Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth - Trash or Treasure? | That's More Like It

The second and last Persona title for the 3DS (coming incredibly late into the handheld's life cycle). Regardless of the time it released, does this follow up to the 2014 original improve the gameplay and fixes the problems I had in the first game.
In this Persona Q2 review, I will be giving my thoughts on Persona Q2, talking about what makes Persona Q2, in my opinion, a better game than Persona Q. Persona Q2 takes what worked in Persona Q, and Persona Q2 improves those elements that didn't work in Persona Q. Persona Q is another crossover game with Persona 3's SEES, Persona 4's Investigation Team, and Persona 5's Phantom Thieves.

[@Blake37405]

I hope they actually include the p1 and p2 cast for Q3 but we all know Atlus will never do that 🙁

[@nickhalfmann8397]

Will they even make a Q3 is the question?

[@nicktoons125]

@@nickhalfmann8397 I absolutely think they will.

[@waltlock8805]

@@nicktoons125 They haven't released any Etrian Odyssey for the Switch yet. The screen doesn't really lend itself to mapping.

[@Ken-lv4ww]

"Bosses are too hard" EO fans: "First time eh?"

[@gembocobo9484]

EQ? or EO?

[@Ken-lv4ww]

@@gembocobo9484 just noticed now oof, playing pso2 jp that time lol

[@tactless2061]

They finally acknowledged Femc from Persona 3! Persona 2 Maya: Am I a joke to you?

[@shawklan27]

Persona 1 and 2 cast: are *we* a joke to you?

[@lssjgaming1599]

SHAWKLAN 27 it made me sad the ya weren’t in the hame

[@furiousfusion7890]

Yes

[@PlayerZeroStart]

From what I hear, the game lacking an English Dub has nothing to do with it being on the 3DS. The first game sold really poorly in the West, which made the American team have very little interest in the second game. I'm certain the only reason the second game was localized at all was out of obligation.

[@Laurmachi]

Have to say I completely disagree with the views on the Boss fights. A boss should be about learning their weaknesses, be smart with your moves, and figuring out patterns. Whenever I died, it felt like my own fault. Other than that, great video as always!

[@ethanhartman5908]

That's pretty much how I feel about all his persona videos. There's something he says that I really don't agree with, but the videos are still good and enjoyable to watch.

[@scotte220]

I love a good challenge, but the boss fights here were just so.. boring to me.

[@monkey_blu]

Dude, I played and finished the game in Risky and the only boss that really wrecked my shit was Yusukesaurus because I didn't had luck with my binds or my status inflictions. Worst thing in Risky is that Joker is obligatory to be in your party and if he dies is game over so you pretty much have to make him a backrow supporter.

[@Noahs_Chair]

Let me guess, SMT veteran? Me too

[@TheGeem1]

Having no English dub is really lame.

[@cy4664]

TheGeem i think the jp voice in most persona game is better than english dub tho, sometime eng dub sound awkward

[@HunterForHire422]

@@cy4664 Regardless not having that as an option is a flaw.

[@TheGeem1]

@@cy4664 that may be, but, and that might make me unpopular with the fanbase, I'm not a hard-core weeb and prefer to play the series with the english dub which is for the most part phenomenal in the persona franchise. Apart from a few weird translation decisions. Suddenly hearing japanese voices would be off putting to me to say the least.

[@littenfire3563]

Yeah not having an English dub option sucks

[@ExcelonTheFourthAvalonHeirs]

I like both btw. The Japanese definitely great, but at less the English dub is not bad.

[@sewnmind1786]

The FemC was an interesting character for PQ2. Strangely she fits in the side game better than she ever did in her version of P3.

[@chapterblaq]

This is probably a hot take but I prefer FeMC to Minato in P3P. she had better s-links (she seems closer to the SEES crew subsequently) and I'm a Shinjiro Stan so i enjoyed her romance with him and how it alters the story. and TBH If they ever remake or rerelease p3, I'd probably only replay it if FeMC is available...

[@MarylandWolves110]

Nice to meet another person on the spectrum. I am autistic myself and a diehard Persona fan. I think Q2's message is better talking about escapism and why escaping yourself to a world does nothing to better yourself. You can tell Persona is inspired a lot from Eva and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on P5 Royal cause I loved that version too and it's worth the upgrade to get.

