Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

"Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a highly enjoyable 2D fighting game that will appeal to fans of any skill level. If you are a fan of the Blazblue series, you will love this game even more as both games are very similar in looks and gameplay."

86%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

optimization, stability

86% User Score Based on 2,581 reviews

Critic Score 86%Based on 9 reviews

Platforms

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About

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fighting game that follows the events of Persona 3 and Persona 4. It features a variety of characters from the Persona series, each with their own unique abilities and Personas. The game includes a story mode that continues the investigation of the Midnight Channel, as well as multiplayer modes for online and local play.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,581 reviews

story85 positive mentions

optimization9 negative mentions

The game features a fun and engaging fighting system that is accessible for beginners while offering depth for experienced players.
The visuals and soundtrack are fantastic, capturing the essence of the Persona series and enhancing the overall experience.
The story mode provides a rich narrative that connects the events of Persona 3 and Persona 4, filled with character interactions and fan service.

The PC port is plagued with technical issues, including crashes, audio problems, and poor optimization, making it frustrating to play.
Online functionality is severely lacking, with a dead player base and no lobby system, making it difficult to find matches.
The story mode can feel repetitive and drawn out, with excessive internal monologuing that detracts from the pacing.

story
450 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
76%
5%
The story of "Persona 4 Arena Ultimax" serves as a continuation of the narratives from "Persona 3" and "Persona 4," featuring a mix of familiar and new characters in a plot that intertwines their fates. While the game offers a robust visual novel-style storytelling experience, many players find the pacing slow and repetitive, with lengthy dialogue sections overshadowing the fighting segments. Overall, the story is appreciated for its fan service and character interactions, but it may not be engaging enough for newcomers or those seeking a tightly woven narrative.
- “The story revolves around the continuation of the 'P-1 Climax,' a strange event where characters are dragged into a new battle, and things take a turn for the worse when they realize there’s more at stake than just a fight for dominance.”
- “The game delivers an accessible yet deep fighting experience, fantastic visuals, and an engaging story, all with the charm and personality that Persona fans have come to expect.”
- “The game meshes casts from both Persona 3 and Persona 4 into a unified story, and fans of both games will be delighted to see the interactions they form, with lots of fanservice to go around in that department.”
- “The story mode is barely passable.”
- “Don't play this for the story; the story modes drag on, repeating story points unnecessarily, and most of what you're doing is reading text with the rare fight in between.”
- “The plot is shallow, uninteresting, and just bad in most cases.”
gameplay
177 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
3%
The gameplay in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is generally praised for its smooth, responsive controls and unique mechanics that blend traditional fighting game elements with the Persona series' signature features, such as the persona system and character-specific skills. While many players find the combat engaging and accessible for newcomers, some criticize the balance and depth of mechanics, noting that the story mode can detract from the overall experience due to lengthy dialogue segments. Overall, the game offers a fun and rewarding fighting experience, particularly for fans of the Persona franchise.
- “The gameplay is smooth and fluid, with tight controls that feel responsive and allow for creative combos.”
- “The fast-paced gameplay, memorable characters, and exciting visuals combine with a surprisingly deep story that ties into the Persona lore, making this game a fan service-packed experience.”
- “The gameplay is killer with great and unique characters who feel amazing to control, and the story isn't half bad.”
- “This game is a yap session with basically no gameplay; it goes like 15 minutes yapping with 30 seconds of Street Fighter-type fighting.”
- “The fighting is pretty lackluster, and the mechanics are not well explained nor are they really fun to take advantage of.”
- “The gameplay, when you can actually play the game (only 4 fights in 2 hours of Yu's story in P4A's story mode), is very hectic.”
music
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
50%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised, featuring a fantastic blend of tracks from Persona 3 and 4, along with original compositions that enhance the high-energy gameplay. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout element, describing it as "banger" and "godlike," contributing significantly to the overall experience. However, some users noted audio inconsistencies and the absence of certain DLC tracks, which slightly detracted from the otherwise stellar musical presentation.
- “The soundtrack is also top-notch, offering a mix of upbeat tracks and intense battle themes.”
- “The music is a blend of electronic beats and rock-inspired riffs, perfectly matching the high-energy vibe of the game.”
- “Combine that with a cast of interesting and unique characters and one of the best soundtracks you'll ever find in a fighting game, and there's very little not to love.”
- “Bought, checked the songs and to my surprise the DLC songs I was looking for aren't in the game. Really sad to know that this isn't a true complete version of the game; I guess I will keep playing on console.”
- “A slight nitpick: battles are so short you can't really enjoy the songs at times.”
- “There's audio issues when changing them; it doesn't make a difference in volume for some odd reason. The movies are 2x louder than the game, and some sound effects are loud, for example, Yosuke's special knife sound effects.”
graphics
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
60%
7%
The graphics of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax are widely praised for their vibrant, anime-inspired visuals and fluid animations, which enhance the fast-paced gameplay and character interactions. While some players noted issues with graphical upscaling and minor bugs, the overall presentation is considered a visual feast that captures the charm of the Persona series. Despite being a port of an older game, the visuals remain engaging and appealing, contributing to an enjoyable experience for both fans and newcomers.
- “The visuals in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax are fantastic.”
- “Combined with the striking visuals and stylish animations that Arc System Works is renowned for, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a visual feast that captivates players from start to finish.”
- “P4AU itself is an incredible game, very fun to play with excellent characters and very colorful, flashy, and vibrant visuals.”
- “Unlockable artwork and renders of the characters are worthless by themselves, with the quality worse than what I can find on the Megami Tensei wiki.”
- “The developers didn't even bother to upscale the game's graphical assets from 720p to a higher resolution.”
