The Persona series is one fine example of a side series that outperformed its original franchise. It broke ground and has cemented itself as one of the best JRPGs to ever exist. Rightly so, their games have all been very story-oriented and their dark themes just gel together so well.
Given its popularity, the Persona series has spawned many games and today, we’re going to rank them. Starting from the worst to the best, here are our ranking of all the Persona games! Also, we won’t be including any spin-offs like the Dancing games and we will only be including the enhanced version of the games because they do give the full experience and are better in every way.
Let’s start!
1. Revelations: Persona
Since it is the first Persona game to be released, this game has quite a decent number of problems. For one, the design is extremely dated and the gameplay doesn’t really stand the test of time. If you were to present this game to someone who has just played Persona 5 Royal, they are most likely going to drop this game halfway through.
That said, the game has a not-so-bad storyline. It’s a little cliche at parts and the translation and writing weren’t as crisp back then. However, if you do like retro games and you want something that is closer to the Megaten franchise, there is no harm in trying out Revelations: Persona.
2. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Eternal Punishment is a sequel to Innocent Sin and honestly, it’s just not as good as its predecessor. While the gameplay doesn’t change too much, the story doesn’t hit quite as hard and there are some parts that are lacking.
The PSP edition of this game is generally the version you would want to play as it has some improved aspects, where they streamline the mechanics to be more accessible. Still, it is a pretty difficult game to get into because of its dated graphics and rough aesthetics. Though, we would still ask players to give it a shot, especially if you’ve played the first Persona 2 as you would be able to relate to the characters more.
3. Persona 3 Portable
It was supposed to be a dream come true where we could finally play Persona 3 on the go. While it did happen, the sacrifices made for it to be all possible were pretty brutal. The major change that they made was that the game’s entire presentation was done visual novel-like. This removes the immersion aspect of the game tremendously.
Still, there are things to smile about. Being able to fully control your party members is a perk that should be implemented for the first Persona games. Mechanic-wise, Persona 3 was the first to add social elements into the franchise and that worked out fantastic
Adding to the fact that there is also a female route you can go for, Persona 3 Portable gives and takes and it is up to you to decide whether the one outweighs the other.
4. Persona 3 FES
Boasting one of the most catchy openings in the JRPG genre, Persona 3 FES has a lot more going than just killer music. It is said that Persona 3 FES was the prototype of all modern Persona games—iconic music, social simulation and overall better writing.
Taking the base Persona 3 game and enhancing it, Persona 3 FES provides an additional epilogue to the story which gives the players closure to the story. We don’t want to go into detail about this because we will be venturing into spoiler territory then. Trust us when we say this, The Journey (the epilogue) is heartbreaking!
5. Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Again like with Eternal Punishment, if you want to go back in time to experience Innocent Sin, we recommend the PSP version of the game. It’s much better and you will not need to suffer the ultra-dated graphics of the late 90s.
The reason why Innocent Sin is ranked so highly here is due to its amazing storytelling. Yes, we did mention that the older Persona games might not have the best writing, but for its time, Innocent Sin’s story is very memorable.
The cast of characters can even rival modern games and all of them are nicely fleshed out, and even then, you just feel that you want to know more about them. Once you get into the story, you will be totally immersed in it. Sure, visually it isn’t ideal, but this speaks volumes to how well the game presents its story and characters.
6. Persona 5 Royal
You’d probably see this coming already and some may even consider Persona 5 Royal being the best Persona game there is. Persona 5 Royal has almost everything that a modern Persona game needs. Gorgeous aesthetics, modernised gameplay, a strong cast of characters and a story that makes you not want to turn the game off.
Really, there is almost nothing we can fault this game and if we really need to, we could say that it has too many things happening at once. In other words, gamers who prefer minimalistic designs might find this game overwhelming. Then again, this is all about getting used to and once you are used to it, you’ll be in for a lifetime experience.
7. Persona 4 Golden
The only thing that was disappointing about Persona 4 Golden back when it was released is the fact that it was only available on the PS Vita. Even then, the game performed insanely well despite it being only limited to the Vita.
The reason why we think Persona 4 Golden stands out among the rest is that it does everything just well—not too much and not too little. It’s almost it is like a well-oiled machine that is optimised perfectly.
Persona 4 Golden strongest points would surely have to be its cast of characters, each of which is very relatable and possess very “human” problems. As the modern Persona games are all about friendship and the bonds we make, this is a huge win for the game.
The gameplay is also very refined from Persona 3 and is not made too easy like it is in Persona 5. It’s the right balance of everything and thus we’re placing Persona 4 Golden at the top of the pedestal.
Final Thoughts
Well, there we have it! These are our rankings of the Persona games. We want to remind our readers that this list is purely opinionated and we believe that there are others who might think otherwise. So, read it with a grain of salt and if you need any video game needs, be sure to visit OffGamers here!
