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"I dreamt I was a butterfly. I couldn't tell I was dreaming. But when I woke, I was I and not a butterfly. Was I dreaming that I was the butterfly, or was the butterfly dreaming that it was me?"
—Soshi, Megami Ibunroku Persona Opening Scene

Megami Ibunroku Persona is the first game in the Persona series, which is a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise developed by Atlus. In North America it was localized as Revelations: Persona.

Atlus has released an enhanced remake for the PlayStation Portable, entitled Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (solely Persona in Japan) with the words Megami Ibunroku omitted from the title. Shoji Meguro returns as the composer.

Plot[]

Set in 1996, Megami Ibunroku Persona centers around the protagonist and his classmates at St. Hermelin High School in Mikage-cho (Lunarvale in Revelations: Persona). Hidehiko Uesugi talks all of his friends into playing a game called "Persona", which is played much like the ritual game "Bloody Mary". While playing, the students lose consciousness and meet Philemon, who gives them the ability to summon reflections of their personalities, which are known as Personas.

A short time later, the protagonist and several of his friends go to visit Maki Sonomura, who is ill and bedridden. During their visit, they discover that the town is changing and demons are roaming the streets. The party is told by Maki's mother, an engineer working for SEBEC, that the culprit behind the incident is Takahisa Kandori, president of the company.

After taking Maki's mother to the school (the only place in town safe from demons), the protagonist's actions decide the course of the story. If the protagonist opts for going after Kandori, it'll start the SEBEC Chapter which is the main storyline of the game. Alternatively, the protagonist may opt for investigating a series of incidents that occurred in the school eight years ago and start the Snow Queen Quest, an alternate storyline unrelated to the SEBEC incident.

SEBEC route[]

In the SEBEC route, should the protagonist decide to confront SEBEC, he is first joined by an apparently-recovered Maki, then asked by Nanjo to help save Masao, who is captured by demons. The protagonist, Maki and Nanjo rescue Masao, but on the way Maki displays an odd lack of certain memories including being hospitalized.

After rescuing Masao and infiltrating SEBEC, the group confront Kandori. After cornering him inside the DEVA System, a girl in black called Aki appears and knocks the party unconscious. When they awake, they find themselves in a duplicate, idealized version of their world.

The group eventually find and corner Kandori, whose ultimate goal was to become a deity and find meaning in life. After an initial fight, Kandori is possessed by his Persona Nyarlathotep, then finally defeated. Before dying, Kandori reveals that the Maki who has been traveling with the party is the "Ideal Maki", a version of herself from the true Maki's heart. Aki and a girl in white called Mai are also pieces of Maki, and the idealized Mikage-cho was created by Maki, and brought into reality when she unexpectedly linked with the DEVA System.

The group must help Maki avoid Kandori's path towards isolation and his current actions. The group manage to convince Ideal Maki to overlook her original self's unconscious actions and join them in fixing the problem. After rescuing the true Maki's self from the Sea of Souls, where all human life begins, the group must then confront Pandora, an aspect of Maki that wants to use the DEVA System to destroy everything. When Pandora is defeated, all the pieces of Maki merge back into one, reversing the effects on the town and restoring her to full health. Philemon meets with the group and congratulates them on their success.

Snow Queen Quest[]

The Snow Queen Quest, which takes place in the real town of Mikage-cho, is unlocked by investigating an urban legend within the school surrounding a theatrical mask used in performances of "The Snow Queen": nearly everyone who wears the mask to play the title role has died. After finding the mask, the protagonist encounters Saeko Takami, who puts on the mask and is possessed by a spirit within it. Freezing the entire town, the possessed Saeko generates three towers, with the spirits of those previously killed by the mask as their guardians, while setting up her Ice Castle within the high school.

