There’s no doubt that Persona 4 is a classic; it signaled a new era of JRPGs that successfully melds slice-of-life, visual novel, and turn-based combat in a single title. As one of the best PlayStation 2 games of all time, it deserved its flowers.
Much more so with Persona 4 Golden, the remastered and ‘definitive’ edition of the Yasoinaba crew. However, as fantastic as Golden was, not everything about it worked. And now that Persona 4 Revival is on its way, there are things that need serious rethinking if it’s going to live up to the original.
Why Marie’s Story Still Misses the Mark
Marie has been a controversial character among the Persona 4 community for 15 years. She’s not exactly a bad character, per se, but rather, her addition to the main story feels tacked-on. Her presence doesn’t flow organically among Persona 4’s murder-mystery plot, nor its Midnight Channel mystery.
To add to that, her character, while intriguing, lacks any good motivations and a solid backstory compared to the rest of the cast. As a result, everything about her feels awkward and unfinished. She takes time to fully develop, and her side-quests inside the Velvet Room felt like padding to an already well-written main story.
One of the other issues in Marie’s storyline is the extra dungeon that unlocks after maxing her Social Link. While it’s a nice change of pace from the Scooby Doo-like mysteries we usually do, it was another case of a storytelling issue that’s so disconnected from the main plot. Plus, having it placed late in the game doesn’t do it justice at all.
A Total Rewrite Is Needed for Golden’s Missteps
Atlus would have to reconsider bringing Marie back into the fold; otherwise, Persona 4 Revival risks the same pacing issues the original Golden version had. A total rewrite is needed to make Marie’s inclusion seamless without disrupting its already fantastic story.
One possible solution here is to completely rework her role in the game. Similar to Kasumi in Persona 5: Royal, Atlus could make her into a full-fledged party member with an improved Social Link. That way, players can naturally see her progression as a character apart from being Igor’s special guest. She doesn’t have to mingle in the affairs of the gang’s mystery plotline, but at least we know she exists in Inaba. Marie only needs to drop by on special occasions, like Kasumi with her dedicated cutscenes. It’s sort of akin to drip-feeding content, and once we max her out, her dungeon gets unlocked.
Atlus has two options here: remove Marie completely or rework her entire arc. Obviously, the latter is the much better choice. Despite her odd inclusion in Golden’s story, Marie is still a great character. Reinventing her arc would give longtime players a strong reason to embrace the upcoming remake. Keeping everything the same, however, would disappoint fans who have been raising these concerns for nearly a decade.
For more like this, stick with us here at Gfinityesports.com, the best website for gaming features and news.