And by and large, it worked, creating a very successful series whose most recent incarnations have eclipsed the main series in popularity. Persona was an attempt by Atlus to create a Shin Megami Tensei game that would appeal to the masses: a character-driven RPG that turned down the difficulty a few notches in order to be more accessible. In addition, there are a lot of optional characters: Class Clown Hidehiko 'Brown' Uesugi (US: Brad), elegant Ojou Eriko 'Elly' Kirishima (US: Ellen), airheaded cheery girl and 'licensed kogal' Yuka Ayase (US: Alana), Ineffectual Loner Reiji Kido (US: Chris) or ex-delinquent Yukino Mayuzumi, (US: Yuki and thanks to the Macekre, unplayable for more than an hour without hacking in the old US version).Īt the time, the Shin Megami Tensei series was known for its incredibly deep, yet Nintendo Hard gameplay.

You're assisted with Class Clown and Delinquent (and black Jive Turkey in the old US version) Masao Inaba, nicknamed 'Mark' (kept as his only name in the US), stuck up rich kid Kei Nanjo (US: Nate Trinity), and a girl who claims to be Maki. What follows is a struggle for survival in a city infested with demons, cut off from the rest of the world. but you and the participants of the ritual now possess the power of 'Persona' to fight back. But not long after visiting Maki, she is rushed into the emergency room and the hospital suddenly transforms into a demon-infested maze. You get there and decide to visit another classmate Maki Sonomura (US: Mary) who's been in the ICU for a year 'for minor delusions'. Since the teacher and nurse aren't sure if you have any serious injuries they don't know of, they have you go to the hospital for a check-up. While unconscious, the group has a dream of a golden butterfly. Just when it seems nothing has happened, everyone sees an apparition of a little girl in a white dress, crying and asking for help, which is then followed by everyone that hadn't played the Persona game before being struck by bolts of lightning.

The game begins with you and your classmates in an empty classroom, taking up a dare to play a game called 'Persona' that appears to be a ritual of some sort. Why all the titles? Because the first release had. It's known as Megami Ibunroku Persona in Japan, Revelations: Persona in its first North American release, and Shin Megami Tensei Persona in its later North American PSP re-release.

Persona is the first title in the Persona JRPG series, a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei video game series by Atlus.

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