Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikū no Tō-hen[a] is a role-playing video game developed and published by Bbmf. It is a spin-off from Atlus's 1996 game Revelations: Persona, and part of the Persona series, itself a part of the larger Megami Tensei series. It was originally released for Japanese feature phones on December 1, 2006, and was re-released by G-Mode for Nintendo Switch and Windows in September 2023 as part of their G-Mode Archives+ line, after being unavailable for years.
| Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikū no Tō-hen | |
|---|---|
_screenshot.png) Title screen | |
| Developer(s) | Bbmf |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Series | Persona |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | Mobile phones
|
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The game has the player fight demons in a turn-based combat system while exploring a dungeon in a first-person perspective. It is set during the events of the 1996 game, and follows its cast of Persona-users as they become stranded between worlds and try to return to their own. The developers designed Ikū no Tō-hen as a side story, and introduced new mechanics such as a randomly generated dungeon to make the game interesting for players who have already played Revelations: Persona. The game was well received for its mysterious atmosphere and the replay value brought by its randomly generated dungeon.
Gameplay
edit
Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikū no Tō-hen is a role-playing video game, and plays similarly to Revelations: Persona. Through a first-person perspective, the player navigates a randomly generated dungeon that shifts each they enter, with the goal of finding a way out.[1][2] The player encounters demons throughout, which they fight in a turn-based combat system using weapons and their Persona abilities;[1][3][4] if the entire party falls in combat, they lose all their items and money.[1]
As an alternative to fighting, the player can negotiate with the demons to acquire spell cards:[1] by fusing several of these, they can create new Personas for the party, enabling new abilities in battle.[1][3] The player can also improve the party by equipping them with weapons and armor, which they can take to a refinery to improve through the use of gems found in the dungeon.[1]
Premise
editIkū no Tō-hen is set during the story of Revelations: Persona, and follows a group of St. Hermelin High School students in the town of Mikage, who have the power to fight by summoning Personas – a representation of their hidden inner selves.[5][6] It begins after the group's battle in the local SEBEC building,[6] when the out-of-control DEVA System transports them to a place between worlds where demons roam. Igor, the facilitator of fusion in the Velvet Room, instructs them to climb a tower to return to their own world.[2][5][7]
Development and release
editIkū no Tō-hen was developed by Bbmf,[8] who created it as a side story based on Revelations: Persona, with many returning mechanics, while introducing some new ones and including a new story to make the game feel worthwhile to those who have already played the original. One such new mechanic was how the player's party loses their money and items upon defeat, to add a sense of tension to the play experience; another was the randomly generated dungeon, to allow for endless exploration.[8]
Bbmf released the game in Japan for various feature phones starting on December 1, 2006,[8][9] simultaneously with their game Stella Deus: Raven Spirits and their mobile phone port of Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II.[10] Later that month, it became the first larger role-playing game to be released through the Megaten Alpha mobile game distribution service.[3]
After being unavailable for years, Ikū no Tō-hen was re-released by G-Mode for Nintendo Switch and Windows on September 14 and September 19, 2023, respectively,[4] as part of their G-Mode Archives+ series. Like with other releases in the line, the intent was to retain the game as it was, with the same gameplay and presentation as the mobile phone version, including its square screen.[2][6][7] G-Mode's release does not add any new language options on top of Japanese; games news site Siliconera found it likely that it, like G-Mode's other Megami Tensei re-releases, would remain Japanese-only. GamesRadar+ considered this understandable due to the game's obscurity, but expressed hope that the wider availability of the PC version could open the door to an English fan translation.[2][4]
Reception
editIkū no Tō-hen was well received: Dengeki Online called it a great role-playing game,[11] and Famitsu considered it a fun game that breathes new life into its returning characters, that improves on Revelations: Persona with good replay value due to the randomly generated dungeon, and not something Megami Tensei fans would want to miss.[1][3] Inside Games liked its atmosphere for its darker and more mysterious tone compared to later Persona games, instead being more similar to the Shin Megami Tensei series.[12] Retrospectively, Mynavi News and Inside Games both called it a nostalgic role-playing game,[12][13] and the former reported on positive player response to the G-Mode release.[13]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "人気RPGがアプリでさらに進化！ au版『女神異聞録ペルソナ 異空の塔編』を遊び尽くそう". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. 2006-12-19. Archived from the original on 2021-10-29. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ a b c d Liu, Stephanie (2023-08-29). "Persona: Ikuu no Tou Hen to Appear on Switch and PC". Siliconera. Gamurs. Archived from the original on 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ a b c d "『女神異聞録ペルソナ』の外伝的作品『異空の塔編』がiモードで配信". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. 2006-12-15. Archived from the original on 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ a b c Cryer, Hirun (2023-08-30). "Long-forgotten Persona spin-off coming to modern platforms - but there's a catch". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ a b Shin Megami Tensei: Persona North American instruction manual (PDF). Atlus. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-11-07. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ a b c "『女神異聞録ペルソナ 異空の塔編』Switchにて配信開始。悪魔が支配する異空間から脱出を目指すペルソナ使いたちのもう一つの物語". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. 2023-09-14. Archived from the original on 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ a b Tolentino, Josh (2023-08-29). "Original Persona feature phone game coming to Switch and PC". RPG Site. Mist Network. Archived from the original on 2023-10-01. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ a b c "ソフトバンク向けゲームサイト『女神転生』用 S!アプリ 『女神異聞録ペルソナ 異空の塔編』配信開始のご案内" (PDF) (in Japanese). Bbmf. 2006-11-30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2023-09-11). "G-MODE Archives+: Megami Ibunroku Persona: Ikuu no Tou Hen for Switch launches September 14 in Japan". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "『女神転生II』や『ストラデウス』などの名作がYahoo！ケータイ向けに一挙に配信！". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. 2006-12-01. Archived from the original on 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "『女神異聞録ペルソナ 異空の塔編』がSwitch/Steam向けに制作決定。フィーチャーフォンで配信された名作RPG". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. 2023-08-29. Archived from the original on 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ a b Mio (2023-08-29). "初代『ペルソナ』の雰囲気が再び楽しめる！モバイル向け外伝『女神異聞録ペルソナ 異空の塔編』G-MODEアーカイブス+でSteam/スイッチ配信決定". Inside Games (in Japanese). IID, Inc. Archived from the original on 2023-08-30. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
External links
edit- Official website (in Japanese)