Persona 4: Dancing All Night | |
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Developer(s) | P-Studio |
Publisher(s) |
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Director(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Programmer(s) | Nobuyoshi Miwa |
Artist(s) | Shigenori Soejima |
Writer(s) |
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Composer(s) | Ryota Kozuka |
Series | Persona |
Platform(s) | |
Release | PlayStation VitaPlayStation 4
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Genre(s) | Rhythm |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Persona 4: Dancing All Night [lower-alpha 1] is a 2015 rhythm video game developed by P-Studio and published by Atlus for the PlayStation Vita. [1] The game is a spin-off of Persona 4 (2008), which is part of the Persona anthology of Megami Tensei games. The game received generally positive reviews from critics. [2] A port for the PlayStation 4 was included with the Endless Night Collection of Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight .
Persona 4: Dancing All Night is a rhythm game in which the characters of Persona 4 dance to music from the Persona series, including original and rearranged songs. The game is split into two main modes; Story, where the players experience the game's story which is split up by various music stages, and Free Dance, in which players can pick any song they have unlocked and perform at various difficulties, [3] unlocking more songs by clearing each stage.
The game uses analog sticks and six face buttons: the up, left, and down directional buttons and the triangle, circle, and cross buttons. As each stage plays, notes will appear from the center of the screen and move towards targets on the sides of the screen, requiring the player to hit the corresponding button in time with the music. Some notes require the player to hit two buttons at the same time, or hold the button down for the duration of the note. In addition to the notes, Scratch Rings appear which require the player to flick either analog stick to hit. [4] Although missing Scratch Rings will not count as a miss, hitting enough pink Fever Rings will allow players to enter Fever Mode during certain parts of each song, allowing them to earn more points. [5] The player's success is represented by a Hype Gauge at the top of screen, with the song failing if it drops too low, or is not at a high enough level by the end of the song. If the player's Hype Gauge is high enough upon entering Fever Mode, Bond Fever will activate and a partner character may join the main character in their dance.
Upon clearing a song, players receive in-game money which they can use to purchase new items, costumes, and accessories. Some items may only be unlocked after clearing certain requirements, such as clearing a certain number of songs or making a certain amount of purchases. Costumes and accessories can be used to customize each character's appearance during their songs in Free Dance mode. Items can be used to alter the gameplay to make it easier or more challenging, which in turn increases or decreases the score and money earned from each level. [4] Additional songs, costumes, and accessories can be purchased as downloadable content. [5]
The story is framed as a tale that Margaret is telling to an unseen visitor in the Velvet Room about her guest, Yu Narukami. [6]
Roughly a month following the epilogue of Persona 4 Golden , Rise Kujikawa, who has since returned to the idol industry, asks Yu Narukami and all her other friends to dance alongside her in the upcoming music festival called Love Meets Bonds Festival. As Yu, along with Naoto Shirogane, join up with Rise at her dance studio and are introduced to fellow idol Kanami Mashita, they learn that Kanami's idol group, Kanamin Kitchen, has mysteriously gone missing. Looking into a rumor concerning a video that shows up on the LMB website at midnight, allegedly showing a dead idol, Yu, Rise, and Naoto decide to check out the video themselves and are sucked into the Midnight Stage, a world separate from the TV world they are used to. There, they discover a mysterious entity is using strange ribbons and a song to force Shadows to form a bond with her, effectively brainwashing anyone who comes into contact with the ribbons. Unable to use violence in this world, the group discovers that they can use the power of song and dance to express their feelings to the Shadows, freeing them from the voice's control.
The next day, as the rest of the Investigation Team is assembled at the dance studio, the mysterious voice attempts to pull Kanami into the Midnight Stage but ends up grabbing producer Kyoka Ochimizu instead. Following them, the Investigation Team split up to rescue the captured members of Kanamin Kitchen as the voice attempts to force a fake bond with them. As each member is rescued and taken to a safe dressing room, the team discovers pages from a diary. Coming across Ochimizu as well, the group deduces that the world is somehow tied to Yuko Osada, an idol who committed suicide years ago. At the same time, the Shadows they encounter are people who got dragged into the world after watching the video. Back in the real world, Kanami comes across Ryotaro and Nanako Dojima, who become curious about the whereabouts of Yu and the others. As Ryotaro helps Kanami look into the strange circumstances surrounding the incident, Nanako is recognized for her dancing talent and is chosen to appear alongside Kanami at the LMB Festival. During this time, Kanami experiences painful flashbacks as she ponders over the lyrics of her upcoming song, "Calystegia", which was originally intended for Yuko. To her shock, Kanami eventually discovers that the diary she had been carrying all this time belonged to Yuko, who she had witnessed killing herself when she came to the studio to audition years ago. Devastated and traumatized over the repressed memories, Kanami is overcome by despair and pulled into the Midnight Stage.
