The kitchen sink has new netcode.
I have played Ultimax before. In fact, I played the original Persona 4 Arena way back in the day on the Xbox 360. Now, the updated version arrived on the PS4 earlier in the year and recently, it got rollback netcode. This is the reason for this review in the first place.
Along with a fully realized fighting game, Ultimax offers a full story combining the stories of both Persona 3 and 4 with characters coming together with both the events of the Dark Hour and The Midnight Channel creating a nightmare for the waking world.
MSRP: $29.99
Price I’d pay: $29.99
Platforms: PS4, PC, Switch
The story mode is fully voice acted and for those that have played a Persona game before, know it is all quality acting. Along with the story mode, there is a dungeon-based mode where players can take their characters in to level them up to grow both in stats as well as learn new abilities.
For the fighting game portion, it is a four main button control scheme, but don’t let that fool potential players. This is a complex fighting game full of combos, special attacks, and different versions of characters. The fact that each character feels and plays different from one another makes this both a vastly varied experience where I learn not only my favorite characters, but also the characters that I will have to fight along the way.
This is a game that players will have to devote time into to fully grasp. Not only are learning the characters essential, but the numerous mechanics like status effects, All-Out Attacks and other in-fight abilities that are available. To be honest, it is all very daunting to try to take in. 10 years ago, I could understand it more, but my now aging brain just can’t seem to keep up. This of course, bled into the online multiplayer.
The great thing is the new and improved netcode. With full rollback, I experienced zero issues online. No lag, no dropped matches, and smooth as butter gameplay. Did I get the living daylights kicked out of me? You be I did, but was it all because of my lack of skill? Of course. I can’t blame anything on lag here.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is no doubt a great fighting game. It offers a decent story mode and a few extra bells and whistles. On top of that, a top notch netcode and this is a solid fighting game experience. Is it beginner friendly? I’m not so sure. Is it a must purchase for Persona fans? Possibly, but keep in mind, this is a complex fighting game that will require hours of devotion to get into completely.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
