At the gamescom 2026, MeinMMO editor Jasmin was able to play Persona 4 Revival for an hour. For her, the JRPG series is one of her favorite series. The demo reminded her of why the remake still works perfectly today.
The Persona series combines many features that make it a perfect mix for me. On the one hand, I’m attracted by the setting in Japan, where I could spend countless hours. Whether it’s a big city or a rural village, I’ve felt comfortable in every part of the series that I’ve played so far.
On the other hand, I simply love the music found in the video games. Even after a three-digit number of hours played, the soundtrack doesn’t annoy me at all. I look forward to every battle where a catchy sound blares out.
But in the one-hour demo of Persona 4 Revival, I noticed another feature that runs through all parts of the series. It is the reason why the game could still reach a million audience today.
Persona Takes the Game Title Literally
A major feature of the game is the titular Persona. They are the crazy monsters that we collect in the game. They often have a totally creative design that knows no bounds.
The Personas represent, in a metaphorical sense, different masks that we show to society. It is our outer shell, with which we adapt to the external world and protect our inner self. At least that’s what Katsura Hashino, the director of the series, revealed in an interview.
In contrast, there are the Shadows that we have to fight in the JRPG. They manifest all the suppressed desires and negative sides of humans. This includes, for example, forbidden preferences or secret fears. The people in Persona want to hide them from the world and from ourselves.
The dangerous thing in Persona 4 is when this side of the Shadow is not accepted. The role-playing game is supposed to reflect the tendency of people to believe only what they really want to believe. Only when we muster the courage to accept the negative side will the appropriate Persona be tamed.
In the demo, for example, I entered an area where I encountered the shadow of a group member. The character did not want to accept that the shadow made such terrible statements and was supposed to be a part of their personality.
Only after an epic battle and the acceptance that this negative side also belongs to oneself did the shadow transform into the character’s Persona.
Problems That Are Even More Relevant Today
This basic structure can also be applied to modern times. Especially in the age of social media, we all wear a digital mask that presents a supposedly flawless version of our lives: our Persona.
Weaknesses, in the form of Shadows, should be kept out as much as possible. Negative emotions, insecurities, or mistakes have no place in our profiles.
The Midnight Channel from Persona 4 is basically our internet. It shows people exactly what they want to see, regardless of objective truth. Today’s social media algorithms work on precisely the same principle.
What do you think about the theme in Persona? Have you reflected on it more and been able to identify with it in some places? Feel free to share in the comments.
In the JRPG, there are numerous Personas that we can collect. In fact, this title has something in common with Pokémon, as you can also catch monsters for your collection here. However, there are many other games where you can complete a collection: 13 Games for Monster Collecting Compete with Pokémon and Palworld
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