Along with Yukino, Ayase, Eriko, and Hidehiko, the protagonist heads out to save Saeko. Philemon contacts them and tells them that the only way to save Saeko is the Demon Mirror, which can remove the source of the mask's curse. The spirit possessing Saeko turns out to be former classmate Tomomi Fujimori, who was horribly disfigured by the mask when she wore it in place of Saeko. Using the mirror, the group are able to free Saeko and bring Tomomi peace. It is then revealed that Tomomi herself was controlled by the Night Queen Asura, a powerful entity who wants to cloak the world in darkness. Upon defeating the Night Queen, the town is freed from her power.

Characters[]

Persona1Cast

(left to right): Yukino, Masao, protagonist, Maki, Kei, Eriko.

Below is a list of player characters, with their English names included.

  • Protagonist: A silent boy with the pierced ear.
  • Maki Sonomura: A frail bed ridden girl who has been sick most her life. Known as Mary in Revelations: Persona.
  • Masao Inaba: A loudmouth who has a crush on Maki. He was altered to be an African-American and called Mark in Revelations: Persona.
  • Kei Nanjo: The heir to the Nanjo group's fortunes, pragmatic and condescending. Known as Nate Trinity in Revelations: Persona.
  • Hidehiko Uesugi: A cocky joker student that craves attention. Known as Brad in Revelations: Persona.
  • Eriko Kirishima: Aspiring model and fashion designer. Known as Ellen in Revelations: Persona.
  • Yuka Ayase: A dyed-blonde kogal, airheaded. Known as Alana in Revelations: Persona.
  • Reiji Kido: A mysterious student with an X shaped scar on his head. Known as Chris in Revelations: Persona.
  • Yukino Mayuzumi: A reformed yankī who looks out for her classmates. Known as Yuki in Revelations: Persona.
See Also: List of Megami Ibunroku Persona Characters

Mikage-cho Locations[]

Localization[]

Revelations: Persona was heavily changed when it was localized for a North American release. All characters were renamed and several of them had their appearance altered as well. Nearly all references to Japan or Japanese culture were cut, with the unusual exception being the shoe lockers and Shinto Shrines in the game. Many of the Personas were renamed rather than translated, and the town's name was changed to "Lunarvale". Yen was changed to dollars, and the overall difficulty of the game was reduced by lowering the enemy encounter rates and increasing the experience gained. However, while experience gain was increased to an amount proportional to the decreased random battle rate, money drops were left the same, resulting in a potential shortage of cash.

In addition to these changes, the Snow Queen Quest was removed by only allowing the player to commit to the SEBEC chapter. The data is still present in the game disk and it's possible to forcibly activate the quest by making use of cheating codes, but the Quest is untranslated and the game's engine cannot render Japanese characters which show as strange symbols.

It was to become the first title of the flagship "Revelations" series.

On December 3, 2018, Revelations: Persona was released on the PlayStation Classic Mini Console bundled with 20 other PlayStation games and has a save state feature included.

Etymology[]

The English title, Revelations, is taken from the Christian Bible's Book of Revelation of the New Testament. It is the final book and its authority and relevancy to Christianity are in common dispute. However, many modern fundamentalist Christian sects place great importance upon its portrayal of "the end of days."

While the front of the game's case claimed it to be the first in a series, only one more Atlus USA production would bear this title: Revelations: The Demon Slayer.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The Persona featured on the jewel case and in the Revelations: Persona-exclusive loading screen is Vishnu, renamed "Ashura" in the English version.
  • The hero's alternate self is seen playing "Groove On Fight" in the Well of Mind and Souls, also known as the Alaya Cavern. This reference was carried down to the PSP remake as well.
  • Revelations: Persona was released on the PlayStation Classic Mini Console on December 3, 2018 which is bundled with 20 other PlayStation One games and it now has the save state feature ability.
  • In the PlayStation Classic version of Revelations: Persona, it is now possible to cheat at the video poker game by using the save state feature and get up to 1,000,000 coins at the casino, which is helpful if the player wants to buy expensive weapons and sell them at the store for more money.
  • Revelations: Persona was one of the rarest PlayStation games due to the limited copy run and became available again on the PlayStation Classic in 2018.
  • A debug build for the game was dumped by Reddit user PriceyT-Shirt on January 2nd, 2021. [1] The build date is August 2nd, 1996, which is one day before the final Japanese build. The EXE is dated a day before the final NTSC-J retail release. [2]