Back in the Midnight Stage, Ochimizu, who was Yuko's producer back when she was alive, is swayed by the voice but brought to her senses by Yu and the others. Discovering the song sung by the Shadows to be a reversed recording of Calystegia, the team discovers the voice to be a Shadow version of Kanami, who has pulled the real Kanami and the entire LMB audience into the Midnight Stage. Although the team manages to save Kanami and bring her to her senses, the Shadow Kanami, revealed to be a god of desire named Mikuratana-no-Kami, bonds itself with the rest of the audience. Determined to get their feelings across, Rise combines her strength with Kanami and the Kanamin Kitchen girls to power up her Persona, Himiko, transforming it into a giant stage for Yu and the others to express themselves. Finally understanding their feelings, Mikuratana-no-Kami releases everyone and returns them to the real world, where Kanami prepares to finish off the festival with a performance of Calystegia.
In the aftermath, it is revealed that the actual events behind the festival have been covered up, thanks in large part due to the efforts of Ochimizu, and Dojima, despite the police's disapproval. The audience, and the general public, is fooled into thinking the events were caused by a combination of special effects, technical malfunctions, publicity stunts, and staged skits (helped by the lack of clear memories of the LMB audience). Furthermore, the experiences of those who were pulled into the Midnight Stage as shadows were put down to mass-induced hysteria. With things now back to normal, Rise can make her career comeback as an idol.
The epilogue concludes with Margaret telling the unseen visitor that their purpose in visiting the Velvet Room was to learn this tale about the value of bonds so that they can pass it on to other people. As the unseen visitor leaves, she tells them to not worry about Yu and his friends as "their journey will never end".
Persona 4: Dancing All Night was announced alongside Persona 5 and Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth during an Atlus event in Japan on November 24, 2013. [1] [7] [8] The game was being primarily developed by Dingo Inc., noted for their work on the Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA series. [6] [9] Later in 2014, due to quality concerns Atlus's P-Studio team took over main development, with Dingo being retained as a supporting developer. [10] A North American release was later announced for 2015. [2] During Tokyo Game Show 2014, it was announced that the Japanese version would also be released in 2015, when it was previously announced to be released in Fall 2014. [11] On June 28, 2015, it was announced that NIS America would be publishing the game in Europe in Fall 2015. [12] Following this announcement, Bandai Namco announced on their official Twitter account that the game would also be released in Australia and New Zealand on November 5, 2015. [13] Rise Kujikawa is played by Ashly Burch in the game due to conflicting schedules which prevented Laura Bailey, Rise's English voice actress in previous Persona games, from reprising her role. [14] [15]
The soundtrack was supervised and directed by series regular, Shoji Meguro, with original compositions by Ryota Kozuka. [16] The game features over 30 tracks, including remixes of previous songs in the franchise by other musicians such as Tetsuya Komuro, Daisuke Asakura, Shinichi Osawa, Towa Tei, De De Mouse, Narasaki, Banvox, Norihiko Hibino, Yuu Miyake, Akira Yamaoka, and Lotus Juice. [6] [17] The game features multiple playable characters, including all eight members of Persona 4's Investigation Team, along with Nanako Dojima, Margaret and Kanami Mashita from Persona 4, the lattermost of whom being playable for the first time. Additionally, the Persona 4 character Tohru Adachi and the Persona 4 Golden character Marie are available through downloadable content. [18] An additional DLC track features Vocaloid character Hatsune Miku as a playable character, being only voiced in Japanese. [19]
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | VITA: 76/100 [20] |
Publication | Score |
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Destructoid | 8/10 [3] |
Famitsu | 33/40 [21] |
GameSpot | 5/10 [22] |
IGN | 8.4/10 [23] |
Polygon | 8.5/10 [4] |
The Japanese video game magazine Famitsu gave the game a review score of 33 out of 40, consisting of the sub-scores 8, 8, 8, and 9. [21] Heath Hindman of PlayStation LifeStyle gave the game 8 out of 10, praising the soundtrack and unique feel of the game. [24] The game sold 94,036 physical retail copies within its debut week of release within Japan, placing second within the Japanese software sales charts for that particular week. [25] IGN awarded it 8.4 out of 10, saying "Persona 4: Dancing All Night highlights the wonderful music from the Persona series while building a solid story". [23]
However, Heidi Kemps of GameSpot gave the game a 5 out of 10, and stated that "Dancing All Night might have sounded like a fun idea on paper, but it simply doesn’t hold a candle to better portable rhythm games." She also stated that the "story is disappointing, the gameplay is mediocre, and the only thing that feels fun is playing dress-up with characters and their various outfits." [22]
