Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Review by: zanderlex - 8.5/10
Shadow HuntersWhen I first found out about this game, I knew that I had to play it, but the problem was I didn't have a system to play it on, but eventually I was able to get a 2DS and this game was one of the first games that I bought for it, and I was happy that I bought it. The game has aspects of both Persona 3 and Persona 4, though I don't know anything about Persona 3, but I'm a huge fan of Persona 4 and I was so excited to see so many different aspects of that game in this one. Even though the game was so expensive, especially for a 3DS game, but I knew that the game was going to be big and fun, so it would be worth it and I was right.
GRAPHICS 7/10
The graphics were pretty cool, they kept bits and pieces of the original games graphics while adding their own touches to it. For me, it's just a bit strange too because I'm used to the graphic style of playing it on the Vita so to me its a bit odd, but it still looks great. There's a ton of color and when the game needs to look dark, the colors change to make the mood a bit darker. Overall, there are a good amount of details throughout the game and a ton of patterns and cool designs that make the game seem a lot more fun than it normally would be. Plus, the ability to create your own map and changes the color and everything makes the game look even better. For a grade, the graphics are going to get a 7 out of 10.
SOUND 9/10
The sounds are amazing! When I turned the game on for the first time, I was so happy to see that there were sounds and songs from Persona 4. Of course, I guess that's what you would expect since it has the same characters from the past game, but by listening to the same things, it brought back some great memories and nostalgia. Literally, just the sound of clicking something sounds like it did in the previous game, and as for the music, that's great too. Just take a look at the games opening video, its not as catchy as the one from P4, but it's really cool both sounding and looking. I'm still getting used to some of the songs, but I'm pretty sure that eventually ill be able to hum along to all of the songs like I did with P4, that's how good they are. Overall, the sound is going to get a 9 out of 10.
ADDICTIVENESS 10/10
Just like any other Persona game, its really addicting and a lot of fun to play. This game has the same plot of any other game basically, fighting shadows in some strange world and that's a lot of fun. It's just like any other RPG game, explore, fight, and do what you want in the little dungeon like areas. That alone is a lot of fun, who doesn't like fighting and leveling up? But the game is actually a lot more fun than that because as you explore the dungeons, you get to draw out a map of where you are and that's pretty fun as well. You could really spend a good chunk of time planning out what you want your map to look like and actually drawing it out, and the thing is, even though you have to do this to play, I don't mind because its fun. I've played in total 4 Persona games, and of them all, this is easily the 2nd most addicting one of them I have ever played, and one of the most fun 3DS games as well. For a grade, addictiveness gets a perfect 10 out of 10.
STORY 8/10
Since the game is so long, I haven't been able to fond out what the full story is, but you get to take control of either party from P3 or P4, and then you go into a new shadow world where you find two people who are kind of trapped there with no memories and your job is to go deeper and deeper throughout the dungeon levels trying to help them out. Plus, on the side, (well, the p4 side) you're also waiting for Margaret to fix up something that will get you out of the world. Overall, its a good story, especially since you can play with both parties and for a grade, it gets an 8 out of 10.
DEPTH 8/10
The game doesn't have a lot of depth, but it does have a good amount. That's because instead of having a lot of things to offer, the things that are there take a lot of time to do. For instance, there's a good amount of dungeons, and each one will take a lot of time to complete thanks to the enemies that you will fight, the size, and the fact that you need to fill in the map as you go along. In addition to the actual map and dungeons, you have the number of characters you play with, which has the entire cast from Persona 4, plus two more, and I'm guessing it would have the entire cast from Persona 3 as well. Beyond that, there's so many different weapons and items, and overall there isn't an incredible amount of stuff, but overall there's a lot and for a grade, depth gets an 8 out of 10.
DIFFICULTY 3
Yeah, the game can get hard because some monsters might have a tom of health and be strong but just like other RPG'S, the way to go is by training more and more until you are stronger than them. The only things that could really act as a challenge to players would be the part about creating the map and the fact that you have to move one tile at a time and keep turning and side stepping which can get pretty annoying at times, but it can be done. Overall, its not incredibly hard, and once you get accustomed to the mechanics, the game will be very easy and for a grade is going to get a 3.
OVERALL 8.5/10
Overall this game is a must have for any fans of the Persona series. It might not act the same way as some of the other games right before this one but I can assure you that it's just as fun. If you have a 3DS, and you like Persona, then it's the perfect reason for you to get the game because it's a lot of fun and is really worth the price. Overall, I really like the game, one of the 5 best 3DS games that I have ever played, and for a grade, it gets an 8.5 out of 10.
Graphics
7 Sound
9 Addictive
10 Depth
8 Story
8 Difficulty
3
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