ATLUS have always made it clear that Persona 3 and Persona 4 take place in the exact same universe, with characters from both Persona 3 (Portable) and Persona 4 taking field trips into each others respective towns. But despite these minor crossovers, it wasn’t until several years later that the characters from both games would interact through Persona 4 Arena and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. While a majority of the characters had met one another in previous games, it was still not a complete character roster, nor was it in a gameplay style identical or at least reminiscent of traditional Persona RPG mechanics. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (ペルソナQ シャドウ オブ ザ ラビリンス) comes in as the ultimate crossover game, opting to have both protagonists and the entirety of their respective groups (S.E.E.S. and the Investigation Team) uniting to tackle a number of incredibly dangerous labyrinths together. While I remember reading the initial scepticism during ATLUS’ 2013 announcement livestream regarding console choice and crossover decisions, this actually turned out to be a competent release which should especially appeal to those who prefer a bit more challenge in their RPG’s.
[section label=”Storyline”]
Storyline
Adopting a similar approach to what Bandai Namco did with Tales of Xillia back in 2011, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth allows you to select from either the P3 and P4 protagonists to play the game through, with the other protagonist serving as a party member whom doesn’t suffer from the “Silent Protagonist” trope. While the core storyline differs very little based on your choice, many social events and the entire first dungeon will involve your respective character’s team more than the other. The core storyline involves the members of both teams becoming trapped in an alternate reality version of Yasogami High School during its culture festival. Although it shares a few similarities with the original school, all the students are non-human, displays are in fact dangerous labyrinths and an ominous bell tower overlooks the grounds – one that hasn’t been in existence for years. Trapped in the school alongside their Velvet Room companions, all the characters unite to tackle the labyrinths which they presume prevent them from leaving, joined by two mysterious and amnesic students (Rei and Zen) who have been trapped in the school for some time. As they begin making their way through the labyrinths to ultimately escape, the mysteries of this reality and their new companions begin to unfold.
This may sound like a simple plot that exists to justify the characters being brought together, and in some ways it is. However amongst the hours-long labyrinth crawls you will inevitably endure, there is enough depth and detail present throughout the game to not leave it as a simple crossover game, but instead a deserving component of the Persona 3/4 chronology. It may not be anything that would surpass the experiences delivered by either Persona 3 or Persona 4, but what is delivered was above-par.
Persona games are known for delivering a strong storyline complimented by short moments of interaction between characters through social links and events. While you are not required to form social links in Persona Q, there are plenty of social interaction opportunities you can undertake by “strolling” around the school and interacting with your team. Investigating around labyrinths and undertaking quests provided by Elizabeth also provide a decent number of events which grant the characters more time to talk amongst one another. Given that the dungeon-crawling can be a tedious and at times frustrating endeavor, having these small events to look forward to really helps maintain motivation.
[section label=”Design / Music / Voice Acting”]
Design / Music / Voice Acting
One of the good things about all Persona spin-off games to date is that the development team haven’t simply reused character models from previous games. In Persona 4 Arena / Ultimax they had to produce new character sprites and portraits and in Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth resources had to go into replicating the characters into their new chibified forms. The transition from scale to chibi model went well, with all character models remaining of a high standard and remained faithful to the original character designs. Because this game retains the gameplay style of Etrian Odyssey, it means that players will spend most of their time looking at dungeons and battles through a first-person view. Fortunately, ATLUS have integrated character models into both dungeon crawling (Through random character appearances when changing areas) and battles (When performing attacks/skills) which were not present in earlier EO titles. The dungeons on the other hand are themed well, but tend to be fairly nondescript – likely in order to support and justify the game’s mapping system.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth contains a mixture of original songs, remixed original songs and completely new songs, with the latter group being the most predominant. You start off Persona Q with a brand new opening theme “Maze of Life” composed by Shoji Meguro and performed duet-style by Yumi Kawamura and Shihoko Hirata. The song is enjoyable and reminiscent from the pop songs you would find in Persona 4, complimented by some surprisingly strong animation. However I think ATLUS made a slight mistake when releasing the animation online before Persona Q’s release, as the Nintendo 3DS speakers don’t do the song justice in comparison. There are two core battle themes included in the game, which are used based on which protagonist you choose to follow. If you choose the P3 protagonist you are treated to “Light the Fire Up in the Night “DARK HOUR” which is performed by Yumi Kawamura + Lotus Juice, while choosing the P4 protagonist will play Light the Fire Up in the Night “MIDNIGHT” by Shihoko Hirata + Lotus Juice in battles. Both songs are very similar, albeit with different tunes and performers. Most of the other music is of a consistent quality, if not a tad forgettable in some cases.
As with their earlier release of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, ATLUS USA wasn’t able to offer dual-audio with their international release of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. Instead, this game comes with a newly commissioned English dub that retains a good portion of the original English voice cast – with most differences coming from the Persona 4 side. If there was a difference in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the change has been retained in Persona Q. The dub quality however is just as impressive as earlier Persona games, with a special mention required for Yuri Lowenthal who opted to reprise his role as the softer-spoken P3 Protagonist and does so quite well.