Beginning development simultaneously following the success of Dancing All Night, the team intended to make refinements to both gameplay and graphics. Initially wanting to work on a game based on Persona 3, the development of Persona 5 and fan anticipation encouraged them to make games based on both titles. Because of this, they decided to release the games simultaneously. A major difference is the lack of a story mode, with rhythm sequences instead taking place within the events of Persona 3 and Persona 5 around character-based interactions. [26] [27] The games, titled Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, were released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in 2018. [28]
Persona 3, released outside Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus. It is the fourth main installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006, and in North America in 2007. The game has received multiple iterations of enhanced re-releases and ports: Persona 3 FES, an extended version containing a new playable epilogue among other changes, was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2007 and worldwide the following year. An abridged PlayStation Portable version of the game, Persona 3 Portable, was released in Japan in 2009, North America in 2010, and Europe in 2011. Portable was ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023. Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the core game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S was released on February 2 2024.
Persona 4, released outside Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, is a 2008 role-playing video game by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the Persona series, itself a part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise, and was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in July 2008, North America in December 2008, and Europe in March 2009 as one of the final major exclusives for the system. It was re-released as a PlayStation 2 Classic for the PlayStation 3 in April 2014. Persona 4 takes place in a fictional Japanese countryside and is indirectly related to earlier Persona games. The player-named protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the countryside from the city for a year. During his year-long stay, he becomes involved in investigating mysterious murders with a group of friends while harnessing the power to summon physical manifestations of their psyches known as a Persona.
The plot of Atlus's PlayStation 2 role-playing game Persona 4 is centered on a group of high-school students dedicated to capturing the culprit responsible for the murders and kidnappings that happened in their small town of Inaba starting on April 11, 2011. The case is linked by the TV world, a dimension where the characters use alter-egos known as "Personas" to defeat the Shadows, beings that represent people's hidden thoughts that killed the first two victims. The protagonist is Yu Narukami, a high-school student who moved into the town from the city. He is met by Yosuke Hanamura, the son of the local department store manager; Chie Satonaka, an energetic girl with a strong interest in kung fu; Yukiko Amagi, a calm and refined girl whose family owns the local inn; Kanji Tatsumi, a first-year student whose punk reputation hides a softer side; Teddie, a mysterious figure from the TV world who exists in the form of a cartoonish bear costume; Rise Kujikawa, a popular teen idol who has taken a break from showbiz; and Naoto Shirogane, a well-known junior detective.
Persona, previously marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona outside of Japan, is a video game franchise primarily developed and published by Atlus, and owned by Sega. Centered around a series of role-playing video games, Persona is a spin-off from Atlus' Megami Tensei franchise. The first entry in the series, Revelations: Persona, was released in 1996 for the PlayStation. The series has seen several more games since, with the most recent main entry being 2024's Persona 3 Reload.
Persona 5 is a 2016 role-playing video game developed by P-Studio and published by Atlus. The game is the sixth installment in the Persona series, itself a part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2016 and worldwide in April 2017. It was published by Atlus in Japan and North America, and by Deep Silver in PAL territories. An enhanced version featuring new content, Persona 5 Royal, was released for PlayStation 4 in Japan in October 2019 and worldwide in March 2020. It was published by Atlus in Japan and worldwide by its parent company Sega. Persona 5 Royal was later released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in October 2022.
Chie Satonaka is a fictional character from the 2008 video game Persona 4. There, she appears as a high school student who starts investigating a dimension labeled as the TV World alongside her friends. The kidnapping of her best friend Yukiko Amagi leads Chie to join the Investigation Team in working in a murder case where the victims are sent to the TV World to be killed by creatures known as Shadows.
Catherine is a puzzle video game developed by Atlus. The game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in Japan and North America in 2011, in PAL regions by Deep Silver in 2012, and for Windows by Sega in 2019. A re-release with additional content, titled Catherine: Full Body, was released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4 worldwide and for the PlayStation Vita only in Japan, and a Nintendo Switch version released worldwide in 2020.
