’s a feature that has been highly requested by fans. I’m glad the developers managed to implement such a feature.
▍Is Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Worth Your Time?
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a great spin-off game for those who want to try out something new for the Persona Series. Even if you’re not very used to the hectic playstyle of fighting games, it’s still very accessible and provides a fun time for you and your friends.
While the selection of stages and characters is certainly a lot lower than other contemporaries of its genre, you are still recommended to give it a try. More importantly, the canonical story that continues from the Persona 4 game is something that the series’ fans cannot miss considering its engaging plot and newly introduced characters!
