Overall more of a supernatural whodunnit with the philosophical elements loosely mixed in, this is a great game for anyone who enjoys anime tropes more than explorations of the dark depths of the human psyche. To those remembering Persona as a spin-off from a series with strong horror elements, the bubbly comedy of P4 is a big departure from the series. It’s immensely bright, both in its design as well as its plot. What makes Persona 4 very different from the other installments is its overall presentation. In short, the basic building blocks are much the same.įrom Persona 4 onwards, players can control each party member individually if they want to, which allows for better strategizing, but if you enjoy the combination of regular JRPG turn-based combat with using your Personas and exploiting the weaknesses of your foes, you’ll find that in all three titles, albeit with varying levels of grinding involved. Social Links tell you more about your friends and allow you to influence the level of your caught monsters. It can be argued that the individual placements of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 on any ranking of the franchise come down more to personal preference than gameplay elements: in all three of them you fight monsters called Shadows in a world parallel to our own, you capture Persona and create and manage them in the Velvet Room.