Persona 4 Golden

Man where do I even begin with this game, if you are contemplating getting it or haven't played it, you ABSOLUTELY NEED to. After beating it and getting the "main ending" this is definitely my second favorite game of all time (only second to P5R). There is so much about this game that makes it absolutely perfect. The only negative thing I can even think about this game (other than teddie) is the Dungeons. They are definitely a lot more boring compared to P5 and P3R but even then they are still kinda fun despite being one of the only low point I can think of for this game. No other game will ever compare to this when it comes to aesthetics, story, and characters. The characters are genuinely funny and all have their own amazing developments, as well as deep and funny connections to each other that make me love all of them (except teddie). Even though some people may be turned off or not like it as much because of the older graphics, but honestly they give the game a fun older charm because this version of the game still holds up to this day compared to the more modern persona games. I could go on and on about everything and how amazing this game is but just play it and experience this masterpiece yourself. 10.5/10 <3

The game is fantastic don’t get me wrong but I guess I just need more experience with older titles of the Persona series. BECAUSE WHY AM I STRUGGLING ON THE 3RD CASTLE

The entire Persona franchise—since Persona 3, at least—changed my life. Persona 3 has a deep, meaningful message and charming characters, while Persona 5 Royal, alongside its message, offers delightful gameplay, nice visuals, a great story, and the 15 hours added in Royal are the best of the entire Persona—and, I dare say, SMT—series, adding sublime new characters and refining the protagonist. Both games taught me valuable lessons that I will carry with me throughout my life. Thus, I highly recommend playing them.

That said, let's talk about Persona 4 Golden. I played it when I was a child on my PS Vita. I remember that I somehow had already heard about the Persona series and, since it had Golden in the title, I decided to give it a shot. I don’t remember much of the game—in fact, I remember almost nothing—but I do recall enjoying it as a child, and I’m experiencing some déjà vu while playing it now. I will edit this review after beating the game.

As for Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5 Royal, its predecessor and successor, I highly recommend playing both of them. For Royal, make sure to look up how to get the true ending—don’t worry, the guides contain no spoilers, and it’s easy to accomplish. You don’t need to play the Persona games in order to understand the story, as they aren’t directly connected.

You can feel the love that was put into making this. The character interactions are fun and heartwarming, the story is compelling. It has everything. My personal favourite game of all time.

Every day’s great at your Junes!

My first encounter with the Persona series was… underwhelming. I tried Persona 5 Royal when it came to Game Pass a few years ago, but I just didn’t get it. Playing as a high school student, commuting on the subway, handling daily routines, so it all felt boring and unappealing. After two hours, I uninstalled it and moved on.

Fast forward to recently, I got a Steam Deck and decided to give the series another shot. And let me tell you, that was one of the best gaming decisions I’ve ever made. After fully completing Persona 4 Golden and reaching the true ending, I can confidently say that I’ve never seen a story so intricate, layered, and full of twists. The detective mystery is gripping, but at its core, this game is really about something deeper of course friendship, self discovery, and the bonds that shape who we are.

The more time you spend in Inaba, the more it starts to feel like home. Strengthening social links isn’t just some game mechanic. It’s a way to really connect with these characters, to see their struggles, their dreams, and what makes them who they are. By the time the journey ends, it doesn’t feel like just finishing a game it feels like saying goodbye to real friends.

Gameplay-wise, dungeons can get a bit repetitive, and enemies are easy to memorize once you figure out their weaknesses. But the boss fights? That’s where the game truly shines. Each one is well-designed, challenging, and requires strategy rather than just brute force.

I absolutely loved all the extra activities, like the Seaside Trip, New Year’s Celebration, visiting another school, the Ski Resort trip, and so many other small but meaningful moments. These events made the world feel even more alive, strengthened the bond with the group, and created an atmosphere that felt warm, nostalgic, and unforgettable.

But what really makes Persona 4 Golden special is its atmosphere. It’s warm, nostalgic, and genuinely comforting. Even after 120 hours, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. That’s why I’m already planning to replay it on NG+ with the additional content. And as if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also started Persona 3 Reload, eager to experience more of what this series has to offer.

