I have high hopes for the upcoming Persona 4 Revival. Revealed as part of Summer Game Fest earlier this summer, Revival is a remake of the original Persona 4 – or perhaps its Golden re-release – in the vein of Persona 3 Reload.

Aiming for a faithful recreation of the original story, with all-new visuals and, most likely, a new voice cast, Revival has a lot of potential. Persona 4 is a landmark game in the series; while 3 set the tone for everything that followed, 4 cemented the series’ style and structure. While a remake will have a lot of issues to grapple with, Atlus has much better raw material to work with when it comes to Persona 4, and I’m curious to see what it’ll do with it.

Persona 4 Was The Gateway Game For Many Fans

Myself Included

Persona 4 was, for many modern Persona fans, the game that got them into the franchise. Persona 1 and 2 never garnered quite as much popularity in the West, and, while Persona 3 had a small but devoted fanbase, it took until Persona 4 for the series to gain a foothold worldwide.

I was in the same boat: circa 2012, I actually bought a PS Vita for the sole purpose of playing Persona 4 Golden. It immediately lured me in with its strong character drama, its catchy music, and its charming setting. It’s only thanks to P4 that I got into the older games in the series; I went back to 3, 2, and 1 in that order after beating it.

I know I’m not alone in that regard, which is why Persona 4 Revival has a lot to live up to. For many fans, it’ll be a long-awaited return to a beloved game, and for others, it’ll be their first brush with a game they’ve often been told is a series best.

Persona 4 Revival Has A Great Base To Build On

Nowhere To Go But Up

The original Persona 4 (and even more so, Golden) is a generational RPG that’ll make great source material for a remake. Its characters, setting, and overall story are just as strong as, though markedly different from, those of the near-universally beloved Persona 5.

And unlike the previous remake, it has a series of curated, themed dungeons that explore its characters’ inner worlds. There are no roguelike elements here – it’s pure story and symbolism.

But Persona 4 is secretly a brilliant detective game, and it doesn’t hold the player’s hand when it comes to solving the mystery. You really do have to take in all the clues and identify a suspect all on your own – when it comes time to identify a suspect, literally every character in the game is available for selection.

And better yet, early trailers have hinted that Persona 4 Revival will incorporate content from the enhanced Golden version from the very beginning, unlike Persona 3 Reload, which held off on FES content until long after release. That could stand to make it the more complete of the two Persona remakes, which would help make it the true definitive version.

Of course, Revival has a couple of issues to grapple with: its visuals and new voice cast have already faced criticism. And it’ll have to deal delicately with some of the plot points from the original game that have aged poorly, especially its treatment of gay and transgender characters.

But Atlus has come a long way in the intervening years, and so I enter into the remake with a kind of cautious optimism. I know it won’t be perfect, but Persona 4 Revival is set to bring my first and still-favorite Persona game to a wider audience, and I look forward to seeing what it does with its excellent source material.