Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is all about the perspective.

For starters, it’s about physical perspective: The run-the-hallways, dodge the shadows third-person view we knew and loved from the insta-classic Persona 4: Golden has been swapped for an Etrian Odyssey-style first-person exploration view. It’s also about narrative perspective, given that you’re given the fun and entertaining choice when the game starts to play through the story in the company of the casts of Persona 3 (Mitsuru and Yukari!) or Persona 4 (Yukiko and Chie!). It’s like having two games in one.

Since we’re all trapped in the carnival-laden halls of Yasogami trying to figure out why a gigantic and ominous bell tower has sprung up in the courtyard, we’ll look at the game from a bunch of different perspectives, too.

Class Reunion
A huge, huge part of the fun here is getting another chance to hang out with the kids from Yasogami and Gekkoukan High and watch them bond and interact with each other. When Chie asks why a Laughing Table shadow can’t contain a plate of meat, it’s as funny as watching Teddie’s clumsy overtures to Yukiko and Rise get shot down for the bazillionth time or Ken and Kanji share fashion tips. These are such well-drawn, likable characters that getting to spend another 60+ hours with them in a setting that showcases their foibles and goofball banter better than the uber-serious Persona 4: Arena could is a total treat.

But Um, What’s Up With the Goofy New Kids?
Even with a huge cast of familiar and hilarious characters to draw from, Persona Q makes the odd decision to center its story on a pair of new characters: Rei, a waifish girl who devours corn dogs like they were freaking M&Ms, and Zen, a Vincent Valentine knockoff who wields a crossbow and a personality as dry as the Sahara. Both of them have had their memories “stolen” — seriously, can we just kill the amnesia trope already? — and take far too long to reveal their secrets.

Welcome to Cartography 101
Like the early Wizardry games and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on the Nintendo DS, Persona Q includes an entertaining mapping component that finds you sketching out the layouts of the labyrinths on the touchscreen as you traverse them, marking the locations of secret passages, treasure boxes and P-spots. (It stands for power spots, you pervert, and it’s a cool risk-reward way to get key items to sell; it’s not the impetus for the game’s M rating.) This isn’t just a matter of the game inventing annoying busywork for those who’d rather just rush headlong into the next shadow battle. Remembering where key event triggers are located and which secret passages only flow one way adds to the ambience, particularly since you’ll be ducking in and out of each dungeon for healing.

Business in the Front, Party in the Back
It’s not the deepest strategic element you’ll ever encounter, but Persona Q does let you shift your five party members around in two rows to better manage their abilities and health status. Obviously, a heat-packing character like Naoto belongs in the back, while Chie and her roundhouse kicks are more effective up front. Still when one of your party’s on the verge of death, it’s nice to be able to move them out of harm’s way. Well, at least until the shadow you’re facing unleashes an unexpected Maziodyne on your party’s head.

F to the O to the E
As engaging as Persona Q’s psychedelic dungeons are, they can also be as cheap as the current price of a gallon of gasoline. Uber-powerful boss creatures known as FOEs (hello, Etrian Odyssey) stalk the platforms and corridors—sometimes in packs–and bumping into them ends about as well as using the Treasure Spotter persona ability to try to knock out an Emperor Beetle. While you can typically run away if you mistime your moves and bump into one, there’s no escape from random battles with unexpectedly powerful shadows or the copious “should you?” encounters that turn into deathtraps. At the same time, winning these challenging battles yields some seriously worthwhile rewards.

Super Sub
In the Persona games, you managed your roster of personas by identifying the threat you’d be facing and swapping in the appropriate type for the job. Persona Q doubles the fun by letting each character keep their central persona plus a sub-persona that adds its moves and additional health and skill points to the mix. Given the strength of some of the shadows your party will encounter, this isn’t just about strategy—it’s about survival.

You again?
The world of Persona Q is significantly smaller than the worlds of Personas 3 and 4, where multiple locations and copious side trips made it seem like you were inhabiting an actual world. Here, you’re trapped inside the school, with only a few options like the workshop and the nurse’s office to visit. In a move that echoes the Patton Oswalt’s Koenig Boys on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., everything’s staffed by either Margaret or Elizabeth, who are apparently branching out from their Velvet Room duties. (And, in a humorous touch, are not exactly happy about it, either.)

