As the fifth game has solidified the franchise’s worldwide appeal, so many new fans are jumping into thePersonaseries for the first time. After the critical and commercial successes ofPersona 5/Persona 5 Royal, alongside the surprising success ofPersona 4 Goldenon PC, the Atlus JRPG series has never been more popular. Luckily, the series largely functions likeFinal Fantasy, in that every mainline entry is mostly different from one another. Even still, many new players wanting to go back and play the older games should realistically only go back as far asPersona 3, since previous efforts don’t exactly run parallel with the modern series' offering.
Discouraging fans who want to discover thePersonaseries from the very beginning isn’t an exercise in gatekeeping, but rather a warning of a verydifferentgame. The very firstPersonagame, thePersona 2duology, as well as the remakes of each, are very different from the modern, post-Persona 3games. The first two (technically three)Personagames are extremely different from a thematic and gameplay standpoint, and a lot of the modern conveniences ofPersonaaren’t found in the first two. Most notably, things like the social sim/JRPG dichotomy didn’t exist in the first two games.Persona 1andPersona 2are traditional 90s JRPGs in their purist forms.
Experimental Beginnings in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, or otherwise known asRevelations: Persona, initially released for the first PlayStation way back in 1996. However, in the U.S. version, the game was overhauled in questionable ways through a very strange localization process. As a result, the PSP remake of the firstPersonagame is arguably the best way to play, and even then, the game is still very dated to playcompared to any entry released afterPersona 3. The firstPersonagame is set up like any other, high schoolers attain magical powers via the manifestation of their psyche to fight demons, though it’s missing any of the work/life balance mechanics found in later games.
The firstPersonagame is largely responsible for establishing the overarching elements of the series as a whole. Contextualizing themes of Carl Jung’s philosophy of the “persona” into a metaphysical world of humanity’s true nature, battling the inner demons of society in the “ideal” world is all there in the first game. However, everything about the gameplay and story plays out in a fairly different manner.
There’s no social simulator-like elements other than walking around areas (from an uncomfortably close first-person perspective) outside of dungeons. Battles function on a strategic grid that involves positioning and setting up attacks all in one turn,rather than theFinal Fantasy/Dragon Quest-style battle system. Pair that with a story which despite having genuinely interesting character moments in the latter half, has an extremely slow an uninteresting start that demands hardcore investment. Going back to the firstPersonagame’s remake, and especially so with the original release, should realistically only be reserved for hardcore fans curious about the series' history.
The Insane Worlds of Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment
A similar notion applies to thePersona 2duology,Persona 2: Innocent SinandPersona 2: Eternal Punishment. These two games aren’t necessarily prequels and sequels of one another, but are rather more subtly connected as one cohesive story. Playing through the most modern take of thePersona 2duology already puts players at a disadvantage;Persona 2: Innocent Sin’s PSP remake was released in the U.S., but theEternal PunishmentPSP remake was never localized due to “unusual circumstances,” according to Atlus' Nick Maragos. As a result, playing the duology is hard enough, forcing players to play the second game’s original 2000 release version.
ThePersona 2duology is notable narratively, but is just as flawed as the firstPersonagame in other aspects.Innocent SinandEternal Punishmenttruly hone in on the specific character development of shadows and true selves, story elements evident in more modern games likePersona 4 Golden. However, that comes at a steep price of the overarching narrative, which is frankly insane by modern standards.
The world of personas and the “collective unconscious” is introduced in its most obscene form inPersona 2,shepherded by a Kefka-like villainwho’s ironically named Joker. The idea behindPersona 2’s strange world is the concept of rumors becoming “true,” manifesting in chaos with enemies ranging from lunatic Nazis and the “Fuhrer,” to aliens invading from outer space. In short, the main plot is crazy. Other than story, the game also modernizes the first game’s battle system in some regards, like fusion spells and the removal of grid-based battle mechanics. Despite all of that, bothPersona 2games are very old-school JRPGs with some really strange streaks.
RELATED:Atlus May Not Return to the First Two Persona Games
Prospective Fans Realistically Should Start at Persona 3
Fans of the modern series really shouldn’t consider going back any further thanPersona 3if they want a gameplay experience similar toPersona 4/Persona 5. Both original games are stillvery closely related to theShin Megami Tenseiseries, and because of that, are far different in thematic tone and gameplay. The core aspects ofPersonaare certainly there, but these games are comparatively very experimental with mechanics compared to the innovations and staples implemented inPersona 3. EvenPersona 3is tough to go back to compared to later entries, but the first twoPersonagames are vastly different compared to every game released sincePersona 3.
That being said, hardcore fans of the series should certainly give the first few games a try if they’re curious about the history ofPersona. As a general warning, though, fans should ideally be die-hard JRPG orPersonafans, otherwise fans might find the first fewPersonaincredibly difficult to enjoy. A combination of untethered ambitions, alongside dated JRPG mechanics, makePersona,Persona 2: Innocent Sin, andPersona 2: Eternal Punishmentvery hard to play in 2021. Telling interested players toskip toPersona 3as the starting pointfor the franchise is a relatively valid notion.