[@TrashorTreasure]

I’m always happy to speak to someone else on the spectrum too. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed PQ2 as well, and I hope the P5R video will be worth it for you!

[@rikulovespaopu4270]

I have like 200 hours in this game and I STILL haven’t finished it I don’t want it to end;( plus I’m stuck in the last Labyrinth

[@datoneburrito3036]

For a game as long as it is plus dlc it’s got some good replayability

[@Uzubururin]

i got my ass woop by the first movie , i was very surprised to see how hard it was at the start , constantly back into the movie to heal and buying goho-M just to stay safe

[@patron7906]

This game is a mash of Persona and Etrian Odyssey. One thing about the EO series, it's always been brutally difficult at the start, with you slowly getting a foothold and gaining confidence in the stratums as you delve into the labyrinth.

[@eggrollin5718]

I always thought this as the best persona spin off Not like it had much competition ( looks at Persona 3 and 5 dancing)

[@MeMe-hh2ck]

Nintendo boys hey now they are very different games genres ( not saying I like the dancing games but am sure other people do)

[@seb1811]

"The finally acknowlodge the FeMC, everyone is here!" P1 & 2: are we a joke to you?

[@Zero_de_Nova]

Maia is the Best!

[@kyubakor4278]

Maia the persona?

[@makotoyuki345]

Sebastian Saihara18 hey wait I made that Aigis comment first, word for word... Go ahead I don’t mind

[@seb1811]

@@makotoyuki345 *I-*

[@edwardevans5759]

@@makotoyuki345 How are you here?! Aren't you supposed to be sealing away Nyx?!

[@gaminghistory101]

I actully bought this game a while into its release and I really enjoyed it. I hope you share my sentiments :)

[@trishahernz7809]

Hikari’s musicals are hard to watch, can’t help but feel the writers are telling the story from personal experience.

[@funninoriginal6054]

I want to add that there is one thing that PQ2 does amazingly better than the first one: THE DUNGEON DESIGN. Its a thousand times less anoying than the first game, and while the end game dungeons here are kinda boring too, they are much, MUCH better than the cancerous mess that are Inaba Pride Exibit and Clock Tower

[@yurikuki]

I always wondered what would happen to those worlds after finishing them? Are those movie worlds another dimension?

[@MeMe-hh2ck]

I still think it’s strange having a spin off based of a spin-off

[@EpicMinecraftFail]

Well there are now 3 spin offs based off a spinoff

[@patron7906]

Good review dude, glad this channel helps you express yourself. I think the lack of voice acting in PQ2, english, is understated though. I just loved in combat with the music (which in Q1 we only get one dang track) but what helped break the monotony of it all was the way the characters would yell and shout during the fights. Q2 might have more variety with the music but it's harder for me to get into it with the lack of English voice acting.

[@TrashorTreasure]

Thank you! Absolutely. Part of the fun of the first game was hearing the banter and quips from the P3 and 4 cast, but it’s harder to get invested in Q2’s banter when you can’t understand it.

[@cliffturbo2146]

I quickly bought the game last year, because I did heard it was limited, and it was the last big 3DS game to be released. Makes me wonder if it's going to be worth a lot, given years. Anyway, I love Persona Q2. It's my all-time favourite 3DS game. What I couldn't get into in Persona Q1 was that the dungeons and gameplays was too hard in my taste. The cost of the SP are a little too high, so I always rely on physical attacks. Yes, there's the boost, but I still think it's too much. So it did get lower in Q2, making it a world of difference. The dungeons are much, much easier to navigate as well. The puzzles aren't nearly as damn hard as Q1. I actually didn't have much problem with Hikari, the name of the fourth dungeon. The story is also very interesting and relatable. Hikari locked herself from reality, because of everything that has happened to her. The haughty teachers, the high school bullies and her own uncle and aunt that constantly holds her back from the "impossible dreams". The message is very strong, because it may reflect anyone that plays the game all the way through. It hit me hard, once I beat the fourth and fifth dungeon. This game is definitely not for anyone, but it's something that is worth to give a try, and worth to remember.

[@jamesr5909]

I had never used morgana at all but he still leveled up, even if only slightly. They do gain a very minimal amount of exp

[@HeroofWat]

I really did enjoy this review. But I feel the reason why Hikari doesn't show the common sense in regards to how friends work is the ideals the people she's been around for years putting in her head how people work. Now that she encounters people who aren't really like the people who have been her for years, she's of course still weary of them and may have felt overwhelmed on how rowdy the group is (especially the P4 group). Regardless of that, still a great review. Looking forward to when you cover Royal, the P2 duology, and P1.