If you’ve never played Persona before, or if like me you tried it once and didn’t connect with it, give it another chance. P4G is an experience that stays with you long after the credits roll.

Totally Recommended!

This is my first love for JRPG. Characters are lovable, the music is beautiful, the story is intriguing, combat is challenging (so long as you don't grind too much). What else do you want from a JRPG?

I think this is still the best persona, it tends to focus more on the visual novel aspect more than the other games. I think that this does hurt the replay value if you just play for the combat but the casual experience is probably the best out of all the games. What I liked most is that the paranormal aspect of these games tends to be more of a backdrop and instead there is a focus on everyday life with fun character interactions.

9/10.

Would be a 10 with the original P4 intro song.

Chie is best girl.

Rise achievement may possibly be a war crime on mental health.

A little over four hours in. Awesome turn based JRPG mechanics and a really interesting story so far. Not sure where it's headed but I believe in the developers.

Awesome storyline (Check)
Awesome characters (Check)
Awesome music (Check)

One of the best video game that i've ever played

great story, characters and music, didn't hit me as hard as persona 3 or 5 personally but its amazing nonetheless

Persona 4 Golden was the first Persona game I managed to complete after contemplating for years which game I should start the series off with. After finishing, I personally enjoyed it the most as my introduction to the series and wished I chose to play much sooner! What I usually find issue with in Persona games is both the pacing and volume of content, but P4G handles both the best compared to others in the lineup. I enjoyed so much in Inaba without being overwhelmed by how many activities you could do outside of story progression.

Every character in the Investigation Team introduced is someone beloved and layered to the point where I enjoyed everyone's company to max out their social links. I'd expect at least 1-2 characters to be written as off putting compared to the main cast not a single one ever raised that flag for me, not even Teddie. I will miss Chie's galactic punts, visiting Aiya to boost my social stats, going to the shrine to help me increase Rise's social link, grinding wealth hands in the bathhouse, and much, much more. I will definitely revisit the game for a NG+ run.

Absolutely, insanely peak game. Was a bit thrown off by the fact that the game was like, half dialogue at first (given that this was my entry to the persona franchise) but my God was it easy to get invested in every possible way. Gameplay is actually really fun (coming from someone who has never completed a turn based rpg before,) aesthetic is great to look at, cast is incredible (to put it lightly,) story is awesome, and that's not even MENTIONING the soundtrack. Probably one of the best games ive ever played. i'm gonna miss it so bad.

Favorite PS2 game of all time, the golden edition adds some nice QOL features and extra social links that really make the story more enjoyable, can't recommend this RPG enough.

Great game. Love the story, characters, and Inaba as the setting. Dungeons are varied, but a bit dull. Persona 5 or Persona 3 Reload players may find the lack of a baton pass/shift in battle jarring.

So why the thumbs down? Because it crashes randomly on AMD GPUs with driver version 22.5.2 or later. Seriously, Atlus?

So far so good, I like the whodunit aspect of the game. Haven't gotten very far but it looks promising. I enjoyed Persona 5 Royal very much, so I expect to enjoy this game quite a bit as well.

banger soundtrack and super fun, even if it has aged a bit it is still my favourite persona game.

I loved this game so much, although the combat may be a bit repetitive, the story and characters make it entirely worth it. 70+ hours well spent.

this game is simple increadible the music is fantastic like all persona games,the music is very diffrent from the other games in the series but just as good if not better.
the story is great heartwarming and heartbreaking at times. the characters are all great reletable and feel like real people and real friends. every single character gets time to shine and develop, all their stories are great and you get really attached to them and want to see them happy. the game really makes you feel like you are not alone.
if you love story driven games anime or jrpgs this is a must play you will not be sorry.

Starting the game complaining about how long the opening sequence is

Ending the game complaining about how it should be longer.

i really have nothing bad to say about this game (other than the painful dungeons). out of all the games, i love the cast here the most, especially naoto, kanji and chie. everything felt like one big friend group that felt like family, close to home.

