Persona 4 Arena Ultimax originally came to arcades in 2013 and now makes its triumphant return to consoles with a new port that features previously released downloadable content, all of the gameplay balancing changes that came in version 2.50 (previously exclusive to Japanese arcades), and visual improvements such as a better-looking user interface and a higher resolution. While nine years have passed, the good news is that Atlus’ stylish fighting game largely holds up and remains a treat for Persona fans.
Similar to developer Arc System Works’ Granblue Fantasy: Versus, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax has been designed with approachability in mind. Inputs aren’t nearly as complicated as Guilty Gear and auto combos are in full effect if players wish to mash their character’s light attack repeatedly. However, that isn’t to say there isn’t depth to the action as it takes full advantage of the RPG series’ gameplay by making two of the four attack buttons tied to characters’ Personas, which are then summoned into battle to pull off abilities and attacks. Rather than just being an attack, Personas can be damaged themselves and even temporarily disabled if they take enough hits and will severely limit a player’s offensive arsenal. Throw in some other gameplay mechanics that reference the main series, such as all-out attacks, and you have a fighter that is pretty approachable and also a lot of fun to learn the nuances of.
When Persona 4 Arena Ultimax launched on consoles back in 2014, it also came with a lot of downloadable content that ranged from the story mode of its predecessor to three playable characters (two of which were free at launch) and a plethora of additional colors and voices. Thankfully, nearly all of the DLC is included in this $29.99 package allowing fans to finally check out all the alternate versions of characters without having to break the bank. Including the story for Persona 4 Arena is particularly handy as it serves as an excellent follow-up to Persona 4 Golden and offers plenty of fun moments with the cast of characters that fans have grown to love.
Similar to what fans have come to expect from the BlazBlue series, the story mode is primarily a visual novel with fights that occasionally break out and require the player to beat an opponent to continue. “Require” might not be the right word here, as the fights can even be automated and played by the computer if players want to purely take in the story passively, which is a great addition considering many Persona fans might be novice fighting game players and this avoids potential roadblocks. In total, there are three different new stories to experience: one focusing on the Persona 4 gang, another showcasing Persona 3‘s eccentric cast, and a much shorter one solely featuring Adachi that fleshes out one of the series’ most intriguing characters even more.
While the lengthy story mode will take up around 20 hours of your time (and even more if you go through Arena‘s story as well), most fighting games thrive or fail depending on their multiplayer. The good news is that online play in the PlayStation 4 port is generally fine, but several instances of lag and connection errors popped up across the 100 online matches I played. It is worth noting that rollback netcode is scheduled to be implemented into Persona 4 Arena Ultimax this summer, though. That’s a great addition, but seeing how most people will be playing at launch, it’s a bummer that they’ll experience non-optimal online play and only those that stick with the rerelease will get to experience it in its full glory.
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There are a few other single-player distractions that are worth checking out for players looking to hone their skills. Beyond a solid tutorial, which Arc System Works has always excelled at, there are standard arcade, challenge, and score attack modes. Golden arena mode is one of the more interesting of the bunch as it embraces the series’ Shin Megami Tensei‘s roots by adding in several RPG elements. Players are able to level up as they go deeper down a dungeon, making their character more powerful and choosing up to four skills that give them unique buffs in battle. It’s a great mode with plenty of replayability, including a limited event course on top of the default difficulty ones, and Arc has even added one additional skill to this remaster.
The new Persona 4 Arena Ultimax port is a resounding success. It allows a fan-favorite fighting game to be easily played on current consoles and PC, while also offering up the definitive package. While it’s not quite the visual marvel it was eight years ago as Arc System Works’ own Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ have raised the bar in that regard, it still looks and plays great. It’s an excellent way to kick off the Persona series’ 25th anniversary, which will hopefully feature more ports and remakes similar to this.
SCORE: 8.5/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
