Personais one of those rare cases where the spin-off is better known than the original series. Persona as a series was derived from Shin Megami Tensei, but due to its popularity, there are a lot of players who were introduced to Shin Megami Tenseithrough Persona.Since the series debuted in 1996 there have been five mainline games with several spin-offs, remakes and enhanced re-releases.Persona 3was originally released in 2006 and exists in three different versions.Persona 3 FESwas released in 2007 and adds an epilogue calledThe Answer.Persona 3 FESwas ported again to PlayStation Portable in 2009 and included the option to play as a female protagonist and was titledPersona 3 Portable,which was recently remastered for some non-handheld consoles.Persona 3 Reloadis the latest reiteration ofPersona 3,which is a remake of the originalPersona 3.
The New Kid in School
Persona 3 Reloadbegins as a new student at the dorms of Gekkoukan High School. It doesn’t take long for him to see that something is amiss here. He isn’t in his new environment for long before he finds out his dorm mates are part of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES). They inform him about the Dark Hour, which is an extra 25th hour that occurs at midnight every night. Only a select few can actually experience it, everyone else is blissfully unaware as they sleep in coffins. Those that do experience it are hunted by Shadows, monsters that stalk human prey during this time, presumably originating from the tower known as Tartarus that appears during this time. Unspeakable horrors await in Tartarus, which can match the horrors found in high school for those that weren’t among the popular crowd.
The player teams up with SEES and learns how they are able to use the power of Persona to defeat Shadows in combat. The protagonist finds out during a Shadow attack that he can also use the powers of Persona with an Evoker, an item that resembles a gun that can bring forth a physical manifestation of a Persona from the user’s psyche when they fire it at their head. The ultimate goal is to destroy the Dark Hour through the exploration of Tartarus, but the shorter-term goals revolve around defeating a Shadow boss every month.
Despite its bright colors and upbeat soundtrack,Person 3 Reloadis about as feel good asThe Last of UsorNieR. Some heavy themes such as survivor’s guilt and parental abandonment are explored in the narrative and the main overarching theme is everything dies. The opening sequence shows a girl in her dorm that appears to be trying to muster the courage to shoot herself in the head. The suicidal imagery occurs regularly as the characters summon their Personas by firing a gun at their own head, which can be a triggering sight for those who have dealt with suicide in real life (pun intended). Whether this is just dark imagery to fit the game, a statement about accepting one’s own impending death or simply a metaphor for transformation is best left for the player to interpret their own meaning.
Day and Night Differences
Persona 3 Reloadis primarily classified as a role-playing game, but does incorporate many elements of social simulations and visual novels. There are a lot of cutscenes and exposition, so much where it feels like the player has little control over anything during the first few hours of game play. It’s established early on that there’s a divide between daytime and nighttime activities. The day is where the player takes care of the more mundane responsibilities and builds on his social standing, and the night is about exploring Tartarus and killing Shadows. Daytime activities include going to classes or participating in clubs. This is also the time to go hang out at the Paulownia Mall to increase bonds with your friends. Studying for exams can be a smart activity since school performance does have an impact on the protagonist’s attributes. There are new social activites such as gardening and cooking, and some of the characters who didn’t have social links have been given events. How the player wishes to balance their time is ultimately up to them, but what they do at different times of the day does have consequences. Stronger social links forged during the day can increase the powers of Personas in Tartarus. Conversely, what the player does in Tartartus can have real world consequences that can be seen in the light of day.
During the night is when the Shadows come out to pay in Tartarus, and this is where it’s revealedPersona 3 Reloaduses a turn-based battle system. The system remains mostly faithful to the original, but has received upgrades. Those that are familiar withPersona 5will adapt immediately to the Shift mechanic. This allows players to hand an extra turn over to another party member, similar to Persona 5’s Baton Pass. The new Theurgy system allows characters to charge up devastating attacks, which are essentially Limit Breaks for those who speakFinal Fantasy. Different characters fill them differently, but once their bar is filled they can unleash a devastating attack. For example, Mitsuru fills it by inflicting status effects while Yukari fills it by healing party members. Turn-based combat is sometimes criticized for being an antiquated system, but these upgrades help maintain the feel of the original release while streamlining combat, which improves the overall pacing. It can be argued that these improvements can make battle too easy, but there are multiple difficulty levels that cater to players who simply want to enjoy the story and those who want their mettle tested in battle.
One of the original criticisms ofPersona 3is how it can be a slog of a grind fest. Tartartus seems to be comprised of hundreds of floors and has one of the more boring interior designs. The improved graphics and revamped art style make the overall presentation more appealing, but it doesn’t add a great deal of excitement to climbing the tower. The improved battle mechanics that were discussed earlier make the battles more bearable, but at the end of the day a grind is still a grind. Monad Doors and Passages are home to powerful enemies, but defeating them leads to great rewards. These challenging fights are optional, but can help with the monotony.
Persona 3 Reload Social Link Guide
The hub area for all the Social Links found in Persona 3 Reload
How is the Reload?
Persona 3is a dark masterpiece andPersona 3 Reloadis a fantastic remake of the classic. The first few hours can be slow as the protagonist acclimates to his new environment, but once he gains more familiarity with his surroundings and other members of the SEES,Persona 3 Reloadhas a lot to offer those seeking a deep RPG experience. Grinding through Tartartus is put an end to the Shadows is an important chunk of the game, but there is just as great an emphasis placed on the socialization elements. What the player chooses to do when they’re not fighting monsters impacts the story and relationships with other characters, leading to a rewarding and immersive role-playing experience. Those familiar with Persona in general know what to expect going in andPersona 3 Reloadsucceeds in contemporizing the game while remaining true to the original.
In spite of all the praise for this remake, there are a couple caveats that could prevent it from being called the definitive version.Persona 3 FESadded an epilogue,The Answer, that further expanded the story, andPersona 3 Portableincluded the option to play as a female protagonist which opened up new possibilities with social links. As this is a remake of the originalPersona 3,these pieces of additional content were omitted. This is always a weird decision that developers make with remakes. On one hand, it makes sense if they’re remaking the original and want it to be true to the original, but from a consumer perspective, we see that other versions have additional content which can make this version seem incomplete. Also, while people who only played the original won’t feel any missing nostalgia from the excluded content, Persona 3 is older than its characters. There are plenty of people who first experienced it throughPersona 3 FESorPersona 3 Portableand want that additional content. Arguments for inclusion and exclusion can both have merit, but it seems like it’s just better when remakes include all the content that was added throughout the years.
The graphics of the original PlayStation 2 game were redone from the ground up using thePersona 5engine, making the art and animation quality much higher and consistent with the style ofPersona 5. A new opening cinematic was added along with new animated cutscenes. There weren’t too many performance issues, save for some slowdown and framerate issues at Paulownia Mall. Voice acting has been added to the social links which helps bring the world ofPersona 3 Reloadto life. These were done with new voice actors, however, and while their performances are fine, it may hurt the nostalgia factor for those hoping for a return of the original voice actors.
Closing Comments:
Persona 3 Reloadis a fantastic update on the classic, but some design choices make it hard to declare it a definitive version. New voice acting, graphical facelift and improvements to combat make this version ofPersona 3feel contemporary and an absolute joy to play. The omission ofThe Answerepilogue and the choice to play a female protagonist that were included in other versions ofPersona 3, however, can make this version feel incomplete. But aside from the additional content being excluded,Persona 3 Reloadis a great example of how to remake a game in a way that appeals to modern sensibilities without alienating the original fan base.
Persona 3 Reload
Version Reviewed: Xbox Series X