If you want to start playing persona, play this. It has a fun cast of characters and really good soundtrack. it may have a pretty flat combat and game system but in my opinion it is quite good and makes it so when people play persona 5 they can say how its so much better instead of playing p4 after p5 and being discouraged by the different combat system

Truly a beautiful gaming experience
this game has it all characters story gameplay setting soundtrack
i never played a game like this before and i don't think i will in the future
it's by far my (favourite game of all time)

There is so much I hate about this game. In almost every way I consider it worse than 5 and 3 (atleast fes and portable, not reload) Teddie is the worst character in any persona game, the investigation team are mainly consisted of goofy stupid yes-men, the pacing of the game is far worse than 3, 5, and even 1 and 2 EP, with there being little to no progress on the case for almost half the game, and as a mystery story I heavily feel that it fails in keeping pace. I love detective novels, mainly due to the feeling of being able to solve the case alongside the characters, but for almost the entire game the characters are far behind the player in figuring everything out, leading to you feeling frustrated and the characters often seeming stupid. In my opinion the combat is worse than in fes, despite me often struggling with the ai controls. The party members often feel imbalanced, and there is always a clear best party setup which you can get at the third dungeon (Kanji, Yukiko, Chie), and other party members (especially Yosuke and Naoto) feeling very weak. The game is also really easy, but at the same time very tedious. The weakness and resistance system is very jank, some enemies have hidden resistances that arent stated, some are weak to certain elements but still take decreased damage, some take more damage from certain elements, and you would have no way of knowing it without using the wiki. Most bosses have a hidden almighty and physical resistance, and with those being the two best elements, many bosses can feel very tanky and annoying. The dungeons are inferior to both tartarus which while bland was a sort of enjoyable playground to fight enemies, and also much worse than palaces. The dungeons in P4 are often very empty, compared to tartarus which felt much more compact. Running through empty hallways isnt more fun just because its bigger, and the "gimmicks" for each dungeon range from essentially having no effect, to being very tedious. So, the combat is worse, the dungeon crawling is worse, I much prefer the phantom thieves and S.E.E.S over the investigation team, as they feel like they have much more organic interactions with the player; if you act like an asshole they call you out on it, compared to the investigation team who always adore you no matter what, except for at the very end of the game where there is one argument with Yosuke. Thats it. But I still absolutely adore this game and I find it hard to pinpoint why. Despite that I will give it my best attempt. First off, despite me not liking the investigation team as a group, the individual characters in their social links are mostly great. Kanji is a really relatable character, Yosuke feels incredibly realistic as a depiction of a city boy bored with his life in a small town, who learns to apprieciate it not for what there is to do, but for his friends who live there with him, Naoto, who, while being an incredibly flawed character in many ways I found really enjoyable and helped me reflect on a lot of things regarding myself, And I find Yukiko to be a very good character as well, trying to rebell against everything despite it being a life she enjoys, simply because she doesnt feel she gets a say in the matter. The supporting cast outside of the main group is honestly my favorite out of any persona game, Nanako is precious and really succeeds at making you care for her. The social link with Naoki is really special and feels a lot like the Akinari social link, aka the greatest social link in the series in my opinion. Dojima is my favorite character in this game and I could probably ramble about him for ages. He reminds me a lot of my own father. Before I played Persona 4 I didnt really understand why it would be anyones favorite, and going into it having been spoiled regarding the culprit I wasnt expecting that to change given I assumed there wouldnt be much merit to a murder mystery mystery when I knew the solution, but I think having been spoiled inadvertently helped me understand Persona 4 better when I played it, because I didnt treat it like a murder mystery, I treated it like a story about someone coming to a small town, growing, and helping others grow, eventually growing into a true family for him. Before I didnt get it, I assumed it was just nostalgia or something similar, but now I want to say: If you think Persona 4 is the best game in the series, I get it. But also I hate Teddie so much.

