Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (NSP, XCI) ROM + v1.0.1 Update

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fighting video game co-developed by P-Studio and Arc System Works and published by Atlus. It was released for arcades in 2013, and for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2014 by Atlus in Japan and North America and by Sega in Europe. Versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows were released by Sega in March 2022. A direct sequel to Persona 4 Arena, the game is a spin-off from the Persona series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. Gameplay follows standard fighting game conventions, with matches between two characters with individual movesets, and special expendable abilities. The storyline is told through visual novel segments. Arena Ultimax takes place immediately after Persona 4 Arena; Arena is set two months after the events of Persona 4, and two years after Persona 3. After a supernatural red fog covers the town of Inaba, the Investigation Team of Persona 4 team up with the Shadow Operatives—a group formed by the SEES of Persona 3—to uncover the truth behind the P-1 Grand Prix and confront Sho Minazuki, a hostile Persona user.

GAMEPLAY

Like the previous title, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fighting game in which characters from both Persona 3 and Persona 4 battle each other using a variety of special moves, combos, and Persona abilities. Along with balance adjustments and new moves added to the returning characters, a new S-Hold system allows players to charge up their attacks. Also new to Ultimax is the ability to choose “Shadow Types” for many of the game’s characters. These Shadow versions differ by being largely skill-based variants of their counterparts, employing a high-risk high-reward play style thanks to reduced normal attack damage and an altered move set with a lack of defensive options. They also keep their SP over multiple rounds instead of resetting each time and possess an exclusive Shadow Rampage ability, which replaces the Burst command, giving the characters infinite SP for a limited time.

The game’s story mode, told in a format similar to a visual novel, is now split into two separate campaigns for the Persona 3 and Persona 4 casts, as opposed to the individual campaigns for each character seen in its predecessor. Two additional story campaigns are available: one allows players to replay the character campaigns from Persona 4 Arena. The other is included with the Tohru Adachi downloadable content and focuses on his actions during the story. Golden Arena is a dungeon-based survival mode, in which players travel through various dungeons to increase the fighter’s stats. Players can build Social Links with a navigator character, giving them skills that can aid the player in battle. Online play now features a new lobby area, resembling an arcade, where players can interact with each other.

SETTING AND CHARACTERS

The Persona 4 Arena duology is set in the Persona universe, revolving around groups of people who harness Personas—physical manifestations of their inner psyche—and use them to fight rogue psyches born from humanity’s collective unconsciousness called Shadows. Arena Ultimax takes place a few days after the ending of Persona 4 Arena, which is set three months after the events of Persona 4 and two years after Persona 3.

A key location in the story is the TV World, a metaphysical realm influenced by the wills of Inaba’s population. Arena Ultimax begins when Inaba, the central location for both Persona 4 and Arena, is covered by a red fog. The previous game’s otherworldly fighting tournament returns as the “P-1 Climax”, seeping into the real world and warping Inaba with replicas of locations from Persona 3.

The story is split into two parallel narratives following the Investigation Team of Persona 4 (Yu Narukami, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Naoto Shirogane, and the friendly Shadow-like entity Teddie), a group of friends who investigated a serial murder case involving the TV World; and the Shadow Operatives (Aigis, Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada, Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori, Fuuka Yamagishi, Ken Amada and the dog Koromaru), a covert group formed by former SEES members from Persona 3 to fight Shadows.

The main protagonists of Persona 4 Arena are Persona 4 protagonist Narukami—a character blessed with the “Wild Card” power to summon multiple Personas; and Labrys, an Anti-Shadow weapon allied with the Shadow Operatives introduced in Arena. The main antagonists are Sho Minazuki, an unstable Persona user with a split personality; and Hi-no-Kagutsuchi, a being generated by the human Collective Unconscious and its latent despair. Additional characters in the narrative and DLC gameplay are Tohru Adachi, a central antagonist in Persona 4; Marie, a character introduced in Persona 4 Golden; and Margaret and Elizabeth, attendants from the metaphysical Velvet Room.

PLOT

At midnight the day after the P-1 Grand Prix concludes, the TV in Yu’s room suddenly starts airing the Midnight Channel, showing a promotion for the P-1 Climax and an image of Mitsuru, Aigis, Akihiko, and Fuuka crucified, with General Teddie announcing the world’s end within one hour. A blackout then occurs throughout Inaba and the whole town is surrounded by red fog. The Investigation Team starts facing Shadows that steal fragments of their enemies’ Personas upon their defeat. Yu, Yosuke, and Chie reach Yasogami and are approached by Sho, who announces himself as the culprit behind the P-1 Grand Prix and P-1 Climax. Tohru Adachi, whom they believed to be imprisoned, also appears and gives cryptic clues regarding Sho’s intentions to them. At Tartarus, they once again encounter Sho and defeat him, but are overpowered by his other self, Minazuki. Minazuki reveals he has gathered enough Persona fragments to summon a malevolent entity that will destroy the world.

Following this scenario, the game shows how Mitsuru, Aigis, Akihiko, and Fuuka are captured by Sho. In response, the reserve members of the Shadow Operatives as well as Labrys all head to Inaba via helicopter (save for Junpei, who ends up at Inaba by accident). After separately meeting the members of the Investigation Team and rescuing their captured friends, they encounter Sho, the culprit behind Labrys’ hijacking, who goads them into fighting Shadows to gather their Persona fragments. It is also revealed that Sho used to be one of Ikutsuki’s test subjects, living in isolation and growing to resent the entire world after Ikutsuki abandoned him. During one of the experiments to make him a Persona user like Strega by using a Plume of Dusk, similar to Aigis and Labrys, another personality was born within Sho, which he refers to as Minazuki. Minazuki claims to have been born to grant Sho’s wish to create a world without bonds.

EPISODE ADACHI

Adachi continues to undergo police questioning regarding his methods for the two murders in Inaba, but his interrogators still do not believe his account of his crimes. However, Sho brainwashes one of the interrogators into assaulting Adachi and forcing him back into the TV World. There, Sho coerces Adachi into aiding him in his plan to destroy the world. Adachi outwardly agrees but decides to sabotage him to honor his promise to the Investigation Team to follow society’s rules, and subtly manipulates the Investigation Team towards defeating Sho. When the Persona fragments are collected, Adachi makes his move, betraying Sho. However, Minazuki brutally beats Adachi. Adachi is rescued by Yu, and he destroys Hi-no-Kagutsuchi with Yu’s aid. Adachi then returns to his prison cell and is visited by his old friend Dojima the next day.

KEY FEATURES

• Ultimax Version – Enjoy all the content previously released for Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, including the original Persona 4 Arena story.
• A Deep Roster of Playable Characters – Choose from a diverse range of fighting styles with Persona 3 fan favorites and “Shadow” versions.
• Dual Audio – Select your preferred voiceover with the option to switch between Japanese and English.