Atlas's JRPG masterpiece Persona 4 Golden has made the jump from the PlayStation Vita to Steam as of June 13, finally confirming rumors of a PC version that have been swirling around online for the last week or so and bringing the beloved classic to an exponentially larger audience than Sony's oft-forgotten handheld. And while it's a direct port of the original game, it still comes loaded with a ton of PC-specific features like HD visuals, dual-audio, customizable controls and more, making it the definitive version of an already fantastic experience.

This is the first time a Persona game has been available on PC outside of emulators, so here's everything any would-be detectives would need to know before hitting the streets of Inaba and solving the mystery behind the Midnight Channel.

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What is Persona 4 Golden?

Persona 4 Golden is a 2012 Japanese role-playing game developed and published by Atlas for the PlayStation Vita, which itself is an enhanced and expanded version of the original PlayStation 2 title Persona 4. Just as Persona 5 Royal expanded an already massive gameGolden added a significant amount of content like additional Personas, new characters and social links, expanded cutscenes and voice acting, a reworked story and a dungeon that wasn't available in the Playstation 2 release of the game.

The story sees protagonist Yu Narukami (though you can name him whatever you'd like) as he's forced to abandon his life in the city and move to the small rural Japanese town of Inaba while his parents travel abroad. Living with his uncle and young cousin, the protagonist attends the nearby high school and develops his relationships with classmates and other residents of Inaba by day, while nightfall sees him and his friends trying to solve a string of murders tied to a mysterious television channel that airs every night at midnight.

Persona 4 Golden's story, which is genuinely intriguing from start to finish, is made all the more impactful by the relationships you build along the way. These interactions are presented as a gameplay feature called Social Links, where increasing your bond with certain characters lets you learn more about their individual situations and backgrounds while unlocking new abilities to aid you in battle. Social Links really help to flesh out the supporting cast outside of the main storyline and further get you invested in Inaba and the people who call it home.

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But Persona 4 Golden isn't just a Japanese high school simulator, as the game's many dungeons require you to battle it out with a variety of monsters in traditional turn-based RPG fashion. Each party member wields a Persona, powerful beings with a wide range of magic and physical abilities that can be used to exploit enemy weaknesses and stagger them for additional damage. It's this incredible balance of story, characters and gameplay that makes this game so unforgettable and borderline impossible to put down.

Why This PC Port is So Significant

There are a number of reasons why a PC port of Persona 4 Golden is so significant in 2020. The first is that, as mentioned before, no mainline Persona game has ever been released for anything other than a Sony console. This opens the door for other games in the series to get their own ports, including the most recent and equally acclaimed follow-up Persona 5 Royal.

Another reason this is such a huge deal is that Persona 4 Golden was THE killer app for the PlayStation Vita. Losing its biggest exclusive title is a massive blow to the longevity of Sony's ill-fated handheld and will certainly expedite the slow and drawn out death it's suffered since production of the hardware ceased in 2019.

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What's New in this Version?

This port adds a variety of new features and accessibility options that both new and returning players are sure to appreciate, the most important of which is that the game can now be played in high-definition with 16:9 support, an unlocked framerate and enhanced visuals. There are also configurable control options for both mouse and keyboard and gamepad support, allowing you to play the game however you feel is most comfortable.

Even more exciting is that Atlus has included both the English and Japanese audio tracks, so players can experience the game's thrilling story in whichever language they prefer. There are also Steam achievements, trading cards and a digital deluxe edition that includes an art book and the game's phenomenal soundtrack. It is, without a doubt, the definitive take on Atlus's masterpiece of an RPG and an absolute steal at $19.99 ($24.99 for the deluxe edition). If you have yet to play Persona 4 Golden, there's never been a better time than now.

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