[@littenfire3563]

Yeah when you're not used to people being nice to you, and you're used to being bullied, it's kind of off putting and can even make the person feel confused when people are nice to them

[@TrashorTreasure]

All fair points and perfectly understandable. It’s easy to feel that way sometimes.

[@moxvox3454]

Wow! You really lived in England for awhile? As someone who has moved to the UK lately, I can admit people will pick on you from being somewhere else but you gotta stand up from those people. Great review btw! Been a big fan of you & coincidentally watching a lot of PQ2 content lately haha.

[@TrashorTreasure]

Thanks very much! Always makes me happy to have a fan! Yeah, nowadays most people in the UK find my accent to be quite lovely, but you know how stupid a lot of high school kids can be. Anything different should be mocked, and I even got into a few fisticuffs at school with a couple of those kids. I’ve moved on from all of that now anyway. Hope it wasn’t too bad for you as well.

[@fortello7219]

I think if we ever get a Q3 it would need to be a handpicked selection of characters from persona 3 through 6, preferably with all different arcana, And they would have unique personas like the picaro versions from P5. Then they should all have amnesia/memory loss and we get to interact with just their personalities independent of the stories they come from. That way we can have a more controlled list of characters that you're more incentivized to use all of. And ideally it would be like playing persona 5 or 6 on handheld/switch/smaller with a focus on dungeon exploration. More like a boiled down version. (And then they could milk it with DLC for the super fans that want very specific characters)

[@ancalyme]

Atlus JP and Atlus US are not the same company. The localizers have no say which consoles something is developed for.

[@liamclarke91]

The reason for Hikari's behaviour is easily explained by amnesia on top of a borderline farcical level of trauma.

[@JoDaEpicGuy]

First time watching your channel, nice job! I already beat this game months ago but I'm glad to see people give love to this game so I had to come check it out.

[@TrashorTreasure]

Thank you very much! :)

[@sofaris576]

I have not watched the Video yet but I love both Persona Q games. I prefer PQ1s story and original Characters. Zen and Ray really grew on me while Hikari kinda bored me. Also the Final dungeon of PQ1 was way better then PQ2. But gameplay wise Persona Q2 edges out and it has Morgana as playable Character and I love Morgana. Although his interactions with Koromaru are wasted potential in my eyes. But I also enjoyed the unic way of triggering all out attacks in the first game. Poorly explained but once figured out a lot of fun. I heard people say the first game is hard ore has annoying dungeons. I disagree. I enjoyed them a lot. The Clock tower is one of my favorite endgame dungeons ever. The map mechanic was quite satisfaying.

[@SoloSnivy]

Kamoshidaman definitely made me frustrated haha.

[@gamefreakDX]

The story stuff with the themes being pushed too much I agree with. Good theme, but I think it's a bit too hard on it though relatable. By the time I was in ???, when we were shown the flashbacks, I was more interested in why Hikari's memories became things like Bunny Kamoshida Man or Yosukesaurus or something.

[@waltersobchak7275]

Damn I like the review but I love the extra touch you put on it with your own personal real life experiences. I see you’ve been at this review thing for a lot of years. Yeah you have great content sir.

[@TrashorTreasure]

Many thanks! My apologies for the delayed reply.

[@GRZNGT]

Seriously though - it make total sense that the game is sub only. There is three times the characters than any other Persona game. Doing full localization for this kind of game and this kind of platform just doesn't make any sense from the point of profitability. You gonna have to assemble all of the old actors together (schedule conflicts are inevitable) and do it in a timely fashion. Plus, due to platform's limitations, there would only have been space for one set of voice lines - which means enforced localization which sucks immensely. Deal breaker to me, wouldn't touch with pool stick.

[@ScottStevenErickson]

I’m debating if I should buy a used 3ds just so I can play this game.

