I'm wondering which of the concepts listed above you think is the most essential, or which you would want to have more of, in a Persona game.

I've only played Persona 3 and Persona 4, so this might be more skewed towards the modern Persona games. Also, I wanted to avoid the more mechanical concepts such as "elemental weaknesses" and also found the concept of "Personas and Shadows" to be a bit too fundamental. Hopefully, I didn't miss anything significant.

The juggling of day to day life and whatever is gonna destroy the world.

I really like social links BUT much of the series uniqueness comes from it's setting. It's important that Persona does not take place in fantasy or sci fi-settings. That makes them special. I voted for social links though since that is the games most fun mechanic.

Everything you listed really, but I guess what I would miss the most would be the social links.

@Dogma said:

I really like social links BUT much of the series uniqueness comes from it's setting. It's important that Persona does not take place in fantasy or sci fi-settings. That makes them special. I voted for social links though since that is the games most fun mechanic.

Crap, forgot "modern day setting". Oh well, that's fine.

Yeah I think S. Links are the most unique aspect to it since it provides character development and gameplay benefits at the same time. I'm sure there are other games that use a similar mechanic but P3/4 seem to focus on them a little more and it shows. The setting comes to very close second though, I mean a JPRG set in the present in an urban is quite rare. It's actually the first thing that attracted me to the series. Also, I just like Modern Japan in videogames.

I chose mythological/religious imagery, but that's a staple for anything Shin Megami Tensei-related, and I really wish I had hit social links instead. Those are kind of what define the Persona series for me.

@SMTDante89 said:

I chose mythological/religious imagery, but that's a staple for anything Shin Megami Tensei-related, and I really wish I had hit social links instead. Those are kind of what define the Persona series for me.

Yeah, it's weird when you play the other SMT games, and realize that while they still have the mythological/religious monsters to fight, and they still have the "grind your ass off" aspects, the degree to which you become attached to characters just isn't quite the same when it's not a Persona game.

I'm looking at you, SMT: Devil Survivor.

For me, its more the distinctly japanese setting than specifically the school setting. I wouldn't be upset if they changed it to a workplace setting, as long as its japanese as hell.

Social links for sure. I love the setting and general mechanics of the modern Persona games, but I wouldn't be distraught if they weren't necessarily at a school or something as long as it was still in a realistic modern setting. Catherine did a really good job of showing that they can still have interesting characters and stories outside of a school setting. I just really enjoy a lot of things about the modern Persona games that set them apart from other RPGs.

I don't see an option for the conflict between Philemon and Nyarlathotep, and the unconscious desires of the majority of mankind which bring forth their own destruction.
 
Unless that is supposed to be option C.

@ricetopher: That Philemon and Nyarlothep stuff is extremely specific and is practically a non-presence in Persona 3 or Persona 4. Plus, I stated that I didn't play the earlier games (all that much, anyways) so I have no familiarity with those concepts at all.

Also, humanity yearning for its own destruction is linked too much to the narrative for me to want to list it.

S. Links and Modern Day setting are what I enjoy the most about the franchise.

I picked s.links, but then after I clicked it I really started to think about the whole concept of s.linking. I think the idea is core to the Persona games (I have only played P3 and P4) but I would not miss the whole numbering of the s.links. Like every time I am treated to some interaction with a character and then at the end of it time freezes and it's like *LEVEL UP* Bonds art though and all that jazz, it always makes me laugh.

They should get rid of the whole level up concept and have the time you spend with characters s.linking be reflected in the game. Like characters acting differently toward you in the main story arc because of the time you spent with them. Then they would have to re work the fusion system because that is really the nuts and bolts part of s.linking. Of course, the payoff of s.linking has always been the story parts for me.

The main story and the s.link stories have always seemed like two separate things, when they should really be feeding into one another.

Social Links are pointless if the battles are boring.

@FluxWaveZ said:

@ricetopher: That Philemon and Nyarlothep stuff is extremely specific and is practically a non-presence in Persona 3 or Persona 4.

Then what about Carl Jung (Philemon, Shadows, Personae, etc.)? That's broad enough and important enough to the series to warrant a choice.

@Video_Game_King said:

Then what about Carl Jung (Philemon, Shadows, Personae, etc.)? That's broad enough and important enough to the series to warrant a choice.

I said why in my first post.

@Video_Game_King said:

@FluxWaveZ said:

@ricetopher: That Philemon and Nyarlothep stuff is extremely specific and is practically a non-presence in Persona 3 or Persona 4.

Then what about Carl Jung (Philemon, Shadows, Personae, etc.)? That's broad enough and important enough to the series to warrant a choice.

This. The concept of Shadows, Personae and elements of Jungian psychology are deeply entrenched in the themes of the series.

@FluxWaveZ:

*actually bothers reading first post* Yea, you probably don't need to play the earlier installments. The first one isn't too good, and I haven't played either of the second ones to know if what I said previously holds any weight. However, I'll still choose the Jung thing :P.

The concept of the Persona, psychology the Jung arquetipes and the representation of the various religions is to me what's most important about the series, but everything is conected from the social links down to the awesome music you can't have Persona without any of the elements you listed there.

@AngelN7:

Even though B and D weren't present in the first two games :P?

