Alright… I’m just gonna say it. I know this is going to make a lot of people mad, but I don’t really care anymore. I don’t like Persona 4 as much as everyone else does. Now before the comments or my inbox explodes, let me explain why. My biggest problem with the game is the pacing. Persona games are already long RPGs, but Persona 4 feels like it drags a lot of the time. There are huge stretches where it feels like the story barely moves forward. I get that the game wants to build atmosphere and character interactions, but sometimes it feels like it’s stalling instead of progressing. Another issue is the tone. The game is supposed to be about a dark murder mystery in a quiet town, but a lot of the time it swings wildly into goofy comedy moments that kind of kill the tension. One minute the story is serious, and the next minute it’s a joke scene that feels like it belongs in a completely different game.
But the thing that bothers me the most is one character. The homeroom teacher, Kinshiro Morooka. Also known as “King Moron.” I know he’s intentionally written to be unpleasant, but honestly he’s so over-the-top gross and rude that it just makes the early parts of the game irritating to sit through. Every time he shows up it feels like the game is trying way too hard to make him unbearable. And yeah, I know some people are going to say that he’s supposed to be like that. I get it. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Now here’s the part where people are probably going to get really mad. I think the series needs to move forward. We’ve had Persona 5 for years now, and fans have been waiting forever for the next main entry. Where is Persona 6? Seriously. The series shouldn’t just sit there forever with the same few games being re-released and remastered. Persona deserves a new entry that pushes things forward. And yeah, I’ll say it. If Persona 6 ever happens, I want it to rival Persona 4. Not copy it, Not, repeat it. Rival it! Do something new with the story, pacing, characters, and tone. Because while Persona 4 has a lot of fans, it’s not perfect. And pretending it’s flawless just stops the series from evolving.
So yeah. That’s my opinion. If you disagree, that’s fine. But I’m tired of pretending Persona 4 is untouchable. I hope everyone in the Persona fandom sees this post and is pissed off by it. I hope someone makes a video about me and the situation.
