Persona 3 Portable & Persona 4 Golden Bundle

Genre: Compilation / Turn-Based Monster-Collecting JRPG

Players: 1, Passive Online Features

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Review:

(Note: the contents of this Compilation are also included in Persona Collection, along with Persona 5 Royal.)

Persona 3 Portable & Persona 4 Golden Bundle, released on Nintendo Switch in 2023, is a Compilation of the two named games, released separately at the same time as the bundle.

I have separately reviewed both of these games. Here is what I thought of both of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
Persona 3 Portable	Turn-Based Monster-Collecting JRPG	1	B
tl;dr Persona 3 Portable on Nintendo Switch is a remaster of the PlayStation Portable remake of the original PlayStation 2 release of Persona 3, and this is a fine Turn-Based Monster-Collecting JRPG, but it has aged somewhat, features some tedious grinding, and lacks content from earlier versions of Persona 3. This is a decent port of a solid game, but it is neither the best game in this series nor is it definitively the best version of Persona 3.
Persona 4 Golden	Turn-Based Monster-Collecting JRPG	1, Passive Online Features	A-
tl;dr Persona 4 Golden on Nintendo Switch is a remaster of the PlayStation Vita remake of the original PlayStation 2 release of Persona 4, and this is still one of the best games in this series and the genre as a whole, even if it has aged somewhat. It’s not as flashy as Persona 5, but Persona 4 features a wonderful story with great characters, excellent gameplay, and this is overall a great port of the definitive version of the game. If you’re a JRPG fan with a Nintendo Switch, this game is a must!

In short, both of these are superb JRPGs, but I definitely think Persona 4 Golden is the better of the two, in multiple ways – it’s more recent and as such it is graphically better-looking (though still a bit dated), in my opinion it has better characters and a better story, and unlike Persona 3 portable, Persona 4 Golden is clearly the best version of that entry in the series. Don’t get me wrong, Persona 3 Portable is still quite good, and I would argue that it has a few advantages over Persona 4, such as its soundtrack, but Persona 4 is still the game I point to as the better part of this combo.

So that just leaves the question of value, and this bundle’s pricing is… not exactly a huge bargain. Both of the games separately cost $20, and this bundle shaves a whole $0.50 off of the combined price, which is kinda’ pathetic. I suppose the deal is a little better when you look at sale prices, with this bundle saving you… about two and a half bucks. I suppose, if you know you’re getting both games, this bundle is technically the least-expensive way to get them on Nintendo Switch (Persona Collection notwithstanding), but this is definitely not an impressive deal.

However, while it’s not saving you more than a little pocket change off the cost of buying Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden separately, it is nevertheless a solid pair of RPGs, and Persona 4 Golden in particular is one of the best games in the genre, albeit one that’s aged a bit. If you’re a JRPG fan with a Nintendo Switch who hasn’t gotten these games yet (and either already own Persona 5 Royal or have no interest in buying it), Persona 3 Portable & Persona 4 Golden Bundle is well worth getting, all the same

tl;dr – Persona 3 Portable & Persona 4 Golden Bundle is a Compilation of the two named games, both modern remasters of excellent Monster-Collecting Turn-Based JRPGs. Persona 4 Golden is the real star here, though both games are excellent, if a bit dated. Don’t expect to get a big discount buying both together though – the savings you’ll be getting is likely to be counted in cents rather than dollars. However, even with that being the case, this is still a bundle well-worth getting (unless you also want Persona 5 Royal, in which case you should look up the Persona Collection).

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2023 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Compilation/Collection

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