Today,Persona 5is considered one of the definitive modern JRPGs. The game received praise for its complex plot, varied characters, catchy soundtrack, and more. It is stillreceiving new installments and spinoffs in 2023, withPersona 5 Tacticacurrently planned for a November release. However, despitePersona 5’snear-monolithic presence in the genre, its predecessor,Persona 4,still holds its own. The quirky small-town mystery ofPersona 4is still going strong even as it approaches the fifteenth anniversary of its initial release.
Debuting in Japan on June 02, 2025,Persona 4tells the story of a series of bizarre murders that rock the small Japanese town of Inaba. Released only two years afterPersona 3and only a year after the enhancedPersona 3 FES,concern at the time was that fans were suffering from “Personaburnout.” This proved not to be the case.Persona 4sold and reviewed amazingly well, topping the charts in Japan and then again in North America when it released that December. Today,Persona 4has an updated re-release,Persona 4 Golden,three spinoffs,Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax,andPersona 4: Dancing All Night,plus multiple animated adaptations, manga, and stage productions. Additionally, characters fromPersona 4appear in bothPersona QandPersona Q2,both crossover titles with other entries in the franchise.
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Persona 4 Golden’sUnexpected Steam Debut
For eight years,Persona 4was thedefinitivePersonatitle, receiving the majority of developer Atlus' attention. AlthoughArenaandPQwere touted as crossovers, theP4characters dominated the screentime, especially inArenaand its sequelUltimax.Dancing All Nightwas a completely unexpected addition to the franchise, transporting the central characters to a brand-new genre: rhythm games. But then came the much-delayedPersona 5in 2016, and its sales and reviews quickly eclipsed that ofP4.
Persona 5got its own updated re-release inPersona 5 Royaland its own spinoffs –Strikers, Dancing In Starlight,and the upcomingTactica. P4seemed reduced to a footnote, its characters relegated to DLC battles inRoyaland an appearance in the three-way crossoverQ2.Until, in 2020, with almost noprior announcement or advertising, the previously PlayStation-exclusivePersona 4 Goldenappeared on PC via the Steam service. This was a massive success, eventually prompting a wide release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and the Nintendo Switch in 2023, a full fifteenyearsafter the original release ofPersona 4.
Despite the Steam release ofGoldencoming a decade afterPersona 4’sdebut and well after that ofPersona 5,it was a massive hit. It was Steam’s best-selling JRPG for many months, beating the record previously set byFinal Fantasy 15 Windows Edition.Just a month after its initial release, the game had over 500,000 players on Steam. One year later, in 2021, news site Persona Central revealed that the game had sold over one million copies on Steam alone.Golden’sSteam was release successful partially due to timing – it dropped in the middle of COVID-19 lockdowns, when people were more eager than ever to dive into a long game – butPersona 4 Golden’scompelling story, fun setting, and intriguing central mystery are definitely also responsible.
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It’s No “Mystery” Why Persona 4Succeeds
Persona 4certainly features the series' standard supernatural elements – the characters travel through TVs to battle Shadows, representations of their doubts and fears – but it is, at its core, aclassic “whodunnit” mystery. Bodies are found hanging from telephone poles on foggy mornings, and the police seem to have no idea who’s responsible. The Investigation Team, a determined octet of high school students (and one mysterious bear-like creature pretendingto be a high school student), decides to solve the mystery on their own. In the end, the player is forced to select the culprit’s name from a list of suspects, and ultimately bring them to justice when law enforcement can’t or won’t do so.
It’s a well-written mystery, tricky to solve but not impossible. While the game spends a lot of time on the supernatural dungeon-exploring Persona-battling part, it also includes all the standard mystery-solving stuff: collecting clues, interrogating witnesses, and pursuing suspects. Putting the final identification of the culprit in the player’s hands is a great narrative move, as it makes the player feel like they’ve really been a part ofPersona 4’s Investigation Teamthe whole time.
The mystery genre has seen a bit of a resurgence in recent years, thanks to a mix of factors including the escape room craze, games likeAmong Us,and films likeKnives OutandGlass Onion.Although the solution toPersona 4’scentral puzzle can be found online – and is treated like open knowledge in theArenaandDancinggames – it’s definitely possible that many of the new players introduced toGoldenvia the 2020 and 2023 releases were playing unspoiled. The allure of a mystery game with a possibly still unknown solution during this “mystery renaissance” madePersona 4 Goldenperfectly situated to experience a quite literal “Goldenage” of its own.
What Does This Mean For Persona 4’sFuture?
Persona 4 Golden’songoing success, even amidstPersona 5’snearly overwhelming presence, is a potentially good sign for the game’s future.Persona 3,its predecessor, was recently announced to be receiving a remake for modern consoles. It is definitely possible, especially if this remake does well, thatPersona 4 Goldenwill get the same treatment in a couple of years. APersona 5 Strikers-style musouspinoffor aTactica-style tactics spinoff seem less likely, but are not impossible if Atlus wants to celebrate the game’s success in a major way.
It is truly impressive thatPersona 4 Goldenhas managed to maintain such a presence in the gaming world while competing with the juggernaut that isPersona 5.Like the Investigation Team that forms its central cast,Persona 4is scrappy and ragtag, yet still able to stand up against larger and more powerful foes. One thing is certain: for gamers who have not yet experiencedPersona 4 Golden,now is the perfect time.
Persona 4 Goldenis available now for PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
