You have to be more specific about your question, I don’t get what you’re trying to ask.
By “self-contained”, I meant that you can play P4 without having played the earlier games. Same thing with P3. P1 and P2 are more connected but let’s not talk about that. P3 is also connected to P4 in some ways but it hardly matters when you’re playing each individual game. It’s only of significance when you take into account of the spin-offs. For example, playing P3 and P4 first before playing the Arena spin-offs would be ideal so as to not spoil yourself beforehand.
I see I see. I had at first thought that P1, P2, etc meant that there was a continuation between the games like what Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, etc means for example. You are suppose to read the books in that order.
So when you said P4 was self contained I was thinking: isn’t that a completely different book? So it is a different “series” so to speak and so a different “IP”.
I’m wondering what makes a self contained game still a part of the series I guess.
Does that make sense haha
EDIT: but yeah I guess its what @Fraggles mentioned in his reply, just the overall theme and feel?
Well consider many popular franchises like say pokemon, there may be small references to earlier games in later releases but each game is it’s own story focusing on it’s own characters. The primary game mechanics and overall point of the games are the same, there’ll be many of the same monsters to fight and collect even if they might have some differences in abilities or stats. Each game is still it’s own game and you really don’t have to go back to the gameboy original to get started on it as a series. Similar point could be made for Final Fantasy, Call of Duty, Zelda, Monster hunter or Far cry, you see any one title out of any of those franchises and you can probably tell which one it belongs to.
You have similar set ups in books too, for example Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, some of them are directly related to each other and best read in series but most of them are just stories told in the same universe often also using and reusing established characters. Books focusing on the the same main character could be better read in chronological order though still not necessary.
The use of the same series staples and motifs, like the different summons and enemies you encounter, a modern-day setting, heavy focus on psychological themes (with the particular recurring theme of teenage characters developing their adult identities), the magic system, etc.
The Persona series is itself a spin-off from the (Shin) Megami Tensei series, which shares some of these as well (the magic system and a lot of the enemies), but lacks the psychological focus of Persona and offers a different style of lore behind the enemies and world.
Another example: Final Fantasy. All the individually numbered games (I-XV) in that are unconnected to the others, but they all still share many motifs that make them recognizably Final Fantasy. Chocobos, many recurring summons, crystals as sources of power, the magic system, airships, and probably many others. Some of the individual games in the series have direct sequels, but those retain their main entry number, e.g. FFX-2.
Wow, really!? It seems like something that should have happened by now or else it never would but I guess it really is never too late. I actually prefer Persona 4 to 5 and still need to play 3 but I’d be very welcome if they all came to steam!
The real question is if they’ll ever bother with the first two…
Since Fraggles and eishiya (Thanks!) already explained and replied to you, there’s no need for me to elaborate further. I’d rather not have to say too much, due to potential spoilers and I don’t want to affect your first-time playing experience of these games in any way.
