Velvet Room

Overview

The Velvet Room is a recurring location in the Persona series. It is a special room where only those who are "worthy" can enter, existing outside normal space. In here, the player can fuse Personae or summon forth Personae from the Persona Compendium.

Igor is the attendant of the Velvet Room. His primary job is helping the player gain access to more Personae and is capable of performing Persona fusion. The remainder of the room's occupants vary from game to game.

In the first two Persona games, the main characters gained access to the Velvet Room after they were approached by a mysterious being named Philemon. In Persona 3, the main character and Aigis were greeted by a blue butterfly, whereas the protagonist of Persona 4 got his power via handshake from the mysterious gas attendant.

" Aria of the Soul" (lit. Poem for Everyone's Souls) is the Velvet Room's theme song. It is a central track heard throughout the Persona series.

Persona and Persona 2

In the Velvet Room's first appearances, Igor requires an appropriate number of tarot cards of the desired Persona's arcana in order to summon it. Those cards can be obtained by negotiating with demons in battle. Igor is accompanied in the Velvet Room by the pianist Nameless and the singer Belladonna. In Persona 2, the Velvet Room is also home to the Demon Painter, who can provide assistance by taking blank cards and making them into an arcana of the player's choice.

Persona 3

In Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES, the Velvet Room takes the form of an elevator which can be accessed from Tartarus and Paulownia Mall. Igor is accompanied by his assistant Elizabeth. Like its predecessors, Persona 3 allows the player to summon multiple Personae at their command. The player can fuse Personae to form new ones with higher levels. Additionally, Personae get stronger with the power of Social Links.

Unlike the first two Persona titles, only the main character is able to enter the Velvet Room. The other party members are unaware of its existence.

Fateful Encounter

The main character was greeted by a mysterious being named Pharos who urged him to sign a contract, which granted access to the Velvet Room. During the end of the game, the main character visits the Velvet Room for one last time. With the help of Igor, he is able to create "The Universe" Arcana, stemmed from the many bonds the main character has formed during his school days. He uses this new found power to defeat Nyx once and for all, ending the reign of the Dark Hour and Tartarus. In exchange, the main character sacrificed his life in the process.

The Answer

In Persona 3 FES, an additional chapter called "The Answer" explains why the main character died during the final battle against Nyx. Aigis is the protagonist in this chapter, and she obtains the power of the Wild Card when a blue butterfly pays her a visit. But unlike the main character, she has no access to Social Links, and the Persona Compendium is entirely absent. Aigis and the other SEES members find out that the main character sacrificed his soul to become the Great Seal himself, acting as a wall holding back Nyx, which prevents humanity from calling out to her. Aigis uses the power of the Wild Card to defeat Erebus, who tries to break the seal.

Persona 3 Portable

In Persona 3 Portable, the optional female main character is given a choice of Velvet Room attendants. The player can either play through the game with Elizabeth as Igor's attendant, or the male attendant Theodore.

Persona 4

In Persona 4, the Velvet Room takes form of a limousine. The Velvet Room can be accessed from the Midnight Channel and the south side of the Central Shopping District. This time, Igor is assisted by Elizabeth's sister, Margaret. The game uses the same fusing/compendium system from Persona 3, in addition to fusion forecasts. The protagonist gains access to the Velvet Room not by meeting with Philemon or a blue butterfly, but from a handshake from the mysterious gas attendant upon arriving in Inaba.

Final Battle

During the end of the game, the player can choose to finish Persona 4 with the true ending. In this ending, the Investigation Team finds out that the goddess Izanami is responsible for the fog in Inaba, as well as the creation of the Midnight Channel. Here, it is revealed that the gas attendant is actually Izanami in disguise, and she was the one who granted him his 'mysterious power,' or the Wild Card ability. During the final showdown, the protagonist creates his own World Arcana, and uses his power to defeat Izanami-no-Okami once and for all.

Persona 4 Arena

In Persona 4 Arena, the protagonist Yu Narukami is drawn into the Velvet Room on several occasions during his story. Aside from the initial dream that Yu experiences upon returning to Inaba, Igor is nowhere to be found; only Margaret is in attendance, and she provides Yu with assistance in guiding him along the proper path.

The Persona 3 incarnation of the Velvet Room is used for the character selection screen, where the player is greeted by Igor and Margaret.