Persona 3 Reload showed that Atlus can stay remarkably loyal to the spirit and structure of an older game while modernizing its systems. However, that approach, while fitting for Persona 3, isn't necessarily the best path for Persona 4, which is already more accessible and less structurally dated than Persona 3 was. Therefore, a one-to-one remake risks creating something redundant. To truly elevate Persona 4 in a way that feels worthwhile and exciting in 2025, Atlus would be better off using the remake as a platform for fresh additions.
While Persona 3 needed modernization primarily because of mechanical stiffness (such as no party control, limited exploration, and slower pacing), Persona 4 already has many modern conveniences at its core. The main opportunity for a potential Persona 4 Remake, therefore, is to push the game's design into spaces it has never explored — using P4's strong core story and characters as a foundation while expanding gameplay systems, world-building, and combat design that align better with today's RPG standards.
A Persona 4 Remake Could Swing the Pendulum in the Opposite Direction of P3R
The much-rumored Persona 4 remake could address a missing feature from P3R in a way that shifts narrative and player dynamics.
For Starters, Persona 4 Could Use a Super Dungeon
One major missing piece in Persona 4 was a persistent, overarching dungeon akin to Tartarus in Persona 3 or Mementos in Persona 5. Each of P4's dungeons was thematically rich but self-contained, and once a dungeon boss was defeated, that dungeon became largely obsolete, save for grinding or fetch quests. This not only hurt replayability but robbed the game of the sense of ever-present mystery and challenge that Tartarus and Mementos added to their respective games.
A Persona 4 Remake could address this by introducing a new, evolving dungeon space tied to the Midnight Channel. It would thematically fit too, as the game is about uncovering hidden truths, so a shifting, mysterious dungeon in Persona 4 that evolves based on player actions could mirror that theme beautifully. This addition would also help address the pacing issue that P4 sometimes faced in its back half.
The Remake Should Focus On Fresh Systems, Not Just Fresh Graphics
If structured cleverly, this new dungeon could even integrate new mini-stories, shifting dungeon modifiers or side-bosses in Persona that keep the player engaged without undermining the murder mystery at the game's center. An addition on this scale is critical, because simply giving Persona 4 the Persona 5 Royal polish won't be enough either. Expanded systems like Persona 3 Reload's Theurgies and new hangouts justify a remake existing in the first place.
Persona 4 has room for new side quests that meaningfully alter Social Links, as well as revamped battle mechanics that borrow P5R's best ideas, like Baton Pass, Showtime attacks, Technical synergies, and deeper dungeon puzzles. Atlus could even use the remake to tie Marie and Persona 4 Golden's Hollow Forest content into the main story more organically, instead of making it feel like optional post-game padding as it arguably does now.
Persona 4’s Tone Could Be Pushed Further
Another subtle but important area for growth is Persona 4's tone. Persona 4 often danced between slice-of-life warmth and dark, psychological mystery, but the original sometimes pulled its punches narratively. A Persona 4 remake could lean harder into the contrast, and make the dark elements more disturbing, the stakes more personal, and the exploration of identity, repression, and truth more raw and complex.
With today’s storytelling expectations, there’s room to do that in Persona 4 and sharpen the game’s commentary without making the game lose its heart. Therefore, by being less faithful in strict structure to the original but deeply respectful to its themes and spirit, Atlus could create something more lasting than just a graphical upgrade, something that breathes and feels like a true new era of Inaba in Persona, for players.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
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