Persona 4 Golden—one of the greatest entries in the franchise—suddenly popped up on Steam, with Atlus announcing the release at the PC Gaming Show event.
Blockbuster JRPG Persona 4 Golden made a surprise appearance on Steam last Sunday, as developer Atlus showed off the game’s platform release trailer during the PC Gamers‘ PC Gaming Show Livestream.
Persona 4 Golden for the PlayStation Vita is an enhanced edition of the 2008 PlayStation 2 classic Persona 4, featuring a new character, some new story elements, and a few added cut-scenes, among other things. The PC port throws in a couple more upgrades into the mix.
New features in Persona 4 Golden: Steam Edition
Perhaps the most notable feature in the JRPG’s PC port is the upscaled HD graphics, which is a first for the title. Along with the fresh coat of paint comes an unlocked framerate which, let’s be honest here, PC gamers absolutely love to brag about.
Purists and anime fans will be glad to know that Persona 4 Golden’s Steam release also includes both the English and original Japanese voice-overs, so players can choose whatever sounds right to them.
Lastly, for the collectors and perfectionists out there, since it’s a Steam release the game will naturally feature achievements and trading cards.
The digital release comes in two variants: the standard version which only includes the base game, and the Digital Deluxe Edition which includes the game and its digital artbook and soundtrack. The standard and Digital Deluxe Editions retail for US$20 [AU$29] and US$25 [AU$36] respectively.
Persona 4 Golden is out on Steam now with new HD visuals pic.twitter.com/wvQydp09uv
— Omar (@UltraBrick_) June 13, 2020
The origins of the Persona franchise
Persona (also known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona) was initially released as a spin-off title for another Atlus JRPG franchise called Shin Megami Tensei, with the first title in the series being released in 1996 as a PlayStation exclusive called Revelations: Persona.
The first game would go on to spawn several sequels, all of which featured a similar high school setting and a silent main protagonist.
Persona 3 switched things up by adding a “dating sim” aspect to the game that encouraged players to get to know their supporting characters better in order to strengthen their summons which is called “Personas.” This mechanic has since become a key part of the series.
There have been recent rumors circulating on the internet about the series’ third installment also making its way to Steam, though Atlus has yet to mention anything of the sort.
Persona 3 fans still waiting for content like pic.twitter.com/lYhP8ISION
— Riku いつも角質 (@CherrytonP5) June 13, 2020
While Persona 4 Golden is definitely an outstanding addition to Steam’s library of JRPGs, it would be nice to see Atlus port Persona 5 next, since most fans and critics regard it as the best game in the series.
Featured image courtesy of Atlus