It's no secret that Persona 4 Golden is my all-time favorite RPG, however I haven't really explained why. I think that Persona 4 Golden's Social Links are a fantastic way to combine a strong sense of story and gameplay progression. Join me as I take a look at a large part what makes this game appeal to me.

P4G starts off slow, it means to construct a framework for the story (such as introducing important characters, concepts, the setting, and the tone), however this also acts as an introduction to the idea of choice. No choices in the first section really impact any stats you have. The changes are purely cosmetic. This isn't the case at all later on, where everything you do or say requires a good amount of thought. P4G's intro lays the foundation for the admittedly complex game mechanics, before giving them the reigns.

The first time you actually battle is when you get sucked into the TV by yourself. You feel powerless, but you can't fail here even if you tried. This battle serves the purpose of motivating the player. "I want to know what that is," they think. Back in the real world you go to class, and have a fairly standard day...Until a murder occurs involving a woman hanging from an antenna.

Skipping forward a bit we go into the TV world where the biggest theme of the game becomes obvious, acceptance of one's self. There's an unfavorable side in all of us. If we ignore that, we aren't trying to better ourselves, we're running from reality. Since these unfavorable sides are directly tied to the games bosses (which are generally a character's unfavorable side manifested into a bizarre, creepy-looking, shadow creatures filled to the brim with obvious symbolism), you end up personally dealing with the situation alongside. You beat them, and generally a party member joins you due to that creature becoming a Persona when subdued, and accepted. Now, after all this we're finally getying to where Social Links come in.

Social Links are events in which either a party member deals with the aftermath of their respective boss, or a side character's own personal story. Each of these characters represent different Arcana. Your character has the unique ability to wield multiple personas, and gets large experience boost when summoning one of which you have the Arcana for. You power these up by hanging out with characters outside of battle, usually helping them through their problems. If that character is a party member they also can learn moves via Social Link leveling. Confused yet?

Well, let me explain with an in-game example: Rise is an idol you meet later in the story. She has an identity crisis, and is unable to tell whether her idol, or casual personas are the "real" her. She accepts this is an issue in her shadow's boss fight, and you can choose to hang out with her afterward. As you level up the Social Link Rise's journey of self-discovery progresses. The reasons for why she is who she is revealed, along with the answer she's been looking for the whole time.

It's a satisfying experience in itself due to the great writing, yet on top of that gameplay perks are tossed at the player like crazy. Unique moves, abilities, and experience boosts constantly tie the narrative directly to the gameplay. It doesn't feel disconnected like most experiences are. You're there to support your friends, in battle or in life. Hell, quite a few funny scenes are interspersed throughout the story to give the player a break from the brutal difficulty, and meticulous planning necessary to advance. The characters carry these scenes in the best possible way.

Anyway, I've rambled long enough. It's just that with Persona 5, as well my departure from the forums on its way I wanted to talk about this. I hope you enjoyed reading this! Leave a comment down below if you want any clarification on this subject, or just wanna leave feedback. I don't bite. Until next time!