[@bobincognito]

I respect the commitment, i'd die with the joker costume indoors lol

[@uprising4c19]

I have autism too. I never played any persona games mainly due to being underaged and not having playstation systems. I mainly just watched videos with no care for spoilers. I do like that message that conformity is bad, and that you should just be who you are. "I never claimed to be perfect, my mistakes are all written in ink. None of us claim to be perfect, and its sad that that's what you all think! Our flaws help to make us special, they bond us and keep us strong. Our flaws are what bought us together, so stop acting like something's wrong!" What's wrong with the Japanese cast? We have Goddesses of Neptunia, Precure, Colette Brunel, Sailor Jupiter, and Air Yuki the voice of the strongest magical girls!

[@TrashorTreasure]

Ah, that’s a pity you can’t play the Persona games yet. Hopefully you can catch up before a Persona 6 is made, haha! I don’t have a problem with the Japanese voice acting, it just sucked that we don’t even have the option to choose English dubs, especially since I’ve grown so used to the English acting by now. Different strokes for different folks, though.

[@marklouiegarcia2588]

As great as the Story of PQ2 is, I feel like it's not that impactful as PQ's. Personally, Hikari at best feels like any other Social Link/Confidant that you find normal Persona 3-5 while Rei's situation was very unique...

[@HFOfficial]

You do realize the Japanese release was earlier? And sold well? And was made on the cheap with the same engine as Q1? And that they're both Etrian Odyssey spinoffs as much as Persona spinoffs, and a lot of the gameplay decisions you didn't like are things that EO fans expect. Because localization takes time (and money), it was either this, or no English release. Previous ATLUS 3DS games that came out within a year or so of Q2 had only Japanese audio (Etrian Odyssey Nexus, SMT Strange Journey Redux), so it really shouldn't have been a surprise.

[@kosterix123]

you should really play EO3 and EO4. It will change your view for the better.

[@ObliviouzRomantic]

It was pure luck I found out about this game so I could pre order it. Man, I need to finish it.

[@Virtualmess32]

Am i missing something? The controls for me were really hard to get through physically. That was my only complaint

[@raultelles9896]

Listening to English voice over on an RPG sounds gross. I'm glad it's in Japanese.

[@kierenbuckley370]

treasure, Q2 is a good game but pretty much nobody played this game because releasing a 3DS game in 2018 and 2019 when the Switch momentum is increasing is a death sentence

[@MysteryGril]

Not only did I meet another great content creator I found someone who loves persona and on the spectrum as well! Great job dude!

[@TrashorTreasure]

Thank you very much! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying my videos!

[@MysteryGril]

@@TrashorTreasure No problem and also keep up the great work!

[@HunterForHire422]

Eh if you can endure the first game's BS I'm sure this game is manageable.

[@sambamanimations8425]

so the q series is persona 1 gameplay done right? Awesome

[@kevinp.1899]

No English voice acting when the first one did? Shame

[@paper_clip14]

Idk man maybe u kinda got a point with the boss battles if u were on a higher difficultly or somethin, but I thought they were fine and pretty on par with my level and team, I don't really agree with you on this one

[@TrashorTreasure]

Just like the Phantom Thieves' leader to find the bosses a cakewalk. :)

[@samfake233]

To Trash or Treasure?, I got a quick question to ask (If you have time), is there a point of buying Sub-Persona DLCs in Persona Q & Q2? I'm pretty new into Persona game series and I was wondering if I should buy them or not. Plus, is it possible to get these same Sub-Persona DLC monsters in the game as well? (Like hunting/catching them or fusion two or more monsters together to create the same DLC Persona. Like example, making 'Sub-Persona: Kaguya' within the game cartridge).

[@TrashorTreasure]

I have not bought the DLC myself, so can’t possibly comment, but from what I understand, the DLC personas are fairly game breaking, so it might be worth it if you’re struggling with certain parts, but I personally would feel like I’m cheating doing that, which is why I don’t use DLC personas in Persona 5 Royal either. It’s not possible to make these personas through fusion though, sans DLC, so if you want it for completion sake, especially with the 3DS eShop closing soon, you might wanna check it out. Sorry I can’t offer much else, but hope that helps a little bit.

[@samfake233]

@@TrashorTreasure Thanks for replaying. And yeah, I think I go and retrieve both PQ & PQ2 DLCs. And I used them after I completed the main story mode. But neverthelesss, thanks for sharing your opinion and answering my question.

[@masonwalsh3546]

So a spinoff is not real from timeline in persona?

[@johanandersson8252]

Maybe i would add this game to the list.