@AngelN7: No, you can't. But the developers can focus on some of these aspects more than others. For example, what I take from these results is that people really find the Social Links a core part of the Persona series, which would maybe make for a greater appreciation of them if they were more interlinked with the main narrative and weren't simply side stories.

I think the high school setting is important. It wouldn't be the same if it were a different theme and location. Social LInks are flawed in my opinion and need to be updated for them to mean something more than just grinding. It should have full voice and be important for each character.

Social Links and the main storyline. The combat is fine, but I only trudge through it for the story and character relationships.

@Video_Game_King: Well you're right but I think D it's just the final state of the Tarot concept with you (main protagonist) being the fool and ending your journey with the world or the Universe, so there was the need to develop this social links that represent the aracana and all that stuff and B kinda was there but the characters of Persona and Persona 2 weren't really concern with school diligence they were saving the world!

The juggling of day to day life and whatever is gonna destroy the world.

I like the social links, they break up the combat and gave me reason to explore the areas each day to make sure no one was hanging around and then mande me choose who to hang out with, also made the characters more likable since I saw a lot of them.

@returnofjake said:

I enjoy the Japanese-ness of it, I don't think I'd enjoy them as much if they took place in a Westernised setting.

I agree, it made the day to day stuff a bit more exciting for me because it was different.

@returnofjake: I don't know if it's the same thing, but a lot of people liked Bully for its Western depiction of juvenile delinquency. I'm not too sure I would be against the idea of a Persona game taking place in America.

I really love the high-school setting, but I'd say that Social Links are probably more important.

@returnofjake said:

is it more like a Saved By The Bell kind of feeling there?

I'd Photoshop the hell out of that, but between Katawa Shoujo and All Dogs Go to Heaven, I worry that I'm clinically insane and that Persona 4 only worsens it. Oh, and I just realized: how is "dual reality" not an option? Or is that not present in the other Persona games?

Most important part of any SMT: Banging hot anime chicks. All these personas and demons were just totally made up for the games. Did you see that one that looks like a schlong? I'd really appreciate it they didn't all look the same all the time. I mean, Odin gets redesigned for every Final Fantasy game. This just reeks of laziness.

Heavy, suffocating, drowning snark aside, yes, the series is built upon the Jungian concepts others have mentioned, which, to Jung, also stemmed from his analyses of world mythology. It was a natural step for SMT to take. It's just that, for most people, psychology gets lost in the shuffle between the aspects of the games that appeal to people more, like the S. Links and the novelty of day-to-day life. There's no faulting that. S. Links are a lot of fun, and rewarding. But just like any other SMT game, knowing a bit about the mythological/psychological subtext can really help you understand more of what's going on in the game.

Here's a couple of examples. Both are endgame spoilers for P3 and P4!

Persona 3: So the MC's starting persona is Orpheus, right? And then he gets Thanatos. Then, finally and canonically, his "ultimate" persona is Messiah. This progression is significant. In the myth of Orpheus, he traveled to Hades to bring back his dead lover, Eurydice. However, long story short, on the return trip to the mortal world he disobeyed Hades'(the god) orders not to look back and Eurydice was snatched back to Hades (the location) forever. However, because Orpheus descended into the realm of the dead yet returned alive, he was seen as a messianic figure and a branch of Greek religion called Orphism developed out of this idea. In the game, you fuse Orpheus and Thanatos (personified death) together to create Messiah. "Life-death-resurrection" is an idea we are very familiar with in the West, so probably a lot of people picked up on this one.

Persona 4: Here's something I just addressed at another forum. I see a lot of comments saying that P4 would be better without the Izanami reveal. However, without her, a major thread of the story would go unresolved, and it goes back to the mythological origins of Izanagi and Izanami. Izanagi and Izanami's names mean "He Who Invites" and "She Who Invites" respectively, due to their natures as progenitor deities. In the beginning of the game the gas station attendant gives the MC, and by extension Namatame and Adachi, the "spark." She's essentially "inviting" these out-of-towners to her turf and setting the mythological subtext of the game into motion. The main plot's theme, that of truth vs. the fog/falsehood, is a callback to the "1000 curses/1500 given life" exchange between the two gods at their myth's resolution. This is the difference between the murders occurring and stopping them. Izanami also has that "Thousand Curses" move and you kill her with "Myriad Truths."

This stuff naturally won't appeal to everyone, but in general, you're missing out on a lot in SMT if you don't have a basic grasp on who the various gods and entities are.

@FluxWaveZ said:

more interlinked with the main narrative and weren't simply side stories.

Persona Gaiden still needs to happen.

@LordAndrew: *cough* I'm pretty sure there's a couple guys on this site who are actively updating its mythological roster... *ahem*

But seriously, that's a tough call. I think the easiest answer is probably comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell, because his studies and dissertations on mythology were heavily influenced by Jung and Freud. You can get everything in one nice package! My favorites of his are part of his Masks of God series, particularly Primitive Mythology (which talks a lot about the psychology of myth creation), and Occidental Mythology and Oriental Mythology, about Western and Eastern traditions respectively.

However, a lot of what he's written was done around 50 years ago so occasionally some information will be outdated. Also, the area of comparative mythology/religion to this day remains a subject of debate. Some scholars think it cheapens the identity of individual cultures and religions to say they were all essentially copycats. But go into it with an open mind and if a particular god or religion mentioned interests you, look it up on Wikipedia and see if you can glean any more current sources for comparison/clarification.