A pesar de sus años el juego ha envejecido bastante bien, gráficamente y ni se diga en el guion, es un juego que la primera vez que lo juegas sin saber nada de el te cambia bastante la perspectiva de la vida e incluso te hace reflexionar sobre tu propio ser, acaso eres tu verdadero yo? o simplemente eres lo que quieras que los demás vean de ti

Great game but I've lost interest before the end twice now, and then restarted when I come back months or years later.
That is to say, 109 hours and never finished it.
One finds it most unbecoming.

fun af game. I'm lowkey sad i'm almost done wit the entire game BUT persona is peak af especially p4g

The graphics and combat mechanics may be outdated in comparison to more recent Persona titles, but the story and characters are totally worth playing this game for. Can't wait to experience this story again when Atlus eventually gets around to remaking the game.

W game W characters W story L combat

An excellent remake of one of the best Atlus has to offer. Highly recommend for those both familiar with Megaten games and newcomers alike. The combat is extremely rewarding, not too grindy, and the story is tons of fun to experience along the way. IMO this is worth it at full price, but it goes on sale pretty often, so if you wait, your patience will be rewarded with a very fun title at an extremely fair price. 9/10

peak storytelling fuckin goddamn love this cast to the heart

Persona 4 Golden masterfully blends RPG turn-based combat with visual novel elements, offering a unique experience that also serves as a high school life simulator. You play as a high school student who has just moved to the small town of Inaba, where everyone seems to know each other. However, the peace of the town is shattered by a series of mysterious murders that you must solve.

The game's storytelling is exceptional, immersing you in the lives of high school students. You'll find yourself falling in love, feeling jealous, and getting frustrated. However, the protagonist's overly cool and perfect, I referred him as a "giga-chad." It can sometimes make players feel a bit detached. This flawless main character doesn't always allow for much emotional investment from the player.

The dungeons are fairly standard and don't stand out much, but the true selling point of the game is the everyday life simulation. As a small spoiler, you have the option to date multiple characters, adding an extra layer of excitement to the game.

Overall, Persona 4 Golden excels in its narrative and life simulation aspects, making it a must-play for fans of the genre. I can't wait for Summer Sale to buy Persona 5 Royal~

INNUENDO!
★★★★☆

Persona 4 Golden has an unforgettable story, centered around mystery, self-acceptance, and friendship, making every character's journey deeply personal and relatable. The game-play expertly balances turn-based combat and dungeon crawling with a rewarding social simulation system, where building relationships directly enhances battle mechanics. The cast is among the strongest in any RPG I have played, each with a well-developed arc that makes them feel like real, emotional characters. It will at first perhaps feel a bit off visually, being a game from 2012, but once you learn to embrace the old graphics and get used to them, the colorful art style brings the world of Inaba to life, while the incredible soundtrack perfectly captures both the energy and emotional depth of the game.

Persona 4 Golden is a masterpiece and one of the greatest JRPGs of all time.

Easily one of the best games I've played in regards of narrative. Thrilling story plot, amazing and easily likable cast, and an aggressively addicting OST. The writing in this game is not lacking in quality and always carries purpose to the overall narrative and world building. The humor is sincerely funny, the characters' dialogue feels alive and meaningful, and the overall game play is fun and straightforward. Highly recommend it to those that enjoy turn base combat as well as those that enjoy slice of life media. 9/10 without question.

The Soundtrack is amazing, The characters (even the bear in my opinion) are fantasitic characters! The story is phenomenal, just remember if you want to play the game, never stop looking for the truth!

If you like Scooby-Doo well this is the game for you it even has Scrappy-Doo (Marie) too everyone's favourite member of the cast!

(In serious terms the game and story is the best in the franchise and a really enjoyable to play)

10/10 - would meddle again

My first foray into the persona side of atlus. It's been 4 years since I played this and I still think about it every now and then. The story is a gem, and its themes are presented really well. The combat is fine even if easy, although the bosses tend to be spongy. The music is great and the characters are generally great. Still, I doubt I'll ever forgive atlus for the way they treat kenji, as it single handedly took yosuke from one of my favourite characters to absolutely grating.

Great game one of my favs i only have really low play time because i prefer to play it on my persona 4 ps vita :) i really hope this game gets the treatment persona 3 got

This was the first Persona game I've ever played. Graphics are good for a game that came out years ago for an old system.

Story I felt is especially good and likewise Social Links overall are interesting. Battle system wise is fine for what it is. Enemy variety is a bit shallow but boss fights can be rather engaging.

