Persona 4 Arena was a bizarre-yet-fantastic departure from the RPG standard set by the previous titles. While the core gameplay had been changed into a fighting game by veteran developer Arc System Works, the individual Story Modes for each character retained the core elements of the Persona franchise. For those with the stamina to sit through endless blocks of text, players were treated to a deep, personal story for each character, and how he/she is reacting physically and emotionally towards the events of the reawakened Midnight Channel.
Despite the drastic gameplay change, Persona 4 Arena was a direct sequel to the PS2 JRPG Persona 4. The next chapter of the fighting game sub-series, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (or the better title in Japan “Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold”) expands the existing roster with extra characters. Persona 4 Arena included the main cast from Persona 4, along with the “5th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon” Labrys; Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will include characters from Persona 3, with Rise, Junpei and Yukari. According to the newest issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu (via Gematsu), more characters from Persona 3 are making their way into the playable list of fighters. While details have not been released regarding their gameplay mechanics, Ken and the dog Koromaru will be a tandem playable character in P4AU.
Again, gameplay mechanics have yet to be detailed, but this isn’t the first time a “paired character” has appeared in an Arc System Works game. The BlazBlue saga features the playable teams of Carl and Deus Machina: Nirvana/Ada Clover, and Relius Clover and Deus Machina: Ignis/Ignis Clover. Persona 4 Arena features the Labrys alternate “Shadow Labrys”, whose Persona is controlled separately, and remains active on the stage at all times.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is currently available for pre-order, and is set to release later this year for Xbox 360 and PS3.