Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS) - Reviews

(4.7)

23 reviews

Info

Reviewbucket.co.uk scanned the internet for Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS) reviews.
You can find all Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS) reviews and ratings on this page.

Read the reviews.

Analysis

For Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth (3DS), 23 customer reviews collected from 1 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.7.

Detailed seller stats;
Amazon has 23 customer reviews and the average score is 4.7. Go to this seller.

Detail

Click to list all products in this category.

Similar Items

18.8.2015

To make this clear, I am writing this from the perspective of someone who has never played an Etrian Odyssey game or any of the classic Shin Megami Tensei games. My only experience with Persona prior to this is Persona 4 Golden and the Anime series (as well as the Persona 3 movies).So lets get the main question out of the way here: Will I be able to enjoy this if I have never played any of the Etrian Odyssey/Persona games? If youve never played any of the EO games then that should not be any issue for you as this game explains itself very well (aside from how to get out of the help menu...tip: press the colors on the top right corner). If you have never played any Persona game prior to this (specifically P3 or P4)then the answer is a bit of a mixed bag. This game is first and foremost fan service to those who enjoyed both P3 and P4, as such, many of the games dialogues and jokes are based on jokes from those two games, and as far as I can tell it does include some minor spoilers from P4. If not understanding most of these references is not an issue for you and you are interested in this primarily for its gameplay then you will be perfectly happy with it. Just be warned: this game is pure fan service, but who knows? Maybe after playing this game and liking the character interactions, maybe youll be interested in trying P3 and/or P4.Gameplay-------------Either way, whether youre into Persona or not (yet) the most important thing about this game is the gameplay. From what I can tell this game is the perfect blend of EO and Persona. You navigate a set number of dungeons all the while mapping were youve been and using your notes of previous floors to help solve puzzles. Some players might find this mapping a nuisance but it is a key element to solving puzzles and makes this game kind of special. I truly enjoy it and I think most players will too because this mechanic challenges players in multiple new ways and actually (also) forces you to grab a pen and some paper to write clues down for yourself to figure out the multiple puzzles and riddles (specifically in the third dungeon).The actual combat works like a Persona game, just with addition of a 5th character. All the spells you know and love appear here too and, of course, personas also make a return. For those who dont know, personas are a little pokemon, they are "creatures" you collect. They level up, gain experience, as well as learn new moves which you use in tandem with your main persona. Yes, you read correctly, this game actually uses a new feature whereas all characters (not just the main character) have a main persona (which are those they had in their original games) and a sub persona which means further customization options for your team. So for example: Yukikos main persona is a mix of fire and healing skills, if youd like to add some skills which add status effects to that, why not have a sub persona like Alice, which adds skills like being able to cause enemies to panic etc.There are some other changes to combat too which are a bit more obscure (for Persona fans). Hitting an enemies weakness no longer stuns it and causes you to get a second move; instead, it may cause a stun (though that is rare) and instead gives players a "boost" meaning that, unless they get hit, they may use a spell/skill without the cost of any more SP. This is really interesting because, if you have a good strategy you can keep this boost going by constantly hitting the enemy with its weakness, and in turn you dont have to spend any SP. This makes for a completely different fighting dynamic than the one youre used to from P4 or P3.But what about when you dont go kicking some shadow but? Well, your options for what you can do outside the dungeons is very limited but enjoyable nonetheless. Essentially, once outside the labyrinth you get treated to a menu which features the workshop, a nurse station and the velvet room (where personas can be fused and messed around with). Its a little barebones (especially if youre used to Persona 4s level of options outside of dungeons) but its fine. Aside from those three rooms you can also go on "strolls" where you can see the different casts of characters interact with each other. For the most part its more fan service but it also shows Persona Qs largest problem:The story--------------So the story is a bit of a toss up; some will love it, others will hate it. I found it to be quite fun but there are some huge annoyances. Essentially the game takes place during the culture festival from P4 and the canceled festival from P3. Both casts of characters have been transported to some alternate dimension which for some reason looks like the culture festival from P4. There the casts meet a set of new characters, Zen and Rei, both of which have lost their memories and the groups decide that by going through the different labyrinths found at the festival they will restore Zen and Reis memories, solve the mystery of why they are there to begin with, and be able to go back to their respective timelines. The story is fine by itself but doesnt really kick in until VEEEERY late into the game (roughly the 80% mark), the main issue is with the characters themselves.As those who have played previous persona games know, the characters in those games are very very well written. They are multifaceted and experiencing these characters truly grow over the course of the game is what makes them so special. And thats the main issue here. Aside from Kanji and Ken, the characters dont ever grow and are reduced to a small portion of what they are. What do I mean? Well, lets take Chie, she is a kung fu fantatic, who loves meat and wants to protect those around her (there is still more to her but thats another topic for another day). So what does this game reduce her personality to? A meat crazed lunatic. Well maybe "lunatic" is a bit overblown but someone who focuses on nothing but meat is crazy in my eyes. Her dialogue, and the amount of meat puns, and references to her wanting meat just becomes obnoxious, and shes not the only one who is butchered (pun not intended) like this; Akihiko and especially Teddie are equally un-bear-able at times (pun intended). This makes several of the "free time" stroll options painful to sit through and in the end I only watched about 70% of them. To persona fans, this level of simplification is what will annoy them the most, but luckily some characters are still fairly well written (Naoto, Kanji, Ken, even Mitsuru for example). As for the newcomers? Well...they start off as annoying and boring but towards the end become incredibly cool, but then again, that is only if you still care about the story once you get to that point.Presentation----------------As far as 3DS games go this game looks pretty average. Its definitely not as pretty as, say, Kid Icarus Uprising (I love KI:U). But its definitely not ugly either. The fact that most Persona characters have been chibi-fied may be a turn off to some, but ultimately, considering the hardware, was a good option. The different environments look great due to a fantastic art direction (especially the aforementioned third dungeon is spectacular) and the enemies look just as good as they did in the Persona games. As for the 3D effect, I tried it out a couple of times but couldnt get used to it, it just ended up looking weird and is not at all useful to immerse myself further into the game (unlike games like Luigis Mansion 2 or KI:U).The soundtrack is just a bright and colorful as the visuals. Maze of Life is probably my favorite opening to any Persona game, ever. And many songs (like the excellent Light the Fire Up in the Night) actually got two versions depending on whether youre playing the more cheerful Persona 4 cast or the more gloomy Persona 3 cast. Truly excellent, but what else should I expect form a Persona game at this point?Oh! And I shouldnt forget to mention the lovingly made little anime cutscenes which happen a handful of times throughout the game. These are truly well made.Verdict---------As you have for sure noticed, I gave this game 5 stars, and there is a good reason for that. The gameplay is excellent and incredibly addictive. I just finished the Persona 4 side of the campaign and that lasted me a good 54 hours (thats fairly good id say). I didnt grind at all and, for once, I wanted to do all the requests and sidequests I could possibly find, and I did sit through most of the conversation options and generally had a blast. And while the story may have been a little weak at times, the revelations towards the end made it all worth it and shed a lot of (positive) light on the story. And the great news is that there is a new game plus option where I can play through the game again while keeping all my previous items, character levels and personas. Who knows, I might just want to play through the game to see how the Persona 3 cast fights its way through these labyrinths.Overall, Im sure that whether or not you have any experience with Persona or EO games, as long as you like turn based RPGs, im sure youll find something in this game to keep you addicted.If you have any more questions feel free to ask them in the comments and ill do my best answering them.

