Six of the best songs from the Persona series
Few JRPG series are as tied to their music as Persona, which has had soundtracks that have become as iconic as the games themselves. Many folks are rightfully obsessed with many of the songs from Persona 5, but going back into the franchise’s catalogue reveals a wealth of music that deserves to be celebrated.
The bar is high for future Persona games, but which songs from the series’ history are the absolute best jams available? We’ve got our list right here.
6 of the best songs from the Persona series
Just for clarification, we’ll be focusing on songs specifically from the games, including spinoffs and sequels to the five mainline games. As much as I adore the opening of Persona 5: The Animation, it just doesn’t make the cut here.
Maze of Life – Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
When Persona Q was announced, it left many fans scratching their heads at how they’d merge the light-hearted Scooby Doo vibes of Persona 4 with the “shoot yourself in the head to unleash your powers” energy of Persona 3. A lot of the difficulty came from the very different music styles of the games, but Maze of Life managed to blend the industrial energy and the pure JPop of the two games remarkably well, setting the tone for the game that followed.
Burn My Dread (Last Battle) – Persona 3
There is nothing better than hearing a remix of the main theme of a game as the final boss fight plays out. In Persona 3, that final fight comes after what feels like a long string of final fights against an enemy I won’t spoil because we’ll eventually get a remake version if rumours are to be believed. Burn My Dread (Last Battle) ups the intensity of the original song and adds a wonderfully done rap by Lotus Juice, giving the plot of the game a suitably epic send-off.
Boss Battle – Persona 2: Innocent Sin
While it feels almost retro now, the music in Persona 2 has a wonderful rock edge that later instalments of the series didn’t quite manage. The Boss Battle music is an intense track, which makes sense because everything else happening in this game is intense. While the graphics and gameplay have aged like fine milk over the years, the music and characters of still hold up today.
Heaven – Persona 4
The best video game music captures the moment in the game and this does that in such a wonderful way. Normally as the Investigation Team goes into the TV World, they’re greeted with a fast, energetic soundtrack while they bash through enemies. However, when they set off to save Nanako, the music is perfectly melancholy. It is the most emotional dungeon in the game and this song captures that moment beautifully.
Life Will Change – Persona 5
The dungeons in Persona 5 play out a bit differently than in other games, with the Phantom Thieves announcing their arrival and intention to steal the treasure of the Palace ahead of time. Each time you enter the dungeon after sending the calling card, an instrumental version of this song replaces the song for that Palace, making it feel more like an epic heist than before. However, things get really intense in the last few Palaces, when the lyrical version of the song plays instead. It gives the game a fun sense of escalation that fits with the rapidly accelerating plot.
Time to Make History – Persona 4 Golden
Persona 4 Golden is an improvement over the original in almost every way, including the battle theme. As much as I adore the original Reach Out to the Truth, I found myself getting tired of it as I listened to it for the 100th time that day. I never had that problem with Time to Make History, which helped breathe far more life into the game than any other improvement they made. It has all the same energy but with a slightly less repetitive feel to it.
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