This review contains spoilers
6.5/10
Ok, this game has issues, especially concerning ideological biases and hegemonic representations.
To name the most evident one, it’s undoubtedly the most explicit homo/transphobic game I’ve ever played: whole homophobic dungeon and narrative arch, major homophobic gags and dialogues, and a notable character development revolving around being afraid to be homosexual. It depicts a community that perceives homosexuality as something weird and horrific and it keeps claiming this throughout all its duration, until the very end (the last time Kanji’s homosexuality is implied is in one of the extra cutscenes from the extra last dungeon arch in February). Naoto’s development is perhaps even more scary. Due to her androgyny, Naoto is constantly sexualised and objectified; she can find herself only by refusing her male persona; and her romance route implies her rejecting her own masculinity, speaking with sharper voice, and dressing as a female.
These ideological assumptions are also backed by how the game ultimately depicts personal growth and human existence. In Persona 4, people grow up and find themselves only by accepting the world and their role within it as they are. Every character is initially depicted as refusing the ‘facticity’ of her existence. Eventually, everyone increasingly accepts the role society provided them, even embrace it. Rise returns to be an idol; Yukiko accepts her role at the Amagi Inn; Yosuke embraces his life at Inaba; and so on. Whilst Persona 5 depicts characters as dramatically refusing the world they inhabit as it is, Persona 4 conceives their becoming adults as fundamentally reconciling with reality after having challenged it. Although this may be existentially questioned, it makes sense. It just becomes dumb when the game assumes that “reality” is being a female if you are born in a female body; or liking girls if you are born male – and therefore contends that to find your place in the world you must reconcile with the role that heteronormative masculinity gave you: gays must be hetero; masculine females must turn feminine; idols must remain idols. The desire to escape reality is, in other words, demonic – and must be overcome… or defeated.
The best aspect of the game (as in Persona 5) is its psycho-philosophical lore and worldbuilding. Here the heroes face a TV world that’s raised by the collective unconscious; they face their inner fears and projected personas; they find out that their role in the world is not something they create but that others project onto them (but then eventually embrace it :/); they defeat a deity that’s embodiment of the above-mentioned collective unconscious and desire to escape reality. Brilliant! Perhaps less effective than Persona 5, and a little more rushed towards its ending (right after finding out who the killer is: hey, I’m an evil god, face me!) but brilliant nonetheless – you literally fight against a re-imagined version of yourself you are afraid of, you accept it, you solve a mysterious crime, and you end up fighting a multicoloured Big Brother, I mean, what more do you want?
Other than that, the game has all the good and bad things Persona games usually feature: its quintessential power fantasy and player empowering clash with the life simulator mechanics (everyone, literally everyone loves you, you are the best human being Inaba and the world has a whole could dream of, et cetera), its dungeons are repetitive and dumb but the overall experience is so emotional, cosy, and imbued with feelings that you cannot but enjoy it. Its length and repetitive structure make you inhabit Inaba, actively build those friendships, creating memories across those places and routines. Its carachters and stories are also much more plausible than those of Persona 5, more credible, and this makes the Social Links much more enjoyable. Eventually, regardless of all its issues, you cannot but miss this world.
The branching of endings is also much more complex than in Persona 5 and to a degree asks you to solve the case yourself, which is good. The game endlessly delays its own ending and grants you more and more time to spend in Inaba. It may be overlong and boring but it’s also loveable.
Favourite character: Kanji.
Favourite crush: Naoto.
Least favourite character: Protagonist.
Favourite dungeon: Hollow Forest
Ok, this game has issues, especially concerning ideological biases and hegemonic representations.
To name the most evident one, it’s undoubtedly the most explicit homo/transphobic game I’ve ever played: whole homophobic dungeon and narrative arch, major homophobic gags and dialogues, and a notable character development revolving around being afraid to be homosexual. It depicts a community that perceives homosexuality as something weird and horrific and it keeps claiming this throughout all its duration, until the very end (the last time Kanji’s homosexuality is implied is in one of the extra cutscenes from the extra last dungeon arch in February). Naoto’s development is perhaps even more scary. Due to her androgyny, Naoto is constantly sexualised and objectified; she can find herself only by refusing her male persona; and her romance route implies her rejecting her own masculinity, speaking with sharper voice, and dressing as a female.
These ideological assumptions are also backed by how the game ultimately depicts personal growth and human existence. In Persona 4, people grow up and find themselves only by accepting the world and their role within it as they are. Every character is initially depicted as refusing the ‘facticity’ of her existence. Eventually, everyone increasingly accepts the role society provided them, even embrace it. Rise returns to be an idol; Yukiko accepts her role at the Amagi Inn; Yosuke embraces his life at Inaba; and so on. Whilst Persona 5 depicts characters as dramatically refusing the world they inhabit as it is, Persona 4 conceives their becoming adults as fundamentally reconciling with reality after having challenged it. Although this may be existentially questioned, it makes sense. It just becomes dumb when the game assumes that “reality” is being a female if you are born in a female body; or liking girls if you are born male – and therefore contends that to find your place in the world you must reconcile with the role that heteronormative masculinity gave you: gays must be hetero; masculine females must turn feminine; idols must remain idols. The desire to escape reality is, in other words, demonic – and must be overcome… or defeated.
The best aspect of the game (as in Persona 5) is its psycho-philosophical lore and worldbuilding. Here the heroes face a TV world that’s raised by the collective unconscious; they face their inner fears and projected personas; they find out that their role in the world is not something they create but that others project onto them (but then eventually embrace it :/); they defeat a deity that’s embodiment of the above-mentioned collective unconscious and desire to escape reality. Brilliant! Perhaps less effective than Persona 5, and a little more rushed towards its ending (right after finding out who the killer is: hey, I’m an evil god, face me!) but brilliant nonetheless – you literally fight against a re-imagined version of yourself you are afraid of, you accept it, you solve a mysterious crime, and you end up fighting a multicoloured Big Brother, I mean, what more do you want?
Other than that, the game has all the good and bad things Persona games usually feature: its quintessential power fantasy and player empowering clash with the life simulator mechanics (everyone, literally everyone loves you, you are the best human being Inaba and the world has a whole could dream of, et cetera), its dungeons are repetitive and dumb but the overall experience is so emotional, cosy, and imbued with feelings that you cannot but enjoy it. Its length and repetitive structure make you inhabit Inaba, actively build those friendships, creating memories across those places and routines. Its carachters and stories are also much more plausible than those of Persona 5, more credible, and this makes the Social Links much more enjoyable. Eventually, regardless of all its issues, you cannot but miss this world.
The branching of endings is also much more complex than in Persona 5 and to a degree asks you to solve the case yourself, which is good. The game endlessly delays its own ending and grants you more and more time to spend in Inaba. It may be overlong and boring but it’s also loveable.
Favourite character: Kanji.
Favourite crush: Naoto.
Least favourite character: Protagonist.
Favourite dungeon: Hollow Forest
Comments
This comment was deleted
NOWITSREYNTIME17
7 months ago