The rumours were true: Persona 4 Golden is coming to Steam. Or, more accurately, it’s available on Steam right now for US$19.99 / NZD $31.99.
For its PC release, Persona 4 Golden has been updated with Full HD resolution, unlocked framerates, additional text languages, the option to switch between English and Japanese voice tracks. RPG Site has an excellent rundown of the different PC config options, and some comparison screenshots between the Vita and Steam versions.
Persona 4 originally came out for PlayStation 2 in 2008, before getting an updated release on PS Vita in 2012 under the title Persona 4 Golden. It’s one of the all-time greats, known for its deep characters, authentic depiction of rural Japan, clever RPG systems, stylish presentation, and incredible soundtrack.
It’s also one of the better examples of a game drawing on Jungian psychology and building that into the core of the game’s design. It goes on a deep dive into the psychology of its high school protagonists, mixing Jungian motifs and JRPG structures in fascinating ways.
It’s worth noting, though, that Persona 4 has some problematic elements in how it approaches gender norms and queer identities. These are things it tries to explore, to some extent, but it’s also an Atlus game from 2008, and the way it handles such themes is… not great. There are a lot of “jokes” at the expense of queer and trans people, basically.
It’s still an excellent game aside from those problems, and with this “surprise” release on PC, now is as good a time as any to play it (or play it again).
