Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a spinoff of the long running Persona games, in itself a spin off of the Shin Megami Tensei series. Made by JRPG titan Atlus, Persona Q is a dungeon crawler similar to Etrian Odyssey. For fans of Persona 4 or Persona 3, which the game gets it’s characters and setting from, you may be displeased to learn that the school and social life elements of those games are no longer present. Instead Persona Q is focused on the exploration of “labyrinths” with various themes where you battle monsters to grow stronger and receive new items and abilities. For all of you hoping to expand your anime girl harem, you may be out of luck. For everyone who is a fan of well built JRPG gameplay, Persona Q has a lot to offer you, especially if you’re a fan of other Japanese role playing games on the 3DS.
In Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth you choose to play the game from the perspective of either the protagonists of Persona 3 or Persona 4. One day, you and your chosen band of chibi anime characters come to school for a “cultural festival”. Once in class, a previously non-existent bell tower tolls, and you are trapped within your pseudo-magical school until you battle your way past an army of shadows and can reclaim your freedom of mobility. The story is a little wacky but that is fun of any JRPG. Interestingly, the story is not as bizarre as one might expect. It serves its purpose well; I liked my group of friends/magical warriors and was inexplicably concerned for their well being. Senpai needs to look out for his people, I suppose. The dialogue is a little clunky and the voice acting is a little over the top, but that is all apart of the games charm.
Battling monsters and exploring the labyrinth is where Persona Q is at its best. The combat system is very complex and rewards experimentation. There are a great deal of party members to choose from and they all compliment each other in different ways. Selecting party members carefully is critical for progressing through the game. The combat itself is similar to the Etrian Odyssey series. You must carefully choose who is in, where they will be, and what they will do from a wide variety of options. What seems straightforward at first hides a great deal of strategy and challenge. The fighting and leveling are very satisfying. The EO style of gameplay lends itself very well to the world of Persona 3 and 4. As somebody with no experience with the Etrian Odyssey series it took a little adjusting to. The difficulty particularly; you really have to choose your party members and battles carefully. Also you need to maintain a map of the dungeon you’re navigating. The map drawing element is cool, but the player is limited to the symbols given to you by the game. The touchscreen could be used to make hand drawn maps on the fly. Atlus missed out on a chance to give the player real creative control of their dungeon crawling. However, once you are over the learning curve, just how addictive Persona Q is becomes very clear. Removing the social elements, although a little disappointing, gives Persona Q an increased focus on dungeon crawling that makes this title stand out in the sea of Japanese role playing games available for 3DS.
Atlus is a company that has always excelled at sound and graphics. Persona Q is no different. Although the art has changed to a more “chibi” style then either Persona 3 or 4, the new look works well with the cast of characters and setting. The visual design of the game is superb and makes excellent use of the technology available. The game is lush with color and uses it to clearly separate the areas of the game. Contrast the sterile white and gray of the school with the purple and red of the first labyrinth or the dark blue of the “Velvet Room”. The Persona series always makes excellent use of visual design to enhance game play and story. Even though the setting was lovely, I could not help but feel a little boxed in since the game takes place entirely in the school or labyrinth. Exploring the town in Persona 4 Golden was a peaceful treat.
For fans of lengthy, engaged JRPG’s I can easily recommend Persona Q. Even though the 3DS library is replete with excellent role playing games Persona Q is a unique enough twist to satisfy Shin Megami Tensei fans, Persona fans, Etrian Odyssey masochists, or just anybody looking for something new. This reviewer was pleasantly surprised by this title. I’ve felt that Atlus has spread themselves too thin over too many games in recent years. Persona Q is a return to their very high standard of quality after what I felt was a middling Shin Megami Tensei IV. Senpai stepped up and us consumers are all the better for it.