- “Sprite and graphics - whatever Atlus did to this port, it looks like Photoshop the game; everywhere around the backgrounds and portraits of the characters are crusty, I can literally see the pixels on the edge of the characters and backgrounds, and it looks like it was cropped out in 5 minutes.”
humor
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding joy in the quirky character interactions and absurd scenarios, particularly highlighting characters like Adachi and the "funny cabbage man." Many reviews note the game's comedic elements, such as silly sound effects and exaggerated character traits, contributing to an overall lighthearted and entertaining experience. Despite some criticisms regarding gameplay balance, the humor remains a standout feature that enhances the enjoyment for players.
- “Its very good game i like yosuke hes so silly goofy funny guy hahaha”
- “You'll feel right at home with the combo mechanics and its humor among the characters as you play”
- “Story is funny and worth going through for laughs alone.”
optimization
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
56%
26%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing smooth performance while others report significant issues, particularly on laptops and certain setups. Many users attribute performance problems to bugs, audio mixing inconsistencies, and potential DRM-related complications, though recent patches have improved stability for some. Overall, while the game shows promise, it requires further optimization to enhance the experience across all platforms.
- “Since they patched it as of April 13th, I've had no sound or performance issues.”
- “Patch 1.02 pretty much fixed all the inherent problems with the game, improving performance and fixing the volume.”
- “There are a few issues for me such as cutscenes being loud and opening in another window, but no crashes and performance is great.”
- “Horrible optimization on laptops unfortunately because this game kicks ass in every other way, but I do think one of the reasons this game runs poorly on certain setups is probably due to the DRM by Denuvo.”
- “Incredibly bad and unoptimized port, absolutely littered with bugs.”
- “I just straight up can't play this game with some of my friends until they fix the optimization or whatever is causing this.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
94%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, including frequent crashes, audio issues, and problems with the Steam overlay. Players experience significant disruptions when alt-tabbing, leading to game freezes and disconnections during online matches. Overall, the port is described as a "buggy mess," making it difficult to recommend until substantial patches are released.
- “The game runs smoothly without any major crashes or glitches, providing a stable experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the gameplay is; I haven't encountered any significant issues.”
- “Overall, the stability of the game enhances my enjoyment, allowing me to focus on the gameplay.”
- “Aside from that, the game does not currently function well as a PC game because if you alt+tab, it freezes the game for both players, and this can disconnect you from matches.”
- “Borderless mode doesn't work, no real 2K resolution support, buggy fullscreen, constant audio issues, and crashes frequently.”
- “I can't play in a player match without the game crashing 100% of the time regardless of if it's fullscreen or not, the ranked connection has been lost in 3 of the 4 games I've played which I can't tell if it's people rage quitting or this buggy port crashing.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
83%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often feeling like it requires a significant investment of time. However, many appreciate the engaging voice acting and character development, which can help mitigate the monotony of the grinding experience. Overall, while the story may drag at times, fans of the series may still find enjoyment in the game.
- “Grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged for hours.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “I love how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels like a chore.”
- “Super boring and tedious.”
- “The dialogue is all voiced but there's a lot of internal monologuing that can become tedious to get through.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
The game offers excellent replayability, particularly for fans of the Persona 3 and 4 casts, with a wealth of single-player content and the opportunity to play as beloved characters in unique scenarios. Players find it infinitely replayable, making it a standout title for those who enjoy fighting games and character-driven narratives.
- “This game checks the boxes if you love any of the Persona 3 or 4 cast because 9 out of 10 of them are playable.”
- “Infinitely replayable.”
- “That being said, this is a very good fighter and a love letter to the persona series with a significant amount of single-player replay value.”
- “Seeing some of my favorite fictional characters of all time fighting when they would otherwise be working together, some of which are playable for the first time.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a surprisingly deep and emotional plot that resonates with players, maintaining the charm of the Persona series while effectively integrating familiar characters and new challengers. Many players report feeling a strong emotional connection, with some moments evoking tears, highlighting the game's ability to blend humor and heartfelt storytelling.
- “The game’s plot is surprisingly deep for a fighting game, bringing in familiar faces and new challengers while keeping the quirky charm and emotional weight of the Persona series intact.”
- “Cool game, but the end of Aigis's story made me cry like a Victorian child who hasn't had a feast in weeks.”
- “It has a great and emotional story, and we love to see our favorite characters return with their own unique styles.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is criticized as a blatant cash grab, particularly in the single-player mode, which feels underdeveloped. Additionally, players report frequent online crashes and issues with rollback netcode, suggesting that the focus on profit may have compromised the overall quality and stability of the game.
- “But story/single-player wise, it's a shameless cash grab, honestly.”
- “I knew this port was going to just be a quick cash grab, but I didn't listen to my gut.”
- “Online frequently crashes when you try to even breathe the servers, while having rollback netcode buzzword being the next big hit fighting game advertisement to bait clicks and buys.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Character development is highlighted positively, particularly noting the growth of Adachi, while the cute anime character designs contribute to the overall appeal.
- “Adachi's character development is outstanding! 👍👍👍”
- “The game features charming anime-style character designs.”
- “The depth of character development really enhances the overall experience.”
- “The character development feels shallow and predictable.”
- “I was hoping for more depth in the characters' backstories.”
- “The characters lack meaningful growth throughout the game.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by flashy special moves and richly designed backgrounds, creating an immersive experience typical of a Persona game.
- “The special moves are flashy and well-designed, and the backgrounds are rich with the kind of atmosphere you’d expect from a Persona game.”