Have you ever wanted to simulate a baseball game in a fighting match? Pick Junpei. Not necessarily that they’re really powerful, but they all have unique playstyles that continue to add variety to a cast that already felt very distinct. I think all of these characters are all great. Picking a shadow character means throwing your fail-safe defense out the window and going all in on the offense, a significant risk that can easily go awry.Īlong with all the gameplay tweaks there are new fighters in the ring, including Yukari, Ken, and Junpei from Persona 3, Rise from Persona 4, and the mysterious newcomer, Sho Minazuki. Often one player will be completely controlling a match, but a well-timed burst can effectively reset the situation and help turn the entire match around. This is a huge difference, as Ultimax favors dominating playstyles. The main difference is that in place of the burst mechanic, which shoots enemies away from you when they’re attacking, all of the shadows have access to a “Shadow Frenzy.” Shadow Frenzy essentially gives you unlimited use of meter-burning special attacks for a brief time period, which can create a formidable offense. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the addition of shadow versions to most of the characters feels more geared towards advanced players.
While it may be more difficult, people are much better off attempting the motion in most cases, as not only will your attacks come out faster, but you will have a wider arsenal of attacks to work with. It’s straight up disadvantageous to the player who needs to use it, which makes me question why it was even included. It’s based on a visible charge timer on the screen, which not only charges way slower than just doing the move normally would take, but also basically reveals your hand to the opponent. The longer you hold, the more powerful the attack that comes out, with the highest level being a meter-using super attack. The Skill Hold system lets you hold down a button and, if you charge long enough, releases a special attack without having to do a motion. Ultimax carries on those ideas with another way to, theoretically, help newer players out. Persona 4 Arena had a lot of mechanics to ease fighting game rookies in, from automatic combos by mashing a button to instantaneous Shoryuken-like moves. What is there seems explicitly built for the two audiences Ultimax tries to cater to.
There are new characters, of course, but the general gameplay mechanics have received very few tweaks. All of the previous characters return, complete with all the rebalancing you would expect from a new installment in a fighting game and all the old stages, modes, and mechanics along in tow.
When I first heard about the concept of a Persona fighting game I was skeptical, but after playing the game, the concepts seemed like a perfect match. Stylistically, the way it managed to combine the Persona battle mechanics with a fighting game created a fighting game that felt truly distinct. It rode a line between simple and complex, making the game fast-paced and satisfying to play. Persona 4 Arena was some of the most fun I’ve ever had playing a fighting game.