Let me start by saying that I’m relatively new to the SMT series as a whole, so I may not be as attached to the franchise characters from Persona 3 or 4. However, as a fan of the fighting game genre, I can honestly say that I had a great time with Persona 4: Arena.
As soon as the demo began, it was immediately obvious that the game was developed by Arc System Works. Both the controls and the general feeling were heavily reminiscent of the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series.
What sets P4: Arena apart from Arc System Work’s other popular fighting franchises is the ability to call your persona to assist you in battle. A blue burst gauge that fills up at the bottom limits your ability to use special attacks.
The art style and character art is breathtaking and sure to catch attention even from non-fighting game fans. The PS3 demo build featured extremely tight controls and ATLUS had fight sticks set up for all players. The final build of the game will feature a full story mode that is set a few months after the end of Persona 4. The retail version of the game will also feature online competitive play.
Persona 4: Arena is set to launch in America on August 7, 2012 and a release date is still to be determined for Europe.
