Someone's made a Persona-style JRPG starring The Golden Girls

By Anne-Marie Ostler
published

See Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia as never before in this zany fan project

Golden Girls JRPG
(Image credit: Joey Pagano)

It may be over three decades since it was last on our screens, but The Golden Girls is remembered fondly by those who tuned in to watch it during the 80s and early 90s. The classic sitcom, as you may recall, centred around the lives of four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida. Granted, it's probably not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of possible video game adaptations, but thanks to developers Joey Pagano and Chris Lindgren, we'll soon have a Persona-style JRPG starring Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia. And as recent footage shows, it's shaping up to be an impressive and brilliantly offbeat fan project.

The pair have been working on the game, which they've dubbed The Golden Girls Take Manhatten DX, for a number of years now. "This is my personal project that has spun wildly out of control," explains Pagano on their website. "What started as a joke has quickly spiraled into a playground of ideas meant to explore just how much we can push our skills and retain our sanity with our own brand of humor."

Describing the game and their motivations for making it, Pagano says, "Simply put, this is Persona 5's gameplay replaced with the context of The Golden Girls. There is no reason for why we used that coat of paint other than 'how far can we take this joke.'"

Evidently, the answer is very far, as in a recent tweet, the developer announced that The Golden Girls Take Manhattan DX is launching on PC and Mac later this year. The news was accompanied by a trailer where you can see Persona's influence in everything from the visuals and UI to the combat and calendar system. The footage shows the ladies exploring various locations in Miami, battling evil clowns, and we even see Sophia doing a spot of dodge rolling. The game will be available for free when it launches, so if you're a fan of the iconic sitcom, it's certainly worth checking out.

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For role-playing titles that are slightly less bananas, check out our guide to the best RPG games.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.