If I learned one thing in the industry, it’s that a remake, port, sale, PS Plus free game, orXbox Game Pass releasealways happens at the worst time for me. It’s like they’re watching me and waiting until they know I’ve purchased something to drop a new or free version of it elsewhere. If I know one thing about myself, it’s that this knowledge will not stop me from playing what I want to play when I want to play it. And in the case ofPersona 4 Revival, Sega and Atlus got me.
My backlog is rather…well, we’re not going to talk about my backlog. Between keeping up with every release, playing what I want to play, trying not to miss out on interesting indie gems, finding time to play with my friends, and the responsibilities of adulthood, it gets kind of ugly. One way I try to compensate for this, as well as my general lack of access to games when I was much, much younger, is something I call video game marathons. It’s pretty self-explanatory: I start playing franchises that I’ve never played (or at least played to completion) with the intent of finishing them all. you may probably guess where this is going withPersona 4 Revival, huh?
Let’s Talk About These Marathons Real Quick
A couple of years ago, I started withYakuza 0and played all the way through toYakuza: Like a Dragon. It quickly became one of my favorite franchises, so much so that I was essentially kicking myself for not playing them sooner. And, I mean, of course, I was there day one withThe Man Who Erased His Name, Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, etc., and I will always be there day one for Kiryu and Ichiban.
Sometime after that, I transitioned to theZeldagames. I played many of them when I was younger but only ever beat a few, so there I went starting withThe Legend of Zeldaplaying all the releases toTears of the Kingdom. But, Joshua, that’s not the last game in the franchise. You’re right. But that was when I started. I was actually playingTears of the Kingdomwhen the Big N was like “Yo, how about a littleEchoes of Wisdom?” (see paragraph one). I did manage to wrap up that marathon though and move on to my next one…Persona.
The Persona Marathon is Still Ongoing
On paper,Personais a fantastic franchise for me. I love social elements, I love romance options, I love strong narratives, and I love turn-based games. However, there is one “flaw” that has always made me bounce offeveryPersonagameI’ve played before (and, by “flaw,” I mean something that doesn’t generally work with me personally): the high school setting. It just does not gel with me in any sort of media, but for this marathon to work, I had to get over it, and I am glad I did. Here is my gameplan for playing through all thePersonagames:
At the end of this, I would have played these games, roughly, in this order:
The question you’re thinking about now is how much progress I’ve made on this marathon. Well. I’ve beatenPersona Q, Persona 4 Arena/Arena Ultimax, Persona 3 Reload, andPersona 4 Golden. I’m currently about halfway throughPersona 5 Royal, give or take, and I started it after finishingPersona 4 Goldenearlier this year. Now you’re thinking: Joshua, why would you do this? Why not just play the otherPersonagames? And the answer is A.) I DON’T KNOW and B.) REFER TO PARAGRAPH ONE. I DO WHAT I WANT. Ahem. OH AND C.) IT’S A MARATHON I ALREADY STARTED.
Were there rumors of aPersona 4remake when I startedP4G? Yes. Was I sure it was true? I figured as much. Was it pretty much confirmedbefore the Xbox Games Showcase by all the actorschiming in? Yes. Had I already beaten it by then? Yes. Do I have regrets? I dunno.
You Could Probably Just Play P4R, Joshua…
General quality-of-life wise, going fromPersona 3 ReloadtoPersona 4 GoldentoPersona 5 Royalwas a serious case of whiplash aroundP4G, but of the three (so far), I like its narrative the most.P5Rcould still overtake it, but I preferred the more personal story revolving around a serial killer than the world-ending stakes ofP3R. Despite the whiplash, I really enjoyed my time withPersona 4 Golden,and had I played it years ago, I would probably be jumping up and down forPersona 4 Revival.
Therein comes one of my big character flaws: I, generally speaking, do not play a game more than once.Persona 4 Revivalrumors suggest it might come out in late 2026, so will that be enough distance between it andPersona 4 Golden? Maybe. Will that be enough distance between it and myPersonamarathon? Did you see the list of games I still need to beat? I’m going to be so real: anyone who has playedP4Gbefore should be incredibly excited by the brief, but clearly upgraded stills its announcements showed. If someone has never played thePersonagames, I’d probably say wait until the remake to playP4. But me, well, I might just be the sacrificial lamb here. I guess we’ll see. If it slips into 2027, then maybe? I dunno. Either way, I’m excited to see how Atlus approaches this remake and the existence of this remake is a good thing, but man, I dove in headfirst and I don’t know if I’ll still be swimming at that time.
In my mind, there’s a silver lining to this for allPersonafans though, not just me. Let’s assume thatPersona 4 Revivalis released in late 2026. Let’s assume that myPersonamarathon at least carries me close to that, if not into late 2026 itself. I am pretty sure we’ll havePersona 6newsby the time I finish this marathon.
I mean,Persona 5: The Phantom Xgot an international release datenot too long after I started this one,Persona 4 Revivalgot announced, andEchoes of Wisdomgot released as I neared the end of myZeldaone. My history suggests this is a very real chance, one I’d bet on. As the sacrificialPersona 4lamb, what else can I say except you’re welcome? (That’s aMoanaquote, just a silly little quote, I am not seriously that vain).
