There is a timelessness to Persona 3 – its story of confronting demise with imperfect braveness and carrying on within the face of tragedy left an eternal impression on me once I first performed it on PS2, whilst RPGs developed and the Persona sequence continued to develop. As I’ve gotten older and skilled the very issues it is about, I’ve grown to cherish the earnestness of its message, the best way it is framed, and the characters who embody these struggles much more. That makes it simple for me to get caught up within the hype of Persona 3 Reload, however it additionally units the bar as excessive as Tartarus as this remake tries to recapture the magic of its unique variations. However after spending 70 hours taking part in by it, I can now not think about Persona 3 with out Reload. It is a shining instance of seemingly small modifications including as much as make a major impression, uplifting its biggest qualities whereas staying true to the supply materials. And it greater than proves why the darkest and boldest Persona but deserved this new lease on life.
Though I would argue there is a specific vibe and magnificence to PS2-period RPGs that simply cannot be replicated, Reload’s visible overhaul is a significant approach to reframe a world I’ve spent numerous hours in, as if this was how I all the time wished these locations to look. At first it was a bit surreal to see Tatsumi Port Island recreated and these beloved characters transformed for a brand new technology – one thing so simple as giving them candy jackets, superpowered armbands, and black gloves are neat touches to enhance the flamboyant new fight animations. And but it is all so acquainted on the identical time; the traditional assault animations are true to type, the battle portraits are equivalent, and the way your crew blast themselves within the head with an Evoker stays the sickest and finest in-lore approach to summon a persona. The contemporary aesthetics and stylings extra akin to Persona 5 additionally make these characters cooler than I may’ve ever imagined them to be.
This was the primary entry within the Persona sequence to make use of the varsity calendar system and social sim parts as a basis to maneuver by its story, planning actions through the day and going dungeon crawling at evening. Persona 3 Reload reveals there’s nonetheless a novelty to balancing regular life and relationships with the duties of defeating shadows within the Darkish Hour – a mysterious twenty fifth hour the place time stops as monstrous forces come out, people flip into coffins, and your faculty transforms right into a deranged 250-flooring tower.
This can be a construction I nonetheless get pleasure from, even when it falls right into a predictable routine of visiting particular spots to improve my social stats or discovering the subsequent character to hang around with to rank up their Social Hyperlink. You may inform that this was the system’s first iteration at occasions, particularly when Social Hyperlink character arcs stay largely the identical as they had been within the unique, a number of of that are fairly primitive or crude. However as shallow or awkward as a few of them could also be, there are precious little tales to be present in Social Hyperlinks that both feed into the broader message about discovering objective or are simply entertaining sufficient to see to their conclusion.
Reload additionally contains totally voiced Social Hyperlink scenes for the primary time, and that works wonders by way of giving them extra weight and worth. All romances are elective as properly, which wasn’t the case in earlier variations of Persona 3 (besides when taking part in because the Persona 3 Moveable-unique feminine protagonist), and it is fairly wild to assume again and understand you was compelled to have a relationship with each feminine classmate you bought to max rank. High quality of life enhancements like textual content messages assist preserve monitor of what is obtainable day by day through the day and evening, and the net exercise tracker offers you an concept of what different gamers have prioritized. Each are clutch for shortly deducing what’s vital and discovering a lot of the brand new content material that bolsters Persona 3’s current world.
Above all, Persona 3 Reload has new social occasions and actions that really elevate its central characters. These create a stronger sense of togetherness inside the occasion, exhibiting them actually forming pure bonds with one another and having lives exterior the confines of their duties with SEES (the Specialised Extracurricular Execution Squad, which is an afterschool membership for persona customers, thoughts you). One thing so simple as research periods on the dorm assist you improve your educational stat shortly, however extra importantly, include endearing scenes of the crew interacting with one another in plausible methods, serving to out with math formulation or simply venting concerning the mundane.
You may take your occasion members on particular person actions, too, like gardening or cooking collectively to get new well being objects, which additionally lets them speak in confidence to you in methods they hadn’t earlier than. Watching a scary film with my cheerful bestie Yukari or reviewing boxing matches with my fitness center bro Akihiko don’t simply supply social stat factors, they provide a little bit of perception into their personalities. Studying books with Mitsuru, Aigis, or Fuuka additionally serves to reward you with each stats and charming little interactions, and even the dear canine Koromaru will get his personal cute facet-arc to spherical him out as a extra full character.
