The Persona 4 Remake We Deserve

Real Meaningful Gameplay Updates

The easiest thing to ask for when it comes to a reimagining of an old title is for quality of life or gameplay overhauls. It may be a hot take but if you’re going to remake a game you should go all out in making that game the best version of itself it can be. Copy and pasting mechanics and gameplay from the original with better lighting is not going to cut it. The Persona 4 Remake must provide a good reason to play it over the modern ports of Persona 4Golden.

A way they can do that is by replacing the procedurally generated dungeon floors in the TV world of Persona 4 with actual handcrafted levels similar to Persona 5‘s dungeons. Persona 4‘s dungeons have very interesting themes surrounding them that could easily be incorporated into puzzle elements or dungeon gimmicks. If they want to keep the random floors then maybe it should be something different, something akin to Mementos in Persona 5 allowing for players to use it as a grinding tool if necessary. They could even call it Channel Surfing or something to keep with the TV theme.

Another way they can add a meaningful gameplay update is by bringing over the battle upgrades from later Persona titles. Baton Pass, Technical hits, and the ability to swap party members mid-combat would all be welcome additions. However, the best addition they could make in regards to the game’s combat is to make the game hard again. The new combat additions in Persona 3 Reload were cool and flashy to look at but frankly, they destroyed the balance of the game’s combat. Series veterans will have no problem steamrolling the difficulty curve of the Persona 4 remake unless enemies and bosses get stronger as well. Or they can offer a custom difficulty allowing players to tailor the difficulty of combat to their liking.

Quality of life enhancements are pretty much to be expected but Atlus needs to remember that we don’t want a bunch of senseless filler instead we just want smoother gameplay through new UI and small fixes to mechanics so that this classic can be revised without losing its soul.

Visual and Audio Upgrades

Graphics and art style upgrades are to be expected when it comes to remaking a classic. Better resolution, detailed character models, and improved animations are pretty much guaranteed. We want a fresh take on the small town of Inaba and the stylish dialed-to-eleven aesthetic of modern Atlus to make an appearance. When it comes to the soundtrack of Persona 4 many people will want it to remain untouched.

Now that we have Persona 3Reload to give us an idea of what a reimagined soundtrack would sound like, if they decide to remake classic songs like Heartbeat Heartbreak, Signs of Love, or Your Affection it will grow on us in due time. Some fans might even prefer the new versions. All I ask is that they keep the original soundtrack available in the game for those who prefer it. One thing is for sure though, the new tracks will be phenomenal.

Story and Character Expansion

Persona 4‘s story and characters have their critics but there’s a strong argument for it being the best story in the franchise. That being said there is room for improvement in its character arcs and awkward pacing in some spots. A common want is for more Social Link content. Aika, the scooter-riding delivery girl from the anime is a fan favorite. Persona 4 remake would be a perfect opportunity to give her the storyline she deserves. In the original data files of Persona 4, there were remnants of romance in Yosuke’s Social Link. Re-adding this content would be incredible but in all honesty, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

There’s also some room for some changes to the game’s end game. Specifically by making sure the true ending is a bit easier to achieve. Atlus also could implement a “Royal-style” extra semester of content. Finding a way to fit that into the original and Golden content might be a challenge and while I’d prefer it if there weren’t any expansions or DLC to Persona 4 remake it would be okay if it was completely new content.

As for character development, to be frank, Yosuke and Teddie’s characters did not age very well. Toning them down a bit to better fit into modern expectations wouldn’t hurt. Additionally, some more dialogue to better explain what’s going on with Kanji and Naoto would be much appreciated. Conversation around this potential remake has been revolving around the discourse surrounding these character’s storylines. It isn’t quite sure if they’re supposed to be up for interpretation or if there was a narrative failing somewhere. Also, the final reveal of the big bad was a bit out of the blue and rushed. Perhaps there could be more hints throughout the story pointing to the true culprit.

All in all, I, like many others, love the story of Persona 4. If they decide to just copy and paste the original story, I would be just fine.

No Recasts

One of, if not the most sensitive topics for fans when it comes to the remake, is voice acting. The voice cast of Persona 4 is cherished. After Persona 3 Reload recasts almost all characters in the English dub, many fans are worried. I was not a fan of the new Persona 3 voice work but it did grow on me with time. That being said, I want the original voice actors for the remake.

Yuri Lowenthal’s Yosuke and Erin Fitzgerald’s Chie are too iconic, I just don’t think anyone else can fill those roles. This is 100% nostalgia speaking but this opinion is being repeated across the internet. Fans of the Japanese dub expect the voice actors to stay the same. Also, since the newer Atlus releases have had dual audio support it’s safe to assume that the Persona 4 remake will as well. But no matter if you prefer the Japanese or English, most agree that the original voice actors should reprise their roles if able to. Exceptions to those who are no longer with us, such as the Japanese voice actor for Dojima, Unsho Ishizuka.