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The Persona series of console role-playing games is a set of three games for the PlayStation home console from the game developer Atlus. While fairly distinct in nature, the Persona series is actually a collection of spin-offs of one of Atlus' main franchises, the Shin Megami Tensei series. Currently, the Persona series encompasses three games; however, a Persona series game was confirmed at the 2004 Tokyo Game Show for Japanese release for the Sony PSP. It has not yet been revealed whether this title will be a new entry into the series, or merely a remake of one of the original titles. No information on a possible American release has been discussed at this time.
Revelations: Persona
Plot Synopsis
The first Persona game, known in Japan as Megami Ibunroku Persona: Be Your True Mind, focused on the main character and his friends at St. Hermelin High School in the city of Lunarvale. After playing a ritual-like game called "Persona", the hero and company end up passing out. While asleep, they meet a man who calls himself Philemon, represented with a golden butterfly. After waking up, the youths eventually discover they can summon other "selves", or Persona, with incredible powers. Meanwhile, Guido Sardenia, head of the powerful SEBEC corporation, has invented a machine to create and allow passage to an alternate dimension using electromagnetic waves. These waves end up coming from the mind of Mary Sonomura, a frail bedridden girl and friend of the main character's. Confined to a hospital bed, Mary has trouble interacting with others, and holds a fantasy world in her mind which is nearly identical to the real world save for her being healthy. While visiting Mary in the hospital, the main character and his other friends are inadvertently transported to Mary's "ideal world", where they must contend with leagues of demons and three different aspects of Mary to find their way back to their own world and save the real Mary.
Playable Characters
Hero
Unnamed in the American version of the game, the hero's (i.e., the player's) decisions throughout the course of the game will affect the ending of the game. His Japanese name is said to be 'Naoya'.
Mary
With her poor constitution, Mary has had to make frequent and extended trips to the hospital ever since she was little. Despite this, the hero and his friends treat her as a dear friend. Her own fantasy world, when caught up in SEBEC's dimensional experiment, becomes a reality. Her Japanese name was Maki Sonomura.
Mark
An active, artistic boy who enjoys dancing, Mark considers himself Nate's rival. While they don't seem to get along, they actually care about each other a lot. Mark cares very deeply for Mary, and perhaps even has a crush on her. His Japanese name was Masao Inaba.
Nate
Nate is the heir to the Trinity family fortune and is followed everywhere by his faithful butler, Alfred. His personality is that of the typical stuck-up rich kid, and he hardly ever seems to get along with Mark. His Japanese name was Kei Nanjou.
Brad
A cocky youth with fiery red hair. It was originally Brad's idea to play the "Persona" game that led to the students' fated meeting with Philemon. His Japanese name was Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi. He apparently is also 550 tons, and is 57 meters tall. (Don't ask.)
Ellen
With her stunning beauty, Ellen desires to become a model or fashion designer. Though she is smart, she fails to take life very seriously. Her Japanese name was Eriko Kirishima.
Yuki
A former punk (gang member?) who fights with deadly razor blades. After being saved from her self-destructive lifestyle by the teacher Ms. Smith, she becomes a much more compassionate and kindly person. Her Japanese name was ...Yukino Mayuzumi.
Alana
A bit of an airhead, Alana fits the blonde stereotype perfectly. Though she seems more concerned about her appearance most of the time, she is actually pretty reliable. Her Japanese name was Ayase Yuka.
Chris
A mysterious young man about whom not much is known. He seems to harbor a deep hatred for the head of SEBEC, Guido Sardenia. His Japanese name was Reiji Kido.
Other Characters
Philemon
Residing in the space between consciousness and unconsciousness, Philemon appears physically as a tall man wearing a white mask and is represented by a golden butterfly. After playing the "Persona" game, the protagonists awaken to him and are bestowed with their Personae. Though a largely neutral observer, Philemon is often thought of as one of the "good guys".
Nyarlathotep
Although Philemon is not necessarily an active "good guy", his rival Nyarlathotep is certainly a bad guy. Unlike Philemon's general neutrality, Nyarlathotep takes pride in causing mischief and madness in humans' lives. He is actually Guido's "Persona", and is often thought to have been controlling him.
Igor
Keeper of the Velvet Room, a mysterious place existing in the space between consciousness and unconsciousness, just as Philemon's space. He allows the heroes to summon various Personae through the use of a demon's Spell Card. Oddly enough, he somehow does this using a cell phone...
Guido Sardenia
Head of the SEBEC corporation and in charge of the dimensional experiments, his corrupt behavior allowed him to summon Nyarlathotep to his side. If Guido is not being controlled by Nyarlathotep, then he is most certainly being goaded by him, at the least. His Japanese name was Kandori Takahisa.
Ms. Smith
The young teacher of the heroes at St. Hermelin, she shows genuine concern for the characters throughout the course of the game, and the students both like and respect her. She once saved Yuki from falling into a life of crime. She played a much larger role in the original Japanese version of the game. Her Japanese name was Saeko Takami, or "Saeko-sensei."
Principal Harding
Unlike Ms. Smith, Principal Harding hardly cares for his students. Seeming only to care about enforcing the school rules and getting paid, most students simply see him as a jackass. His Japanse name was Principle Hanya. Many people called him 'Hannya' because of his demeanor. A Hannya is a type of Japanese demon.
Tad
An obnoxious, glasses-wearing kid who attends St. Hermelin. He never gets along with Tammy. He is the son of the local pharmacist.
Tammy
A pretty young girl who attends St. Hermelin and fights on the fencing team. Although she is always arguing with Tad, the two actually have a soft spot for one another.
Chunky
A portly fellow student at St. Hermelin, Chunky does not play much of a role in the American version of the game. In the Snow Queen Quest version, he becomes possessed by a demon. His Japanese name was Toro, which is a fatty part of tuna, so the idea is mostly the same.
Game Mechanics
Like the games in the Shin Megami Tensei series, battles in Persona need not always be about fighting. Instead, the player has the option to contact the demons they encounter in an attempt to communicate with them. However, certain enemies cannot be contacted no matter how much the player might try. Each playable character has a set of different contact commands, which can affect the demon the player has selected to contact in one of four ways: increasing Joy, Anger, Fear or Interest. By making a demon interested three or four times in a row, they will offer the player their "Spell Card". Spell Cards can be used in an area known as the Velvet Room to summon various Personae. The heroes can then set these Personae on themselves, one per character, to gain certain magic abilities and stat boosts. In addition, the player can create more powerful Personae by fusing two existing Personae together, usually resulting in a stronger Persona gaining certain characteristics of both fused Personae.
Notes
Fans of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series are generally unhappy with the translation and localization Atlus provided for the first Persona. Some of the most notable changes were re-coloring Nate and Ellen's hair to look more "American", completely changing the look of the main character, and the changing of Mark from a freckled Caucasian boy to a token African American character with somewhat offensively stereotypical dialogue. In addition to these aesthetic changes, an entire section of the game was actually left out of the American release (though not removed from the disc itself). In this removed section of the game, rather than pursuing SEBEC and Guido, the kids find a strange mask in part of the school and learn from Ms. Smith of a legend that it used to belong to the Ice Queen. Trying on the mask, Ms. Smith becomes possessed by the spirit of the Ice Queen, and the entire school becomes a frozen maze with four strange towers growing from the ground at the corners of the school. Yuki vows to save Ms. Smith, and the teens take off to find a way to save their teacher. The names of the places and characters in the game were also changed in an attempt at Americanization.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Plot Synopsis
Characters
Game Mechanics
Notes
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Plot Synopsis
Characters
Game Mechanics
Notes
External Links
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