[@-Hee_Ho_Hey-]

He really called beta last surprise as a remix

[@scotte220]

I ended up dropping the game after the fourth dungeon. I got outside after being pissed off by that 4th movie's boss, saw I had a whole other dungeon and said 'im done being a babysitter' and dropped it there. I know that's when hikari gets better supposedly, but I actually just can't stand her now. Not to mention the fact that you can find the golden enemies AND the giant enemies at the same time kept happening to me and made me more and more mad. Can't knock em down reliably cause big guy don't get weakness till half his hp is gone, but they both just wreck my team because they won't let me run! Better story and quality of life improvements, worse story character, and very questionable decisions based around combat.

[@leothelion4464]

I got it as soon as it released don't regret it

[@Chiakiandmikanarebest]

Glad to see I’m not the only one who hated the bosses in this game. Honestly though, even though I think this game is better then the first, I kind of prefer the original game

[@persoonophetweb2891]

for those who don't know the game is on sale in the eshop for 20 euros in europe i finally got it i really like this game and it sure is worth 20 bucks get it if you havent

[@anthonyd1567]

Trick question its a treasure

[@lssjgaming1599]

I want to get this hame so bad but am having trouble finding a copy

[@Spieleder1992]

q1 was far better than q2.Gameplay and stories

[@Reaper2854]

As an spin off is cool but honestly i expected to be on the Vita and the map on the corner

[@littenfire3563]

What's the song that plays at the beginning? I've heard it before but I don't know the name

[@oscarnswe]

Road Less Taken. It is the opening theme to PQ2.

[@Joakerino]

Can this be found on the Nintendo 3ds eshop?

[@x_Xith_x]

i like persona q more than q2. great review tho and i love pq2 too

[@TrashorTreasure]

Thank you! Yeah, the first game does have its strong moments too. :)

[@Lambdadelta77]

Looking Cool!

[@persoonophetweb2891]

is this your favourite persona spinoff?

[@TrashorTreasure]

I’d probably say so for the time being, yeah, but that all depends on how good P5 Scramble’s going to be.

[@GRZNGT]

Lookie-lookie, we have a dub-lover over here.

[@hank7999]

This game is cool but still......why not vita?

[@HuhWhatHuhwhatHuh]

I am back to just say, I cannot understand how someone could not appreciate P3 as the superior game. Love your videos and style though. But in regards to Persona taste, yu remain suspec

[@LTDLetsPlays]

there are 3 truths in the world 1: most persona spinoffs are trash story and character wise 2;characters are flanderazated into worthless trash 3: Persona 5 is overrated and more like style over substance (there is some substance but its so shallow)

[@ShizzThe69kinG]

I think the learning curve was iffy at the start. Example (excluding the FOEs) one you get the gist of how it functions it’s like ok. But knowing you have to use your sp/hp skills to do more damage or knock downs it gets annoying because you have so lil at the start; especially until you get a secondary persona. Then after that it’s like yeah I gotta it and it don’t seem as bad, on accounts of pissing through sp/hp to make sure a guaranteed knock down. Then you get to Jussenic Land then the enemies have like way stronger hits and more HP (and yes I get that’s how level progression goes), but it was crazy how much a difference it was from dungeon to dungeon. I was kicking ass and beat Kamoshidaman with ease, to next dungeon Idk how many times I had to leave Junessic Land due to being underpowered… to grind my ass off to still be whooped by the dungeon boss. Learning curve was an understatement, the curve was get OP if you wanna make it to the dungeon boss! I don’t hate the game either, but it’s definitely a hit or miss with the dungeons. Sometimes they feel stretchingly long with padding or just outright annoyingly boring. I think It’s the first dungeon I actually liked. I still got the last dungeon left to do, but i wanna do all the special screenings 1st. Which it weird because I’m missing about 5-6 and I done mapped out every area. So unless if they’re in the final dungeon idk what I’m missing? 🤦🏾🤷🏾 And I think most agree with the gold enemies man it was a pain in the ass, if you didn’t have the right persona to use. Sometimes it can be a split battle between using their weakness or having to gradually chip at their health, or the technicality of being wiped due not knowing it’s weakness 1st hand… especially when you cleared much ground and gotta do it again (one thing that persona series is very annoyingly persistent in) “cough Persona 3 cough!” Q2 is better off getting either if you played Q1 and enjoyed it, a general fan of Persona series, or want a persona game on the go (that is if you haven’t played the Shin Megami Tensei games).