Reload even makes a concerted effort to handle the truth that not one of the male occasion members beforehand had Social Hyperlink routes. Whereas they are not historically structured, distinct alternatives to spend time with them now pop up all through the story and ultimately result in revelatory moments for these characters. Since these are freshly written for Reload, there is a noticeable distinction in high quality in comparison with the unique social sim conversations, making me want the outdated dialogue had been punched as much as match the heights of those new interactions. They’re properly-written and truthfully touching at occasions, lastly permitting your bros to be totally realized characters. And a few scenes get different occasion members concerned to showcase a greater group dynamic that seems like a pure extension of Persona 3’s ethos.
All these additions turn into a part of the day by day routine and add a real texture to characters I believed I knew so properly already. However the tangible reward comes within the type of fight perks like everlasting stat buffs and standing results, and extra considerably, further Theurgy assaults – mainly new Restrict Break-fashion strikes that every occasion member can unleash. It is one convincing approach for the ability of friendship to be made manifest.
As is custom for Shin Megami Tensei video games, the flip-based mostly RPG fight revolves round accounting for elemental affinities, pulling down enemies to earn further turns, and establishing these iconic All-Out Assaults. Persona 3 Reload makes use of the identical basis as the unique however builds upon it in ways in which mitigate the monotony of churning by battle after battle. The aforementioned Theurgy assaults are relegated to a meter that fills throughout fights, every serving a strategic objective given their restricted use and character-particular results, be that large harm or main stat buffs – they usually all include some implausible animations, too. By way of the fusion system, which permits your important character to wield completely different personas Pokemon fashion, you may unlock a bunch of distinctive Theurgy assaults, and a few of them are as harmful as they’re hilarious. Those that’ve performed Persona 5 will acknowledge the Shift mechanic, too, which works identical to the Baton Move; if you hit an enemy weak spot, you may cross the additional flip to a special occasion member who can preserve the ache prepare rolling or hit remaining foes even tougher.
Fights include a swift momentum that is effortlessly stylized to match the kinetic look and tempo of fight. And that is key for a flip-based mostly RPG, holding issues transferring and by no means letting you get slowed down as you undergo the motions of what may in any other case really feel like fairly comparable battles. And identical to watching every of them take an Evoker shot straight to the dome to solid spells, I by no means acquired uninterested in seeing my occasion’s personas shatter their portrait cutouts when hitting a weak spot.
Acquainted RPG mechanics are made all of the extra satisfying by some difficult new enemies that take a look at your mastery and ask you to have interaction with Reloads fight techniques creatively. As you ascend the randomly generated flooring of Tartarus, the place all of Persona 3’s dungeon crawling takes place, minibosses will meet you at a gentle tempo. Generally these foes do not even have weaknesses, so you must create your personal openings with buffs, debuffs, and standing results that may flip the tide in your favor. That always must be balanced with managing a slew of devastating standing illnesses and arduous-hitting assaults, so issues can spiral uncontrolled in case you do not play it good. The perfect examples of this come from Monad doorways, that are all-new rooms inside the Tartarus flooring – particularly, the boss gauntlets discovered at progress checkpoints. These fights throw considerably unconventional fight situations at you that deliver out the most effective of those satisfying flip-based mostly battles whether or not you line up a sequence of assaults completely or barely make it by the pores and skin of your enamel.
Tartarus itself has been revamped to offer it a sinister new vibe and a extra distinct search for every block of flooring. From Giger-like biomechanical labyrinths to shapeshifting industrial halls, Tartarus is at the very least extra visually fascinating than earlier than, and the flooring themselves are typically laid out much less like tedious, sprawling mazes. It isn’t a drastic overhaul that can fully stave off the repetitive nature of ascending Tartarus, however it’s simply sufficient to stop it from feeling just like the weak hyperlink it may have been. Past Tartarus, bespoke story-centric boss fights await you on every full moon all through the story. Though they’re comparatively fast in how they unfold, all the brand new mechanics and visible prospers of Reload give these battles a bit extra gravity and spectacle, particularly as you inch nearer to Persona 3’s daring, daring, and transferring conclusion.
All these thrilling fight encounters, Tartarus flooring to blitz by, and heartfelt moments tucked away within the social points of Persona 3 Reload present a wealthy context for what this recreation is de facto about: discovering objective. For as goofy and irreverent as Persona 3 could also be, its biggest energy is its emotional sincerity. Its storytelling largely manages to keep away from drained tropes and lets its characters be actual individuals who endure tragedy and ponder the vacancy they really feel within the lack of family members. However they discover their very own approach to come to phrases with that loss and let it’s their energy as they battle to the top, even when the temptation of nihilism stares again at them.