[section label=”Gameplay”]
Gameplay
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth shares many similarities with ATLUS’ first-person dungeon crawler franchise Etrian Odyssey, with a few twists to make it feel a little more like a Persona game. Similar to EO, this game comes with a greater emphasis on traveling through labyrinths, which is in stark contrast to Persona 3 and 4 which coupled these moments with social links and school life events. While there are minor events and quests that you can take part in to provide some respite from your dungeon crawls, most of the game will be spent navigating these increasingly perilous labyrinths and hoping that the next Shadow you face won’t prematurely end your journey.
Exploring a labyrinth involves a party consisting of your chosen protagonist and up to four other members from both Persona 3 and Persona 4 tackling the deviating paths, puzzles and deadly FOE’s that stand in your way. While battles can easily knock out your party if unprepared for the next battle, the layout of a dungeon can also be just as deadly. All the time during play you are required to map the location and movement patterns of nearby FOE (Overpowered shadows that can easily take you down in a couple of hits), ensure you don’t befall a trap and ensure that every shortcut in a labyrinth has been identified. To do this, Persona Q requires (or at least requests) players to draw and maintain a map on the touchscreen, which can then be amended with icons, notes and other points of interest. It may sound tedious and does slow down dungeon progression, but it is an invaluable resource when revisiting a dungeon and pin-pointing where you need to back track to.
Persona Q‘s battle system is also an amalgamation of elements from both Etrian Odyssey and Persona games. Your chosen party of five is divided into front and back rows, with each character being more suited to a particular row. Being more oriented around physical attacks, characters such as Mitsuru, Shinjiro and Kanji are more suited to the front row; whereas Yukiko, Yuka and Ken who use ranged weapons and have lower HP tend to be placed at the back – with additional protection from harm. Aside from that, the battle system generally comes down to a turn-based system (with attacks placed at the beginning of each turn) where a player is required to identify a Shadow’s weakness and subsequently exploit it.
There are also a few additional changes which involve a character’s ability to attack and the NAVI characters having a more substantial role in battle. Exploiting a characters weakness no longer provides a guaranteed knockdown of an enemy, instead causing the attacking individual to enter a “Boosted” state. Provided that character does not get hit prior to attacking, the next skill they use will not consume any HP or SP. The more characters you have in this state will increase your chances of performing follow-up and all-out attacks, however a well-placed Maragi from a single enemy can remove all your boosted states. NAVI characters also receive a small boost, and can consume points progressively unlocked during battle to perform special skills that can heal your characters, allow them to attack first or receive a quick stat buff. The battle system provides plenty of depth, and delivers a level of challenge comparable to previous Etrian Odyssey games.
Summoning Persona’s are even more vital in Persona Q than earlier Persona games, as the challenging dungeons will require you to diversify your arsenal with more skills than one Persona can provide. Thanks to a storyline twist regarding the new reality and appearance of two “Wild Cards” in one area, both protagonists now find themselves locked with their original Persona (Orpheus and Izanagi). In return, every Persona-user not only levels up their original Persona but can also equip a secondary Sub-Persona which provides a HP/SP boost and a new arsenal of skills. While the range of Persona on offer are limited in comparison to the main games, players are still able to fuse acquired Persona’s with Margaret in the Velvet Room. This decision allows players to take advantage of hundreds if not thousands of different main and sub Persona combinations in their party – which can be further customized and adapted for any situation.
At its standard difficulty setting, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth proves to be much more challenging than either Persona 3 or Persona 4, and for that reason ATLUS have included a Safety difficulty option. This difficulty setting will still make you go through every battle however allows you to revive your characters mid-battle should they fail. It was a nice gesture for fans of the series who may not want to go through all the trouble to enjoy a spin-off storyline, even if there may have been more than one moment I felt tempted to bypass a challenge battle using it.
[section label=”Final Words on Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth”]
Final Words on Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Offering two protagonist routes which can take anywhere from 60 to 80 hours to fully complete, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a fantastic compliment to other games in ATLUS’ Persona series.While it may stand in the shadow of earlier releases, it nevertheless stands out for genuinely challenging/addictive gameplay which almost perfectly amalgamates the gameplay elements of Persona 3/4 and Etrian Odyssey together. It also gave fans what could be one last hurrah for the cast of Persona 3 before Persona 5 finally launches on PlayStation consoles next year. That is unless Mitsuru et al. plan on boogieing with the P4 cast in Persona 4: Dancing All Night.
[section label=”Very Special Thanks”]
Very Special Thanks
Living in Australia, I had to endure the six month wait it took for Persona 4 Arena to arrive here in Australia. Given that the Nintendo 3DS is region locked, I had honestly expected a somewhat similar wait for Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth when ATLUS USA first announced their North American release plans. So kudos to Nippon Ichi Software America and Bandai Namco Games Australia for fast-tracking this game to PAL regions – making us wait weeks rather than months to get our hands on this. First step… weeks, Next step… Simultaneous release!