External links[]

References[]


Persona
Megami Ibunroku Persona - Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Characters
Playable Protagonist - Maki Sonomura - Masao Inaba - Kei Nanjo - Yukino Mayuzumi - Hidehiko Uesugi - Eriko Kirishima - Yuka Ayase - Reiji Kido
Non-Playable Philemon - Igor - Takahisa Kandori - Saeko Takami - Takashi Hanya - Principal Ooishi - Tadashi Satomi - Tamaki Uchida - Kenta Yokouchi - Tsutomu Kurouri - Chisato Kasai - Yosuke Naito - Yamaoka - Setsuko Sonomura - Takeda - Mai - Aki - Pandora - Kumi Hirose - Michiko Matsudaira - Yuriko Yamamoto - Tomomi Fujimori - Night Queen - Trish - Natsumi Yoshino - Yuko Himeno - Katsue Kaneda - Doctor Nicholai - Kazuya Toudou - Nishida - Mariko Yabe - Maria
Locations
General Mikage-cho - St. Hermelin High School - Mikage Hospital - Sennen Mannen-Do - Judgement 1999
SEBEC Route Police Station - SEBEC - Subway - Black Market - Lost Forest - Mana Castle - Haunted Mansion - Deva Yuga - Alaya Cavern - Avidya World - Mikage Ruins
Snow Queen Quest Ice Castle - Hypnos Tower - Nemesis Tower - Thanatos Tower - Devil's Peak
Music
Albums Original Soundtrack & Arrange Album (Complete Recording Edition) - Original Soundtrack (PSP) - Persona 20th Anniversary All Time Best Album
Songs "Dream of Butterfly" - "Voice" - "Satomi Tadashi Drugstore Song" - "School Days" - "Let the Butterflies Spread Until the Dawn" - "A Lone Prayer" - "Bloody Destiny" - "Deva Yuga (Arranged Version)"
Archives
Terminology Persona (Initial / Ultimate) - Persona user - Velvet Room - Agastya Tree - Moon Phase System - Sea of Souls - Type/Subtype - Affinity - Rank - Totem - Unknown Power - Mystic Change - Contact - Personality - DEVA System - Nanjo Group - Demon Mirror - Snow Queen Mask - Code Breaker - Fusion (Fusion Theory) - Ideal Self - Growth Rate
Lists Arcana - Personas - Demons - Bosses - Skills - Items - Status Changes
Other Media
Productions Digital Collection - Ikū no Tō Hen
Publications Manga - Messiah Project - Shadow Maze - Kandori no Yabo - 1996 Comic Anthology: Super Comic Gekijou / Short Comic Heaven / Agastya Hen / Rakuen no Tobira / Ikai-ka Toshi / Kokoro no Umi Yori Dedeshi Mono / Yakusoku no Jinite / FACES / Anthology Comic (Broccoli) - 2009 Comic Anthology: Comic Anthology (DNA Media Comics) / Anthology Comic (Bros Comics EX) / Yuki no Juu Hen / Kochu no Kioku / The BEST Masterpiece Selection
Megami Tensei Megami Tensei (Telenet) - Megami Tensei (Atlus) - II - Kyūyaku
Shin Megami Tensei Shin Megami Tensei - II / Gaiden: Ma To Houkai - if... / Hazama's Chapter - J - NINE -
III: Nocturne / Maniax / Chronicle Edition / HD Remaster / Pachislot - 20XX / Devil's Colosseum - IMAGINE - Tokyo Requiem - Strange Journey (Redux) - Devil Hunter Zero - IV / Apocalypse - Devil Collection - Synchronicity Prologue - Liberation Dx2 - V / Vengeance
Last Bible Last Bible - II - Another Bible - III - Special -
New Testament / II: Hajimari no Fukuin / III: Mugen no Eiyuu
Majin Tensei Majin Tensei - II: Spiral Nemesis - Ronde - Blind Thinker / II
Devil Summoner Devil Summoner / Pinball: Judgment - Soul Hackers / Intruder / Soul Hackers New Generation - Soul Hackers 2
Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army - Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon
Persona Megami Ibunroku Persona (PSP Remake) / Ikū no Tō Hen -