Highly suggest picking this game up when it's on sale for cheap.

I look forward to P4G remaster (Atlas must be doing this with how well P3R was received and is).

My first persona game. The story got me locked in from the beginning, and boy, the music is ABSOLUTE BANGER. It even got Yosuke the BEST BRO to vibe to the music with his headphones on screaming "Counting on ya", pulling out his persona and not the spider-man himself (English voice). Great casts of characters, everyone is likable.

This is my favorite Persona game. Jury is still out on 5, but personally, I enjoyed this more than 3. Persona 4 gets you fully invested into this little town and its citizens. I was crying at the end not because it was sad (like 3), but because I didn’t want to leave. I wanted more, but all good things must come to an end. This game was less about the destination and more about the journey, and I like that. I’ll be surprised if 5 can top this.
10/10

Good game but Denuvo anti-piracy protection prevents me from playing offline on my steam deck. You must first be online and launch the game once, then you can disconnect and play. However if you turn the steam deck off, the process must be repeated, which is useless if you turn it on in an area with no wifi.

Another case of Denuvo (which is useless, this game was cracked a long time ago) ruining an experience for no reason.

the graphics are absolute dogshit but everything else about this game makes up for it

phenomenal game absolutely recommend, that said it does show it's age and has some weird optimization issues on pc that at least for me causes very occasional CTD but it could be the mods I use. Regardless be aware and save frequently, outside of that it's a turn based JRPG and watching a trailer or before you buy will do a lot more justice for the game itself than I can with text. I will say it is one of my favorite video game franchises ever and I listen to the soundtrack outside of playing so believe me when I say this shit bops.

I really tried to like this game. It was impossible for me. It is not the old It feels (it's a 2008 game, I can forgive that). For me it was just boring. Really boring. I guess I must be wrong, seeing that so many people like this game. But I wanted to voice my opinion anyway.

It was my first Persona game and I loved it.
Persona 4 was really immersive experience that truly makes you feel at home in Inaba. The story is engaging, but it’s the characters that make it special. Over the course of the game, they become more than just party members — they feel like real friends. Watching them grow, supporting each other through struggles, and sharing everyday moments creates an emotional bond that few games can match. By the time the journey ends, saying goodbye feels genuinely heartbreaking. Even long after the credits roll, Persona 4’s characters stay with you, like friends you’ll never forget.
While the turn-based combat wasn’t my favorite part, this game was still an unforgettable adventure.

Truly a beautiful game, moved me far beyond words can describe

A story and setting so rich with life and texture it sucks you in despite the crunched up PS2 artstyle, and keeps you invested in the ongoing battle for the truth

If you want to be moved in a way you never have before, play Persona 4 Golden.

Despite its age, this is genuinely one of the best games I have ever played. As expected from Atlus, the characters really seem alive and that makes it easy to get personally attached. Only complaint I have about the game would be the dungeons. It was quite long-winded and didn't really offer much in terms of the gameplay department. Nanako is the best, by the way.

10/10 game. I have to say my favourite character is adachi, hes so silly and funny

If you haven’t tried a Persona game already, I implore you to do so.

This game oozes style. It’s unique and colorful and such a delight to look at the normally boring parts, the menus. The animated cutscenes are a joy and made my friends stop and pay attention when I was playing near them. The artwork and the character bust ups look beautiful, and is definitely one of my favorite parts of the game.

The core gameplay is addicting. Once I played for a few hours, I couldn’t stop. And I won’t stop until I beat it 80 hours in. It’s a beautiful mix of dungeon crawling and turn-based battles with the really great 1-more system, with social sim elements where you get ready for the next dungeon or hang out with friends and party members to strengthen you and their resolves.

Not to mention the story. I’m not finished with this game (still need to social-unsim irl), but the few hours I’ve gotten through have been funny and interesting and made me really love these characters. If it’s anything to go off from the other Persona games I’ve played, it will be a 10/10 as well.

Take a look at this game and if you get the chance, give this game or any Persona game a try. If you’re coming from 5 or 3 Reload, this is worth a shot, it got me straight back into that Persona goodness. This is truly an amazing game.