Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, a 2D fighting game co-developed by Arc System Works and Atlus, continues the on-going saga of Shin Megami Tensi: Persona 4. The story is a continuation of the 2012 game, Persona 4 Arena, and occurs one week after the P-1 Grand Prix tournament.
But unlike its predecessor, Ultimax’s story focuses on reality instead of the events that happened prior in TV World. The game also doubles as a visual novel to explain the backstory of the tournament and the tribulations suffered by the Persona 3 and Persona 4 cast.
Ultimax benefits from a new S-Hold system (which allows players to charge their attacks) and a revised Story Mode, where the story is split into two separate campaigns for the Persona 3 and Persona 4 characters (as opposed to a campaign for each fighter). The game also benefits from a variety of balanced combos, special moves and Persona abilities, making the game far easier to pick up and play for beginners. But most importantly, the gameplay feels more polished and refined compared to Arena.
Eight additional fighters have been added to the character roster, increasing the number of selectable fighters to a whopping twenty-two. Among the new characters is Ken Amada and his dog Koromaru, Junpei Iori and Tohru Adachi, to name just a few. And while they’re not playable, Theodore from Persona 3 Portable and Fuuka Yamagishi from Persona 3 make an appearance. Additionally, there is an option to choose ‘Shadow’ versions for most of the game’s fighters.
Known plainly as ‘Shadow Types’, these powerful iterations offer reduced attack damage, alternate moves and less defense options in exchange for high-risk rewards. They can also maintain their SP during multiple rounds instead of it resetting. Moreover, the Burst command has been replaced by Shadow Rampage, giving your fighter infinite SP for a short period of time.
Gamers looking to dislocate some jaws and bruise a few bones during Story Mode will be disappointed. As mentioned earlier, Story Mode is nothing more than a visual novel with the occasional fight sprinkled in for good measure. There’s plenty of professional voice acting to keep you entertained, but it takes a considerable amount of time to reach an opponent. And since the matches are so infrequent, there is an option to have the CPU fight in your place. As odd as it may sound, this feature adds to the Visual Novel’s appeal by keeping a consistent flow throughout the story.
Combos are easier to perform due to them only requiring a single button. For example: Mitsuru Kirijo, as long as her SP gauge is full, can perform a 20-hit combo by rapidly pressing the Square button. Manual combos can also been executed by the player, and it’s possible to perform a Furious Action or ‘combo ender’ by pressing L1. The combo system is robust enough to challenge veterans, but simple in that a beginner can execute combos without ever playing the previous game.
Features abound in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and Golden Arena Mode is no exception. Similar to Persona 4, your fighter levels up and earns skill points, while your Persona learns special skills. These skill points are used to enhance your fighter’s Stamina, Agility, Energy, etc. And like the RPG, your Persona can only possess so many special abilities.
Once you complete any of the available game modes, you can take your favorite character online to challenge competitors via Ranked or Player Matches. The online community is relatively healthy, and there is a wealth of experienced players looking for new opponents. The netcode provides a stable experience with little to no server lag. While some 2D fighters suffer from input delays between moves, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax doesn’t; it felt like I had a fair chance against my opponents.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax could easily be overlooked because of its content. On the surface, it’s a platform where fans of the Persona series can experience their favorite characters and locations (i.e. The Junes Shopping Center) outside the RPG dynamic. But underneath the gorgeous 2D graphics and Persona backdrop is a polished, well-balanced 2D fighter that can compete with the best of them.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 3 (Available on PSN / Also Available for Xbox 360)
Developer: Co-Produced by Arc System Works & Atlus
Publisher: Atlus
ESRB: T (Teen)
Price: $59.99
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax’s Official Website
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |  |
| Some of the best 2D graphics in a fighting game. | |
| Sound | |
| Fan service abounds, as certain soundtracks make their return. | |
| Gameplay | |
| Rock-solid gameplay and responsive controls. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is one of the best 2D fighters of the year, bar none. | |