19.5.2015

If you like dungeon crawlers, Persona Q is definitely worth playing even if you haven't played previous Persona titles. If you are a fan of the series, I highly recommend the title because it is not simple cashing on the franchise.Like Etrian Odyssey the gameplay is a turn-based dungeon crawler where you have to draw your own map as you go along, but unlike in its predecessor you don't create characters but have got the whole cast of Persona 3 and 4 at your disposal. Your skills and power are determined by personas you gain on the way, and not only the main character but the whole party can change personas as they will. The dungeons are huge with many random encounters. When playing on normal,

21.10.2016

P4 Golden on the vita was the first JRPG I ever played and I loved it (More accurately I loved Chie, and was faithful to the end)This experience spurred me on to play Persona 3 ( the PSP port on the Vita) and I loved this too (Less faithful this time round but my heart will always be with Mitsuru) I was happy to accept the drop in graphics and animation compared to its big brother because the story was so good.It was with a degree of trepidation that I started PQ-SOTL. I already owned a 3DS, had never played Etrian Odyssey but was heavily invested in the Persona characters and so thought what the hey.It's a really good game and well worth the investment in terms of time and money.Yeah it's not

24.1.2015

Persona is a spinoff from the Shin Megami Tensei series, and as such it has the same element of having demons (called Personas) to help you in battle. And through fusion in the Velvet Room you can acquire personas that are stronger or have a better skill set. This latest game, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is the first one to be released on the 3DS, and it’s my first encounter with this series. Still, aside from seeing familiar elements from Shin Megami Tensei, that I’ve played before, I see another familiar set of gameplay elements, those of Etrian Oddyssey. Not surprising then, that I really like this game! If you like Etrian Odyssey, then you will surely like this game too.

5.12.2014

This game is not a regular Persona game for the 3DS. That has to be put out there before continuing. There is no social gaming, no year-long adventure, no exploring outside the dungeons (labyrinth), no nothing. It's a very bare bones experience. Instead, what you do have is a whole lot of dungeon crawling and fan service (err, not that kind). This isn't lethal to the whole experience and if you go in with your expectations tempered in advance then you'll find yourself having a fun time re-entering the world of

19.8.2015

It's terrible and definitely a money spinner, but I still love it and will complete it. Some of the characters are a bit flat in comparison to the original games but when everything looks this cute and there's such a variety you don't really mind so much. The dungeon exploring is a little boring even for die-hard Etrian Odyssey fans but the graphics and gameplay aren't bad at all. A must have for fans of both series and collectors.

5.2.2015

Arrived exactly on time, around 3pm.This is a great game, not exactly full of features from previous Persona games with Social links missing and most of fusion gone, it feels like a blend of Persona x Etrian Odyssey. I love being able to draw the map too but the same lovable characters fill the game with character and the soundtrack is as amazing as ever.

27.4.2015

I loved both Persona 3 and Persona 4; I also own both arena and Ultimax, but it is nice having both protagonists appearing in the same game.Though it would be nice to play as the female protagonist from persona 3 portable, I love the art style and the scenes between labyrinths when you get to spend time with your companions

5.8.2015

Superb RPG action from ATLUS featuring the lovable characters from PERSONA 3 and PERSONA 4 meeting up in an adventure that has them fighting Shadows. It can have a steep difficulty curve in some sections but with patience it is very rewarding. The 3D and graphics are lovely.

10.3.2015

The game is great, however, the boxing is quite empty and disappointing. Unless you really like to have it on your shelf, It's probably better to buy it on the nintendo store...

7.5.2015

Game was great quality, all the information still inside, including the Nintendo club points. The game itself runs perfectly on my ds, totally worth buying for Persona fans!