Persona 4 Golden

Where do I even begin describing the feeling I got playing this game?

I’m reflecting on what made Persona 4 Golden special to me and I am realizing how perfect it’s Steam release came for me. It was released during the Summer of 2020, which was a key year for the funny COVID virus to throw a wrench into my last few semesters in university. Not only that, it was my first real experience into the modern franchise as my only previous experience was my unfinished playthrough of Revelations Persona back when I had a PS1. Whatever the case, the biggest thing that made this game special to me was my relative lack of social life. I have friends, but I’ve usually been more generally distant due to focusing on my own things and not making a big habit of finding social events.

If I had to describe the emotions I felt while playing this game, it was like getting the high school experience without the pressure to focus on a singular thing. I could explore and develop relationships with people without having to worry about any sort of social conditioning of me trying to fit in or having to focus on school work. Basically, I was getting the sense of freedom that I didn’t directly have back then as I was always worried (or rather my family) about safety and the logistics of committing to social gatherings.

Another big thing that makes this game special to me was how relatable the game’s characters were to my own life. It was a lucky coincidence that the first character I met in the game turned out to be the most relatable character to my core being by the end of the story. Others include Yukiko’s plight of the open cage of her parent’s business and Adachi’s self-loathing loneliness. Seeing these characters struggle with their individual issues really pointed out the issues I also struggle with in my own life. The thing is, the expression of these struggles were really compelling to me like I mentioned with the open cage metaphor. Something about the art just spoke to me and made me fall in love with the game as a whole.

But let me say the most basic ass thing this game gets me to my core, it’s the soundtrack. I can’t tell you just how much vibing I can do from the P4G soundtrack on its own. My favorites include Heaven, Girl of the Empty Forest, and of course Never More. I get so nostalgic and emotional whenever I hear any part of the OST. I’m like a sleeper agent waking up and finding out how absolutely fun life can be after hearing the soundtrack.

To be continued…