Time to get working on your social links, as Atlus has announced a November 28th launch date for its highly anticipated 3DS dungeon crawler, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. And while this chibi-fied Persona-verse mash up will be available at both retail (i.e. real world stores) and via the Nintendo eShop (delivered to you by tubes), those who take the plunge on a physical copy will have the choice of two cool special editions - the First Run, and the Premium Edition.
Persona Q seems to be one of the least unusual spin-offs of the Persona franchise in recent years. Developer Atlus has dipped into all manner of genres - with both a Persona 4 themed fighting and an upcoming dancing game (yes, we're serious) on the list, you'd think their first 3DS title would be something a little more 'out there'. Luckily, it seems they've opted to keep Persona Q a little closer to the series more traditional role playing roots, by turning Persona Q into a first person dungeon crawler - while still allowing themselves space to mix things up a bit by featuring characters from both Persona 3 and Persona 4.
Story wise it's pretty standard fare (for a Persona game). After the appearance of a mysterious bell tower, our heroes find themselves trapped within the confines of a shadow-covered Yasogami High School, with only the assistance of the mysterious characters Zen and Rei to rely on - a pair who by sheer coincidence are inexplicably suffering from a bout of amnesia. Of course, its up to you to solve the mystery and escape by crawling your way through the corridors of the school, battling enemies, and mapping out your route as you go by making use of the 3DS' touch screen. In a neat touch, you can also choose to play as the protagonist from either game, and experience a unique story depending on who you chose - so, double the replay value.
Not only is this the first time a Persona game has been released on a Nintendo platform, but it's also marks the first partnership between the Persona developers, and the team behind Etrian Odyssey, an incredibly hard 3DS dungeon crawler that was famed for its punishing difficulty. Here's hoping Persona Q will be a little bit easier...
When it launches later this year, Persona Q will come in several flavours. Along with the bog standard physical and digital editions, there'll also be a 'First Run' version of the game, available in select retail stores as a bonus for those of you who pre-order. Featuring special limited edition packaging, the 'First Run' edition comes complete with 11 'Persona' Tarot Cards based on classes XI-XXI of the Arcana (put simply, the Persona are a manifestation of your player's personality in the game - although its much easier (and much less headache inducing) to think of them as your battle monsters). This is the second half of the Tarot Card sets to be released, with the first being included with the upcoming release of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Pretty sneaky.
Funky!
The "Wild Cards" Premium Edition on the other hand is for you die-hard Persona fans and collectors out there, and comes with a whole host of cool extras. The Premium Edition of the game includes:
- The Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth game
- A chibi covered Deluxe Nintendo 3DS XL Hard Case with printed interior
- "Sound of the Labyrinth" music CD with highlights from the game's soundtrack
- Tarot Cards with artwork based on classes XI - XXI of the in game Arcana
- And an exclusive art book!
The Premium Edition of the game will currently set you back £69.99 online - which is a lot of sweet swag from the Shadow World for your money, although there's no word yet on whether it'll be available in European brick and mortar stores. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will be released November 28th on Nintendo 3DS. Check back soon for a full preview!
