
However, it will be the hardest and at times the most frustrating one. I think P3FES is the best game i the franchise because it nails it's theme the best and all the "flaws" that people point out are actually just a manifestion of doubling down on the theme. P4 is a good alternative if you can afford P4G. I’d go for P4G if you want a fun story with a cast that really feels like a group of friends. TLDR: I’d go for P3FES first if you enjoy a serious story and character development and can adjust to the old battle system. Still, as someone who is playing through P4 right now, I find that I am still experiencing the complete package. It has improved graphics, more story, more social links, an extra month, and quality of life adjustments. It’s also the funniest, but sometimes it can lean too heavily on anime tropes.Īgain, P4 has two versions. Persona 4 really nails the relationships you have and I can say that it is the most I’ve been invested in social links. Dungeons are more story relevant (think of Futaba’s palace) and this makes the bosses so much more interesting than P3’s recolored monsters. The battle system leans closer to P5 with the improvements they made. It’s main draw is it’s cast and the camaraderie they share. It is light hearted compared to P3 and P5. Your main goal is to figure out who is the mystery murderer that is terrorizing the town.

P4’s theme is about searching for the truth and confronting yourself. It also has the female MC that comes with better and more relevant social links. It does have the improvements P4 has like controllable party members. P3P’s presentation is more visual novel-y. It plays more like the typical persona game. P3FES is my recommended first time experience because of the cutscenes and exploration that is lacking in P3P. You might know that there P3FES (PS2) and P3P (PSP) as mentioned here. The game can be downright bleak, but the growth and resolve from each of the characters makes P3 my favorite Persona experience so far. The dungeon is one long Mementos, so rarely does any story tie into it and it’s all randomly generated. The battle system is the worst of the 3 games, especially in FES where you have no direct control of your members - though it isn’t too bad once you get used to it. P3 has my favorite character development of the 3 casts. Your main goal is to save the city (and the world) from mysterious entities that appeared 10 years ago. P3’s themes are about nihilism and purpose. I would take into consideration what exactly you are looking for.

I went P5 > P3 (FES) > P4 (PS2) and I am happy with the order I went with. Dropping in my two cents as I have been playing all those three games for the past month.