Developer Atlus has really hit all the synergy buttons here, taking two beloved franchises and coating them with a funky sheen of fan service. What they’ve created is something far greater than the fun of its parts.

Pros:
+ An additional 60+ hours spent with a huge cast of characters you know and love
+ Persona + Etrian Odyssey = surprisingly entertaining gameplay
+ Labyrinth mapping!
+ Strategic elements like formations and sub-personas provide additional depth

Cons:
– New characters Rei and Zen are boring and superfluous
– A few too many cheap, unwinnable encounters with FOEs and overpowered shadows
– It’s a small world after all

Game Info:
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Publisher: Atlus USA
Developer: Atlus
Release Date: 11/25/2014
Genre: Dungeon Crawl RPG
ESRB Rating: Mature
Players: 1
Source: Game purchased by reviewer

Atlus sure knows how to treat its fans, consistently offering the best gift-with-purchase freebies and special edition extras in the business. Now they’re doing something extra special for Persona fans, unifying the upcoming fall launches of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth through a cross-game series of collectible tarot cards.

Pre-orders and first print copies of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax on PS3 and Xbox 360 will contain an inflatable Teddie punching bag as well as set #1 of the Tarot card collection, including Arcanas 0-X.

Pre-orders and the first printing of Nintendo 3DS exclusive Persona Q will then ship with set #2 (Arcanas XI – XXI), plus special packaging. Want the whole collection? Then you’re going to have to buy both games like a true Persona collector.

If the standard edition Persona Q doesn’t do it for you, there’s a second option. “The Wild Cards” premium edition features the same special packaging and second set of tarot cards in addition to an art booklet, the soundtrack on CD, and a 3DS XL hard travel case. The premium edition costs $79.99 compared to just $49.99 for the regular version.

Watch the new E3 2014 trailers for both titles below.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, widely regarded as one of the best RPGs to ever grace the PS2, is officially on its way to US PSPs in the aptly titled Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable.

Atlus’ portable Persona 3 remake, released in Japan back in November, is currently slated to ship in North America on July 6th, and will feature loads of tweaks and extra content over its PS2 counterpart. Of particular note, Persona 3 Portable will include the option to play as a female protagonist, which promises to bring a fresh new perspective to the storyline by opening up new relationship choices and possibilities within the game’s Social Link system.

Additionally, the PSP version is said to include new features like Skill Cards, part-time jobs, five difficulty settings, the ability to directly control teammates in combat, and portable-inspired playability tweaks like one-button menu shortcuts, a streamlined equipment system, and optimized engine performance for minimal load times and zippier pacing.

For more Persona 3 Portable goodness, watch the trailer up top and skim through the screenshot gallery below.

Cover-Up:
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The Letter:
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The Miracle:
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Persona 3, arguably the best RPG on any platform from all of last year, is now getting even better. Persona 3 FES, a special “Festival” edition of the hit PS2 RPG, is now set for release in North America on April 22nd. While specifics on the FES content haven’t been fully revealed at this time, it’s basically an expansion of the original game featuring a brand new episode to the storyline that Atlus USA claims is like a full game all by itself. Of course, there will be additional features and modes too, but info on all that good stuff is still to come. Until that info comes along, have a peek at this teaser trailer.

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Not to be left out, the DS strategy-RPG Luminous Arc also shipped today, giving Atlus a spiffy one-two punch of great game releases this week.

“While many are willing to sacrifice the art book in favor of the game alone, the package we have spent the last few months designing, one intended to honor the series and reward fans for an eight year wait, would be irreparably compromised if we were to revise or abandon the deluxe package.  Without the art book, the outer box would lack the structural integrity to endure shipping; all extras would need to be discarded.  Again, this deluxe set was created for the fans of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, and we are determined to see the special release through to the end.”

It’s so great to see a publisher staying true to its fans and refusing to comprise a game package’s quality just to get it shipped out on time. Though I’m sure fans are disappointed in having to wait just a little longer, the delay is only going to make the final product better and ultimately it’ll all be worth it in the end. Bravo Atlus!

“Persona 3 is the most exciting, challenging, and ambitious title in the SMT series to date!” said Yu Namba, Project Lead for P3. “While still faithful to its roots, it takes the series in a bold new direction with the implementation of the Social Link system, where your relationship with not just party members but also a huge cast of characters is critical to your success!”