2: Innocent Sin / Eternal Punishment / Lost Memories / Infinity Mask -
3 (FES* / Portable* / Reload) / Dancing in Moonlight
4 (Golden*) / Arena / Ultimax / Dancing All Night
5 (Royal*) / Dancing in Starlight / Strikers / Tactica
Q: Shadow of the Labryinth - Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Devil Children Black Book / Red Book - White Book - DemiKids Light / Dark - Fire Book / Ice Book -
Messiah Riser - Puzzle de Call! - Appli de Call! - Devil Children Mobile
Digital Devil Saga Avatar Tuner - 2 - A's TEST Server
Devil Survivor Devil Survivor (Overclocked) - 2 (Record Breaker) / The Extra World
Jack Series Jack Bros. - Demonic Help Party
Other games Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Mokushiroku - Card Summoner - Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE - Maken X - Catherine / Full Body - Metaphor: ReFantazio
Digital Devil Story (Novels) Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei - 2: Warrior of the Demon City - 3: Demise of the Reincarnation
New Digital Devil Story New Digital Devil Story: Goddess of Enchainment - 2: Queen of the Ice Fields - 3: Planet of the Devil - 4: Wrath of the Young Emperor - 5: Eternal Goddess - 6: Bonds of Reincarnation
Other Novels Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidou tai Shibito Ekishi - Giten Megami Tensei: Distant Flow ~EXILE~ - Megami Ibunroku Persona: Shadow Maze - Persona 3: Shadow Cry / Owari no Kakera / Alternative Heart / Velvet Blue - Persona x Detective Naoto - Quantum Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner - Devil Survivor 2 The Animation: Cetus's Prequel
Anime Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei - Tokyo Revelation - Persona -trinity soul- - Persona 3 The Movie - Persona 4 The Animation / -The Factor of Hope- / The Golden Animation - Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers - Persona 5 The Animation - DeviChil - D-Children: Light & Dark - Devil Survivor 2 The Animation
Manga Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation - if... / Kahn - IV: DEMONIC GENE / -Prayers- - Gaiten: Hato no Senki - EDEN - CG Senki: Dante no Mon - Majin Tensei - Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Lone Marebito - Megami Ibunroku Persona - Persona: Tsumi to Batsu - Persona 3 / Portable Dengeki Comic Anthology / Portable Dear Girls Comic Anthology - Persona 4 / The Magician - Arena / Arena Ultimax / Dancing All Night - PQ: -Roundabout- / Side:P3 / Side:P4 - Tartarus Theater - Persona 5 / Dengeki Comic Anthology / Comic à La Carte / Comic Anthology (DNA Media Comics) / the Animation Dengeki Comic Anthology / Mementos Mission - Q2: Persona Q2: Roundabout Special - Devil Children / Light & Dark - Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner: Shinen no Matou - Devil Survivor - 2: -Show Your Free Will- / The Animation Manga
Mobile Apps The Night Before - QIX - Chaining Soul - Aegis: The First Mission - Em - Illust Puzzle - Escape - Social - Ain Soph - Mobile Online - The Card Battle - Colors - Persona O.A. - Persona 5: The Phantom X - Mobile Phone Demon Collection - Atlus Casino - Devil Summoning Program - Digital Novel
Other The Amala Multiverse - Earth - Expanse - Great Will
Protagonists - Mascots - Navigators - Birthdays
Patches and Updates - In popular culture - Jungian psychology - Arcana
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