Revisiting this story in 2024 by the lens of Persona 3 Reload put loads of issues into perspective. In too temporary a time period, I skilled what it’s prefer to lose the individuals you maintain dearest and see these family members cross with desires unfulfilled. I’ve additionally confronted my very own mortality with well being circumstances introduced on by merely drawing the quick straw once I was born. Persona 3 has taken on a wholly new which means for me, even because the story stays the identical. Once I see these characters categorical their ache after loss, I don’t essentially really feel an intense unhappiness, however reasonably a sure empathy and understanding I simply didn’t have earlier than. Once they query their objective in life and seek for which means within the face of impending doom, I’m now not shocked, however as an alternative assured they’ll work by it and profit from the hand they’re dealt.
Chasing the reality behind the Darkish Hour, the existence of personas, and the rising circumstances of Apathy Syndrome that’s overtaken the world like a widespread pandemic creates an unmistakable existential dread that lingers over this world. And the unique story stands the take a look at of time due to how sharp it was in bringing these darker themes collectively. A number of characters look at their will to reside when there’s a lot struggling to endure, however Persona 3 fires again with fulfilling, bittersweet solutions that it doesn’t all the time should outright say.
All that point you spend with these characters in Reload, studying about them and going by a typical day collectively, reveals the worth of a standard life. However they weren’t introduced collectively by selection; at vital moments within the story, their sophisticated histories create a plausible rigidity that boils over, typically harboring resentment for one another and doubting their belief. Weathering these storms collectively builds a practical dynamic that evolves past merely tolerating each other. They’re the epitome of this classic viral tweet – Persona 3 is Trauma Bonding: The Video Recreation.
One of many largest explanation why the whole lot comes collectively so powerfully in Reload, particularly, is the best way the brand new voice solid brings its characters to life. I can’t overstate how the implausible voice performances completely seize the unique spirit of every occasion member, then elevate them to turn into even higher variations of themselves. It’s spectacular contemplating how distinct every voice was to start with, however proper from the bounce, I knew this solid had nailed every position. Massive heartfelt scenes, intense battle cries, and moments of levity have a newfound enthusiasm whereas sounding so acquainted, as if these had been their voices all alongside. I’d crack a smile in any respect their little quips and really feel my abdomen knot once they pour their hearts out. Though the primary story hasn’t actually modified, the portrayal of characters I’ve recognized for thus lengthy gave me a brand new love and appreciation for my favourite Persona crew.
And, after all, the glue that binds any Persona recreation collectively is its music. At this level, it feels routine to sing the praises of an Atlus soundtrack, however Persona 3 Reload is a case value analyzing due to its fusion of the brand new and outdated, and the storytelling embedded within the songs themselves. Within the mid 2000s, it stood out for having a wild mixture of funky J-pop and the nu steel rap rock development that was prevelant within the years main as much as its launch. But that’s what has made it stand the take a look at of time; there’s simply nothing prefer it and the extra time has gone on, the extra it has been ingrained in Persona 3’s identification. Returning tracks have been rearranged with new singer Azumi Takahashi and I’ve grown to like her renditions. On the identical time, there’s one thing comforting in listening to the deep vocals and distinct circulation of rapper Lotus Juice once more. For Reload, the model-new songs not solely match splendidly alongside the originals, they’ve shortly turn into a few of the sequence’ finest tunes, which I don’t say evenly given its monitor report.
The brand new, upbeat battle theme “It’s Going Down” you hear when shock attacking enemies throughout exploration enhances the soulful traditional “Mass Destruction” properly, and I didn’t thoughts failing to leap the enemy so I may sing together with an enthusiastic “Ooooh yeah! Dada-dada, dada-dada!” the identical as I did years in the past. Nonetheless, it’s the fantastically chill evening time theme “Colour Your Evening” that units the temper with acquainted instrumentation and lyrics that wistfully replicate on the occasions of Persona 3 – I can assure it’ll turn into a fan favourite. However the one music that brings all of it collectively is the banger of an opener “Full Moon, Full Life,” which makes use of intelligent melodic and lyrical callbacks to Persona 3’s musical historical past whereas representing the message of its story to a tee. So even when the extra granular particulars of Persona 3’s story begin to fade, these songs can evoke the reminiscence of an unforgettable journey.