Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Reviews

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
85 / 100
Nov 19, 2014

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.

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88%
Nov 20, 2014

Etrian Odyssey meets Persona in a not-quite-the-sum-of-its-parts game.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2014

Persona Q is a fan-pleaser that doesn't sacrifice quality

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9 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2014

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.

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8.5 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2014

While deviating from the main series, Atlus definitely took their first Nintendo Persona title seriously. The main story easily can take over 40 hours to complete, not to mention the replay value from using the three different save slots to play from the perspective of the other team. The visual look is fun and thoughtfully designed, the gameplay is challenging and calls for a fair amount of planning and thought and the return of two Persona casts brings humor and interest to the overall plot and exploration.

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Nov 20, 2014

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.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2014

If you have a 3DS, and you like RPGs, you should buy Persona Q. If you've played any previous Persona games and liked them, buying Persona Q should be a no-brainer. If you hate RPGs, and by extension fun itself, I'm not sure why you're even reading this.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2014

An amazing first person dungeon crawler for fans of Persona 3 and 4, but not a gateway into the Persona series.

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7 / 10
Nov 20, 2014

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.

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83 / 100
Nov 20, 2014

It's not quite Persona 5, but it's still a meaty (down, Chie) role-playing experience.

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4 / 5.0
Nov 20, 2014

Persona Q should be a hardcore Persona fan's dream game, and if you only come to the series for its character writing then it kind of is.

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IGN
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2014

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.

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9 / 10
Nov 20, 2014

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.

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Drew Leachman
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Nov 20, 2014

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.

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Unscored
Nov 20, 2014

Whether you are fully on board the 'Persona 3 and Persona 4 for life train' or waiting patiently for this era to end with eyes set on Persona 5 (see video), Persona Q should not be ignored by the Persona fan. While this Atlus title isn't a fighting or dancing game like other Persona or future Persona titles, it returns to RPG elements.  With that said though, this game plays and feels much more like an Etrian Odyssey game than previous games in the Persona franchise. To call Persona Q an Etrian Odyssey game reskinned with Persona characters is completely inaccurate though; this game is more of a unique offspring of the two.

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Nov 21, 2014

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.

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A or higher
Nov 21, 2014

Persona Q is a fantastic game that does so many things right. If you're a Persona or Etrian Odyssey fan, then there's no doubt that you'll fall in love with this game. Even if you haven't played a game in either series and have an interest in JRPGs, you should still purchase Persona Q. Between the game's gorgeous art style, fantastic challenging gameplay, amazing soundtrack composed by Atsushi Kitajoh and Toshiki Konishi, and the entertaining character interactions, this is easily one of my favorite games of the year.

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Nov 22, 2014

If there's a single downside, it's that with a cast of over 16 characters, only five of whom can physically be in your party, there's very little reason to play around with your party's composition.

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9 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

While Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth takes numerous gameplay cues from Atlus' Etrian Odyssey franchise, this is an engrossing, expansive, and entertaining adventure that truly feels like a proper new chapter of the Persona series—one that masterfully blends together elements from both its past and its present.

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8.5 / 10.0
Nov 24, 2014

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.

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