Latest Core-A-Gaming's video kickstarted what must be the 67th debate about fighting games accessibility. And if there's one title that should get more attention in this discussion, it's Persona 4 Arena.
Let's make one thing clear - we are talking about a game that for some time was the most popular title in Japanese arcades, at least according to this ranking. Info about games' popularity in arcades is scarce and most charts group P4A with lots of titles under the "Nesica x Live" umbrella. So it's hard to tell how its popularity changed over the years (the list from my link is from 2 months after the title's release). But if places like SRK wiki are to be believed, "Persona 4 Arena has become one of the most popular Fighting Games in Japan".
So for now, let's assume the game is popular. And why would that be? Well, the two primary suspects are the fame of Persona franchise and reputation of ArcSystem Works. But allow me to make a bold statement and say that there's one more equally important reason, and that is the game's accessibility. There's three things that this title did to make it easier to pick it up. First, the motions. There are no DPs, half circles, 360s or anything like that. Specials are done with QCF, QCB or a charge. Supers are done with 2xQCF or 2xQCB. That is much more manageable for someone who has never played fighting games before and this way they should have access to all the moves.
OK, but what about those pesky combos you have to spend hundreds of hours practicing before you're allowed to play a single versus? Well, worry no more, because this is the game that introduced Auto Combos. The concept is simple enough - you mash your "A" button and a combo comes out. The way it's done is that basically, if you do your AAA chain and then continue pressing A, the game will do a special move into a super (if you have meter). These moves are usually designed so that you can finish the combo regardless of where your opponent is on the screen and the game is very lenient with the button-press timing. Also, you can usually confirm into them from various counter hits, jump-ins or low attacks without prior practice. Auto Combos are nowhere near max damage you can deal from given starter, but they allow you to do something cool easily. Also, while you can somewhat play a game like Street Fighter without knowing any combos, no one does any damage with just stray hits in ArcSys titles, so this is a great way to bridge the gap between a complete newbie and a slightly more experienced player without completely changing the system.
And finally, perhaps the biggest point of contention - reversal moves. Every character has their defensive option under a simple 2-button command, be it a shoryuken-type attack, a counter, or something along those lines. Performing it turns a small chunk of character's lifebar into grey hp and it can't be one-more-cancelled, but otherwise it functions same as a regular special move. Now, some might argue that giving you instant access to a move like this is a bad idea. Pulling off a DP motion in every circumstance (from walking backwards, from crouching) is something that takes a lot of practice, and even then it still requires that fraction of a second to perform. Meanwhile pressing 2-buttons is instantaneous and requires no practice. However, let's look at the type of game we're dealing with. This isn't Street Fighter where jumps are floaty and take a long time, and where blockstrings are made of linked moves resulting in a lot of gaps. Characters perform jumpins with much faster instant-airdashes, and blockstrings are made of chains which leave less openings for a reversal. So while it does make defense easier in that aspect compared to games like GG and BB, it doesn't make as big of a difference as it would in an SF.
So, this makes Persona 4 Arena a simplified BlazBlue, right? Well, let's look at some other system mechanics. Obviously there is the "Persona" system, meaning some of your attacks utilize your Persona. It can be hit, at which point it disappears and you lose a Persona card. If you lose all the cards, you can't use any Persona-tied attacks until it regenerates. Then there's movement - players have access to an invincible dash similar to a KoF roll, which can pass through opponents and avoids attacks, but you can get thrown out of. There is a regular jump, a super jump and also a hop. While in the air, the player can turn and thus crossup with any attack. Next is a comeback mechanic called "Awakening" which extends the player's super bar by 50% and gives them access to one more super. And let's not forget the ArcSys' staple - Instant Blocking, Bursts, alpha counters, roman cancels... Not to mention some character-specific systems. Aigis has to manage both a finite ammunition and refillable energy meter. Junpei has a function that resembles a baseball scoreboard and pretty much all of his actions somehow influence it. Labrys' axe attacks get stronger the more she uses them, but weaken out when she doesn't. Oh, and also, Ailments. There are eight RPG-style status effects which can be inflicted by various moves. Rage buffs attack power by 20% but prevents you from blocking, shock disables any movement (walking, dashing, jumping) except for the roll-type-dash and the hop, panic reverses left-right inputs, and so on.
This is the game that tears down the "artificial execution barrier", but then fills its place with tons of complex systems and mechanics. And simultaneously, it still gives players plenty of opportunities to test their execution by doing more difficult combos which require precise timing, as well as their reactions due to how fast it is. It lowered the skill floor and arguably raised the ceiling, or at least kept it on the same level as its contemporaries. It has a fantastic tutorial and very readable visual feedback. Anyone can pick up and play it, but of course a veteran player will ravage someone who doesn't know it's intricacies. But then someone who hasn't played an ArcSys fighting game before, but has some fighting game fundamentals might prove some challenge to someone who has only recently started taking P4A seriously. It's a fascinating example of how to take a complex genre and try to trim the unnecessary parts that might turn off some portion of potential players, while actually not making the game any simpler, dumber or random. Please take note.
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