by Jacob Doolin
The Heart of the Cards
A crossover title typically signals that the freshness of the respected franchises is wearing thin. They are usually filled with gags and storylines that work as reminders to the audience that both series use to be something greater.
Mortal Kombat vs DC and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games are good examples of this, as neither of those crossovers took the best elements from their source material. But this isn’t to say that all crossovers are bad. When two series come together and supplement one another it can lead to some of the most magical experiences in gaming. Atlus’ new game Persona Q fits into that later group, as its use of Etrian Odyssey and Persona helps to create one of the best RPGs to appear on the 3DS in the last year.
Not only is the game a crossover between those two series but also Persona 3 and Persona 4, and the charm of both games shine. The story of Persona Q works as both an epilogue and continuation of the narratives of both games. It follows the Investigation team and S.E.E.S crew as they navigate a mysterious cultural festival and offers many of the series’ signature twists and turns.
While the opening hours of the game are spent with one group or the other, once the two come together the game finds fun and thoughtful ways to pair up the characters. The way in which the two groups interact with one another feels natural, and watching them is one of the game’s many delights. Chie and Akihiko provide a great deal of humor as they train and eat as much meat as possible. And Teddie and Koromaru attempt to out-cute one another in every scene.
I was more impressed though with the level of care that is put into the storylines that are more human now than they were before. Characters who are dealing with issues of gender role, love, and abandonment find solace in members of the other group that deal with similar issues. It all comes together to make the two halves into a new whole that has me begging for more interactions between the two games in the future.
Gameplay also brings together the best elements of both series. Gone are the long, drawn-out towers from the Persona series. Instead they have been replaced with the more straightforward Labyrinth style from the Odyssey games. That’s not to say that it’s a linear experience though. Each labyrinth has multiple paths to victory and many surprises for those who dig deeper. Treasure chests, new weapons and personas all are hiding for players to find within the labyrinths.
One of my favorite aspects of these new labyrinths is the way in which you’re able to track your progress through them. The bottom screen of the 3DS works as a note pad with several options to draw a path as you walk it. This means you can track where you have gone before, along with marking helpful checkpoints and hidden areas. At first I wasn’t sure how much I would use this feature, but as the game progressed I found myself taking the stylus out and drawing as much as I could.
Of course it wouldn’t be much fun to explore these labyrinths if they didn’t have unique designs, and once again Persona Q comes through. Each of the four main labyrinths offer tons of details and sights to see. The first two in particular follow an Alice in Wonderland and Group Date theme and manage to innovate with both. A minor complaint is that enabling the 3D often makes the game much darker than with it turned off. This isn’t a big issue, but in some of the later stages it becomes a hassle to play with the 3D enabled.
Combat uses the Persona system that still requires you to mix and create new Personas as you increase your level. This time the main character isn’t the only one to get the ability to mix Persona’s as everyone now can have up to two in their possession. This leads to some neat combinations that add to characters abilities that were once only one note. Characters like Yukiko are no longer confined to their healing Persona’s and can now contribute to battle. While the system is a nice little addition, it really doesn’t add anything substantial. I just stuck with the first few Personas I was given because they had some of the best stats.
During battles, the Odyssey’s influence comes through in full force. Taking place in the series first-person style, battles takes on a much more personal feel. You must also take the new front/back mechanics into consideration when you are drawing up battle plans. This brings more meaningful changes to the older system than the new Persona system does. Choosing who operates in the back and front leads to a multitude of layouts.
When I first heard about Persona Q all I could think about was all the ways that it could go wrong: too much focus on nostalgic moments, a toned down battle system, and a shortened length all seemed plausible. But after more than hours into it I still have so much to see and do. Side missions, character interactions, and the labyrinths still beckon from me to come back. Persona Q takes the best of Atlus’ main series and comes out with something unique.
