There's a more direct quest system woven into the game too, and while quests aren't always rewarding, I like that they aren't sequestered off like the Mementos missions. I also like that you can collect materials and bring them to a craftsman to make custom weapons, rather than relying on shop inventories and combat drops. Shuffle Time becomes really handy later on, especially as you unlock more Social Links. At the end of fights, for instance, you can enter Shuffle Time and pick from a pool of rewards, like bonus EXP or a new Persona. And again, Persona 4 Golden has a lot of cool systems of its own. Those are the big ones that stuck out to me, but it's nothing I can't live without. The lack of a cover system makes exploration a little more monotonous too.

Oh, and initiating fights can be finicky because you actually have to run up and smack Shadows instead of pouncing on them from stealth from approximately half a mile away. It's also more difficult to max all your Social Links in one go since there are fewer ways to bypass the dreaded 'just here for brownie points' hangout sessions that don't advance your Link.Īdditionally, there's no Mementos-equivalent grind-a-thon, no Baton Pass in combat, and there are fewer element types (no Gun, Psy or Rad, and only insta-kill Light and Dark attacks). There aren't nearly as many other bonuses - no paying Kawakami to do your laundry or whatever. Social Link benefits are a big one, because outside of your teammates, the Social Links in Persona 4 Golden are mostly there for character development and fusion EXP. Let's get this out of the way first: there are some things you'll definitely miss if you're coming into this game after playing Persona 5 Royal.

Persona 4 vs persona 4 golden