This is a amazing game created by Atlus who is famous for cult classic RPGs, go out and get this NOW!
Genre: RPG
Developer: Atlus
System: PSP
Total Score: 88/100
Value Score: 8.8/10
• Story: 8/10
o You play as a silent protagonist who you have to name, and you are part of a group of high school students who were doing a bet if they could summon a persona. Unfortunately for them, it did not work, despite that, a ghost of a little girl appeared and knocked out all of the main characters. They later woke up in the nurse's room of their high school only to find out that their city has been overrun with demons and that it is impossible to escape the city as there is a invisible barrier surrounding the city. They later find out that the demons were released by SEBEC , a corporation within their city, the storyline gets even deeper as the main characters find out that there is a alternate world to their's and the identity of the little girl ends up as a ironic twist which will more than likely affect the storyline permanently.
• Characters: 9/10
o You get to choose a name for the protagonist and get the choice to rename certain characters once they join your party, once a character joins your party, they'll be a permanent addition to your party. The maximum character amount is 5 with the choice of having more than 5 different characters to choose from to form your final party. There are plenty of characters who shape up the storyline of the game and character development is well done for every single character, each character brings out their most unique personality most of the game.
• GamePlay: 8/10
o You enter a typical battle like any RPG, but have the ability to use 4 different options during a battle which can damage or slow down a enemy. You can physically attack with a equipped weapon, a gun with unlimited bullets, summon Persona which are creatures which you are given by Philemon , a major character within the game to do your battles for you and are based upon the character's personality, or use a item to deal damage. Unlike the Shin Megami series, battle system is helicopter view similar to early RPGs of the 1990s. However traveling through a dungeon or a building is the same as Shin Megami, first person view. You can purchase guns later in the game, but getting weapons will be kind of difficult because you can either get them from defeating monsters, finding in dungeons or gambling in the game rooms.
• Graphics: 6/10
o If your looking for a game that will blow away you with its graphics, you came to the wrong game, Persona is mostly built on a anime like character design, due to this fact, Atlus found it easier for them to make the game 2D with some 3D elements rather than making it completely 3D. Many people say this was a mistake, but a lot of people like me say, 2D is the best aspect for Persona, changing it otherwise would kill it (according to the reports that most HD 3D RPGs don't sell as well). You will however enjoy the rich designed animated sprites and artwork. The World map is possibly the best looking thing in terms of graphics.
• Sound: 8/10
o The sound effects seem simplistic as the Shin Megami Tensei series from the NES-SNES-PSX era. You have the generic door opening , walking and hitting sounds. Enemies and characters do have their own voices included during a battle which is a nice touch. During the CG cut scenes there are voice overs and are well made and not over dramatic like you would expect in a JRPG. Regardless of the fact, despite being a remake , the sound effects arent as advanced as Persona 3's though but they do the job for a game such as Persona 1's caliber.
• Music: 10/10
o Possibly one of the best aspects of the game, the game's OST may not be like Final Fantasy series, but its in a totally different league, mixture of techno, orchestral, and pop makes the OST a bit more balanced than most RPGs. There are also a lot of vocals, the battle theme, boss battle, opening, credits etc all have vocals and is well tuned to the songs that were originally background music in the original game. One of the best soundtracks that could definitely rival FF series music. Recommend listening to Lone Prayer, Bloody Destiny and Let the Butterflies Spread Until the Dawn .
• Length: 10/10
o This game is really long, at first you might feel like this game might not be as long as most other RPGs, but as you play along the day and lose track of the time, you'll notice the double hour digits. Storyline took me about 60-70 hours just to complete (amongst grinding from time to time), even than, there was a additional dungeon and storyline available after the game.
• Replay Value: 9/10
o In persona 1, as you progress through the game, you unlock videos which you can see again in the movie menu in the start up of the game. When you finish the main storyline of the game, you will unlock a additional dungeon and unlock the Snow Queen's storyline which is a additional storyline to the game's main storyline. Along with that, you still have the chance to create new personas from the new enemies that you encounter. Unfortunately there isn't any music test which is a shame, the game's music is really incredible.
• Player Value: 10/10
o If you are a fan of JRPGs, demons, religions, mythology, techno music, than this game is for you. Truly one of the best RPG series made ever, experience the beginning of one of the best storylines created by Atlus (who makes really good RPGs). You wont be disappointed and no matter how much the game did cost you to purchase, it'll be worth every single penny.