Persona 4 Arena Basics: Controls

We get it. Fighting games can be one tough cookie to crack, especially those developed by Japanese fighting fanatics Arc System Works. With Persona 4 Arena, the developer has taken a few steps to minimize confusion when dipping one's feet into this new release, but for fighting newbies or those who are only picking up the game to fuel their Persona fandom, it can still be a daunting task to overcome all of the systems at work in P4A. That's what our "Basics" series of guides is here for. We'll walk you through the game's controls, the combos for each character, and the game's various modes before leading into more advanced subject matter. It's everything that a new fighting fan could want, beginning with...

Menu Controls

• Left stick/D-Pad: Move the cursor
• X button (A on 360): Confirm selection
• O button (B on 360): Cancel selection/Return to the previous screen
• START button: Open the pause menu

Battle Controls

• Left stick/D-Pad: Move your character left or right
• X button (A on 360): Strong attack
• O button (B on 360): Strong Persona attack
• Square button (X on 360): Weak attack
• Triangle button (Y on 360): Weak Persona attack
• L1 button (LB on 360): Furious Action (X or A button + O or B button alternatively)
• R1 button (RB on 360): Evasive Action (Square or X button + Triangle or Y button alternatively)
• SELECT button (BACK on 360): Record (Note that you can only record during Training Mode)
• START button: Open the pause menu

Story Mode-Exclusive Controls

• Left stick/D-Pad: Move the cursor or text log around
• X button (A on 360):Next page or confirm dialogue
• O button (B on 360):Next page or cancel dialogue option
• Square button (X on 360): Hide window
• Triangle button (Y on 360):Toggle auto read on or off
• L1 button (LB on 360):Display/Close text log
• R1 button (RB on 360):Skip text automatically on or off
• R2 button (RT on 360): Skip text while held down
• SELECT button (BACK on 360):Hide control guide
• START button: Open the pause menu