Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

I can never really tell what's going on with this franchise, and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a testament to why. Is this series a fighting game, action RPG, or a musou hack-and-slash? The multiple games send it into an identity crisis from my perspective. Yet, nobody seems to acknowledge the genre flip-flopping between releases. Or even care, for that matter!

I guess that's a significant indicator that Persona is such a solid franchise it can do what it wants. There are not many that can get away with such wild releases. But here we are with a fighting game with all the beloved personalities from its parent game. Am I going to understand what's even happening here? Is it even going to matter?

This Time, It's Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

There are a couple things we need to get out of the way first. Persona 4 is the core installment in the series. Then a spin-off was developed under the name Persona 4 Arena. Then the developers thought, 'hey, one fighting game spin-off isn't enough' and brought forward Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Let's not even get into the other spin-offs. We're going to focus on the task at hand here.

Aside from all the confusion that the games bring to the table - it's safe to say the Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a solid fighting game. Leveraging all the best mechanics and style from its predecessor - gameplay is only improved to create a bastion of visual aesthetics and fluid combat. We can't argue much about the direction of the franchise if the game delivers on its genre.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax adopts the narrative from the previous game, rooted in the Persona 4 parent. The storylines are in-depth and extensive, complimenting the magnificent style that the game has. It further justifies the need for intense fights that break up what almost could be perceived as a graphic novel. But as engaging as the battles and narrative are, one could argue its pitfall is the lack of game time.

Players that get into the story mode - arguably the best part of the game - will find themselves being dragged for lengthy periods. The adrenaline and excitement of the combat are suddenly side-tracked by long blotches of dialogue that may frustrate players. If you can stay patient, though - Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is an excellent game.

Ultimax-ed Out

The brains behind the Persona franchise clearly want to accomplish everything with their lore. There will no excuse for a subpar offering on any genre they translate gameplay to. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax shows that notion is true by offering a stylish fighter not lacking any substance in any meaning.

Pros:

• One of the most visually stylish and fluid fighters available
• The gameplay is incredibly polished
• Faithful to the lore of the franchise while maintaining engaging battles

Cons:

• Story mode's length can frustrate players uninterested in the narrative