This review contains spoilers for Persona 2: Innocent Sin
After the quite easy and admittedly batshit insane game that is Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Atlus released a direct sequel in 2000 for the Playstation 1. Unlike Innocent Sin, Eternal Punishment was localized in the United States. However, when it came time for the Playstation Portable remake in the early 2010s, Innocent Sin was the one that was localized and Eternal Punishment was left to be exclusive to Japan. So, if you played through the PSP version of Innocent Sin, you have to then play the original PS version of Eternal Punishment. This can take some getting used to as the graphics, UI, and voice acting are all much different than the set of remakes. Not worse just takes some getting used to. Although, there is apparently a completely new game scenario taking place alongside the main plot in the remake that is not in the original at all. Either way, I cannot comment on the remake. The game bills itself to be much more mature than the previous games, and all Persona games to follow for that matter, which did peak my curiosity. After playing it I have some thoughts on it.
The story is; after the end of the first part, the world is reset after its destruction without the main characters having ever met. If the main characters never meet, the events that end the world will never have been set into motion. However, a loophole was apparently found. If all the party members of part one remember the events of the game then the timeline goes back to the way it was originally, world destroyed and all. The villains discover this and call the original timeline “the other side.” The only other person to remember is the protagonist of part one, Tatsuya Suou. After he remembers and discovers the antagonist’s plan to return the world to the other side, he decides to engage in a lone warrior schtick to stop the loophole from ever being exploited. I’ll be honest, his storyline is very cool, if in part because he isn’t the main character of part two.
You play as one of the party members of part one, Maya Amano. After a rumor appears that calling your own phone number summons a serial killer called Joker, who will kill anybody you wish. Also, no it is not the one from part one or the one in Smash Bros. (Apparently every two-bit nut job gets to be called Joker in this series). Being a journalist, Maya sets out to uncover the truth. Although the mystery of the killer’s identity lasts for about five minutes before the plot’s focus changes. She is quickly joined by her best friend and roommate, a detective and brother of Innocent Sin’s protagonist, a career criminal, and one of the main characters of the first Persona game. What you’ll notice is that all the characters are adults, which lends them to have more interesting dynamics as well as problems that are unique to their characters in the series. The criminal and detective are a perfect example of an interesting duo that has to put aside their differences to work together, which couldn’t be done by the teenage characters of later games. The characters are all quite interesting this time around, and I do like seeing the cast of the first Persona game having an interest in continuing their adventures after the first game closes. The biggest problem the cast has is that most of the main party members from the first game are seen very briefly. Any attachment to them is swiftly ignored to tell the story the developers wanted to tell.
The game’s tone is much more mature this time around. There is a very real risk of losing, apparent by the increased involvement of the omnipotent characters like Philemon and Igor. Even the main characters don’t have as many meandering comedy scenes this time. There are still some meandering scenes like the first game though. Some scenes take too long, a problem the first game shares as well. They still serve a narrative purpose to some extent but can kill the pacing.
Like the protagonists, The antagonists are better this time too. Joker being a serial killer rather than a jester who spreads rumors fits the plot much better. Hitler is also nowhere to be seen in this game as well, which came off as sort of comedic in the first game, especially because of the fact he wore sunglasses in every scene. The openings to the remakes of both games can be found on youtube and are perfect examples of this tone shift. So the game as a whole takes itself quite seriously and it serves tremendous dividends. There are real stakes, the characters feel more natural, and the plot becomes a bit simpler. Without spoiling anything the ending maintains a sort of bittersweetness from the first game while still ending on a satisfying note.
On the gameplay side of things, the game plays pretty much the same as part one. Slower than part one for sure, because it is the original, not the remake. Additionally, the game is more balanced, with the random encounter rate being far more reasonable, and it is more difficult than part one. All the gameplay mechanics stay relatively the same, however. The same battle system, same rumor spreading mechanic, etc. You’ll be seeing a lot of familiar locations from part one with just enough new ones to keep things interesting. Otherwise, there’s not really a lot to say about the gameplay if you read my review for Innocent Sin. The gameplay does its job and doesn’t really get in the way of the music, atmosphere, plot, or characters. I will say though, it can be frustrating having to start from level one all over again if you intend to play the games back to back. I didn’t mind that much, but I can see how it would be a problem. Especially considering it’s not a quick run to get the gang back together as most old characters have either changed a lot or have been brushed off to the side in this new timeline. I could hear the argument that part one seems like a long time investment just to enjoy the better half to its fullest.
Final Thoughts: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is a much better experience than the first one. The plot is a lot more interesting with a bit more depth, and all the main characters have better arcs and motivations. Eternal Punishment’s tone is much more dramatic and everything seems like a real threat to the happy ending you might want after the first game. Which you still don’t really get, but it feels more deserved this time. The gameplay plays much the same but the pace is a bit sluggish. The story also has some pacing issues where scenes can drag on for too long, and if you liked a lot of the characters from the original you can forget about it. It’s still a damn good game and one I’d recommend. The music and presentation are also pretty good in this game too. The biggest thing this game has against it is that you’ll have to play the thirty-hour first chapter to be able to fully enjoy the thrilling conclusion.
I enjoyed it
4/5
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