Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Reviews
Persona Q has something for everyone. If you're a Persona fan, you'll get a huge kick out of seeing your old Gekkoukan and Yasogami classmates in an all-new adventure, and Etrian Odyssey fans open to a change will love it — this is the story-driven experiment of Etrian Odyssey Untold taken to the next level, with a stylistic overhaul to match. And if you haven't played either of its inspirations, you're still in luck — this isn't just a great crossover, it's a fantastically fun RPG in its own right, with colourful characters, engaging gameplay, and a whole heap of style. Persona fans will undoubtedly get the most out of the fan-service, but even if you can't tell Junpei from Junes, you'll still have a blast exploring Persona Q.
Having never played a Persona RPG, I enjoyed Persona Q: Shadow of the Layrinth. The fact that it resembles the Etrian Odyssey series in terms of gameplay is a plus and as a person new to the Persona series, I feel that this is another solid RPG from Atlus.
3DS owners looking for a new RPG to dig into will find a fantastic one here. Persona fans shouldn't think twice about picking this up. It truly feels like a sequel to Persona 3 and Persona 4. The production value and game play are really well done, and very enjoyable.
While Persona Q's story may be meaningless on its own, the dungeon crawling and strategic battle system are great challenges with an excellent cast to keep you company.
It's not quite Persona 5, but it's still a meaty (down, Chie) role-playing experience.
An amazing first person dungeon crawler for fans of Persona 3 and 4, but not a gateway into the Persona series.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is the first time a Persona title has made the jump to the Nintendo 3DS platform, though Shin Megami Tensei IV offered a similar experience last year. While it offers much of the Persona experience fans will enjoy, such as the deep and challenging combat system, ability to fuse Personas, and unpredictable story, there are still some things fans of the series will certainly miss. The inability to randomly explore your surroundings or to take one of your friends out for a bowl of ramen in order to improve your bond with them is one I missed greatly while playing Persona Q. The social aspect plays a major role for the Persona series, and to see such a vital part of the equation missing is disappointing.
Persona Q can be grind. It can be frustrating, and, at times, it made me want to fling my 3DS across the room. It's also a heartwarming love letter to Persona fans, and an engrossing role-playing game, among the best the 3DS has to offer. Let go and enjoy the ride.
I can't say that the mystery, that all of us reaching out to such a densely obfuscated truth, will amount to much more than the satisfaction felt in any other Persona game. In fact, you should consider your own purchase of Persona Q carefully. Bear puns aside, you will feel like you need to dance between the darker, more serious cast of Persona 3 and the lighter cast of Persona 4 as there are so many lovable archetypes at play. It's to the P Studio development team's credit that everyone gets at least a little time in the spotlight here.
Persona Q represents a bit of a risk, bringing together two RPG series that, despite their common parentage, focus on entirely different facets of the genre. But it works, with the Persona elements livening up the dungeon-crawling and the Etrian Odyssey components bringing some merciless old-school discipline to the unruly Persona sub-universe. Though admittedly fans of the two series will get the most from the crossover, this lively, complex adventure works as a great RPG by any standard.
Persona Q is a cute and exceptionally enjoyable role-playing game that amplifies the series' humor to great effect.
Persona Q is a fan-pleaser that doesn't sacrifice quality
Persona Q is strong on all fronts, from the great character interactions to the fun dungeons
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a pleasing amalgam of first-person dungeon exploration and role-playing elements that injects just enough humor to keep things fresh.
A fantastic crossover that despite a few necessary simplifications manages to do some things better than either of its parent games, especially in terms of accessibility.
It's principally aimed at the series' fans, but the mesh of interlocking systems ensures that its appeal runs deeper than fan service.
Persona Q is a 60-plus hour roleplaying experience that both charms and entertains. Though there were points when its puzzles completely stumped me, and the combat's steep difficulty, made me want to launch my 3DS into orbit a few times, the enjoyable battle system, deep exploration, and generous dollops of fanservice made it worth the effort.