Persona 4 Arena is a fighting video game co-developed by P-Studio and Arc System Works and published by Atlus for arcades, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360; the game is a spin-off from the Persona series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. The game was published by Atlus in Japan and North America in 2012, and by Zen United in Europe in 2013. Gameplay follows standard fighting game conventions, with matches between two characters with individual movesets, and special expendable abilities. The storyline is told through visual novel segments.
Yu Narukami is a character featured in the Persona series developed by Atlus, debuting as the protagonist of the 2008 role-playing video game Persona 4. In the game, Yu is a silent protagonist whose thoughts and actions are decided by the player. He is portrayed as a high school student who moves to the countryside region Inaba away from his city home, to live with his uncle Ryotaro Dojima and cousin Nanako while his parents are busy working. Shortly after arriving in Inaba, Yu starts investigating a murder case involving victims killed in the mysterious TV World, where he awakens his "Persona" — the physical manifestation of his subconscious spirit — in order to confront and defeat the "Shadows", the creatures who murdered the first victims. Yu has also appeared in other works related to Persona 4, including an anime adaptation, Persona 4: The Animation, a manga version, and several spin-off games. For these works, Yu received his own characterization and development in the stories.
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Atlus West, formerly known as Atlus U.S.A., Inc., is the North American publishing branch of Japanese video game company Atlus, primarily known for localizing games for both them and other third-party developers. Its first original role-playing game was Revelations: Persona on the PlayStation, described by staff as an attempt to break into the Western role-playing game market and establish the company's Megami Tensei franchise through its Persona sub-series.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the Nintendo 3DS. It is part of the Persona series, itself part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was published across all territories in 2014: released in June in Japan, November in North America and Europe, and December in Australia. Atlus published the game in Japan and North America, while NIS America published it in the PAL region.
Tales of Zestiria is an action role-playing game. It is the fifteenth main entry in the Tales series, developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was released in January 2015 in Japan on the PlayStation 3. For Western release in October of the same year, it was also ported to PlayStation 4 and Windows via Steam. The PS4 version was released in Japan in July 2016. As with previous entries in the Tales series, the game uses a variation of the action-based Linear Motion Battle System, with additional elements including a navigable open world, and the ability for certain characters to fuse into a single entity in battle to deliver powerful attacks.
The protagonist is a character from Persona 3, a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus. In the game, the protagonist is an orphan who transfers to Gekkoukan High School in Iwatodai City and discovers a phenomenon called the Dark Hour during which supernatural entities called Shadows roam freely. After awakening an ability called Persona, the protagonist joins their classmates in forming the Specialized Extracirricular Execution Squad (S.E.E.S.), dedicated to eliminating the Dark Hour and the threat of the Shadows. In the original release of Persona 3 and the updated versions Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Reload the protagonist is male; for Persona 3 Portable, Atlus added the option to play as a female version of the character, to provide more options to returning players and attract a female demographic.
Kanji Tatsumi is a fictional character introduced in the 2008 PlayStation 2 video game Persona 4 by Atlus. In the game Kanji is a high school student who becomes famous in television after fighting delinquents in the streets. Kanji becomes a victim of a series of kidnappings where the person is thrown to a dimension known as the TV World and the main cast of characters goes to save him from his alternate self, his Shadow. After Kanji is saved from the experience with the Shadow being turned into a power known as Persona, he joins the Investigation Team, befriending them in the process. He has also appeared in other works such as the fighting game Persona 4 Arena and the crossover Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. He is voiced by Tomokazu Seki in Japanese, and Troy Baker in English in Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden, Persona 4: Arena, and the first twelve episodes of Persona 4: The Animation; his English voice actor for the remainder of Persona 4: The Animation, as well as all subsequent games, is Matthew Mercer.
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Nanako Dojima is a character in the 2008 PlayStation 2 video game Persona 4 by Atlus. She is initially shy to player-character and cousin Yu Narukami, but eventually grows more comfortable. She struggles through the game with loneliness, the loss of her mother, and concern over her father Ryotaro Dojima, who is often absent due to his job as a detective. She appears as a playable character in Persona 4: Dancing All Night, where designers made a point to try to avoid her dancing style seem too adult. She has been well-received and is regarded as one of the best characters in Persona 4. Multiple critics held her as an example of a quality child character in video games.
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