Initial release date:Â February 1, 2024
Composers: Shoji Meguro, Ryota Kozuka
Mode:Â Single-player video game
License:Â proprietary license
Genres: Role-playing video game, Adventure game, Adventure, Strategy
Developers: Atlus, P Studio
Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden, Persona 3 Portable, and Persona 5 Tactica have all recently been released on the Xbox environment, following years of no Persona games at all. Now fasten your seatbelts, because Persona 3 Reload—a recreation of the groundbreaking Persona 3—is about to release.
I scored Persona 3 Portable a 4.5 out of 5 when I reviewed it, saying that while the gameplay was excellent, the game’s aesthetic was a touch too muted for the rest of the series. Apparently, Atlus paid attention because a number of enhancements have been promised for this remaster. But has all the time and work been worthwhile? Come back to high school with me.
Use Persona 3 Reload to aim
We start with the story because it’s where an RPG either succeeds or fails. This is good news. Persona 3 Reload tells the same story as the original game, so it’s not a brand-new tale, but I really believe in the proverb “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!””
The story now revolves around a secret hour throughout the day, known as the “Dark Hour,” which happens daily at midnight. Around this period, the general populace ends up sealed inside coffins, and creatures known as Shadows stalk everyone they find outside of a coffin. The Apathy Sickness is the disease that causes the patients to deteriorate. Fortunately, there are certain people who, by harnessing the strength of Persona—a power hidden deep within—not only avoid being put in coffins but also manage to defeat the Shadows.
We are unique in that we have the ability to have multiple Personas occupying us at once, unlike the majority of people in our exclusive club who can only employ one. Since the Shadows we confront have elemental vulnerabilities, each Persona has unique strengths based on the elements. This implies that picking the appropriate attack at the appropriate moment is crucial. The school we attend during the Dark Hour transforms into Tartarus, a maze teeming with darkness and possibly the location of the solution to the issues we face. Is it possible for us to identify the cause and stop it?
In terms of presentation, Persona 3 Reload is likewise excellent, largely because my previous criticisms have been more than addressed. The game exudes style from the reimagined cutscenes in the vein of anime to the running and battling. It becomes even more amazing when you think about how a conflict ends—with the characters casually walking out without a care in the world. Hell, it even looks amazing to run around Tartatus or to go school every day.
While the music has been slightly remixed, which I believe will annoy some ardent fans, the voice performance is equally excellent, and I personally really appreciated them. All things considered, Persona 3 Reload has done more than just update the classic game; it now boasts a cutting-edge aesthetic. Saying that this game looks as excellent as Persona 5 Royal, if not better, is not hyperbole.
You should explore Persona 3 Reload’s universe
Regarding how it all unfolds and includes the typical elements of a Japanese schoolboy’s very ordinary life—attending classes, for example—as well as the unique realm of the Dark Hour and Personas. It only works because of how odd the juxtaposition is; it makes you feel like a superhero trying very hard to hide who you are!
The everyday grind of being a student is nicely mirrored in that typical environment, where we have to sit through lessons and occasionally respond to queries from the lecturers. It turns out I don’t know as much algebra as I thought I did, so don’t think the old trick of looking up the answers in an old guide will help you at all. In any case, in addition to the lessons, you also need to try to make friends, work part-time, find time to study, and go shopping. These questions are all new. It seems that growing up as a school-age youngster in Japan is not simple!
Our ability to engage and build friendships with a variety of people during our time in school is crucial to developing stronger and more complete personas. Every individual enables us to create a fresh connection with a different Arcana of Personas, or category of Personas. This implies that having a close social connection to the Arcana of the Persona you wish to create will strengthen them when it comes time to fuse Personas. To be honest, it’s far easier than it seems. Essentially, all you have to do is pay attention to what these individuals are saying, respond to their inquiries in a way that aligns with their interests, and new social connections will open up.
That’s when Persona 3 Reload’s appropriate RPG aspects come into play—running around in the Dark Hour. The first thing we should do when we encounter Shadows wandering the floors of Tartarus is charge them and strike them with our sword. By doing this, we will be able to take the initiative in the impending battle. There are several methods to play when the conflict starts, such as letting the team employ physical strikes to eliminate every enemy, but this isn’t where the combat really shines.
Oh, the battle!
No, in order to fully experience the game, you will need to assume command of your team, monitor their every action, and decide which attacks to utilize at when times. Understanding your opponents’ weaknesses is essential because as you go in the tower, you’ll discover that some adversaries are vulnerable to particular elemental attacks. When you hit an enemy with a weak strike, it will be knocked down and you will be able to attack again immediately—a “One More Time” attack. Here is when tactics come into play because the opposition frequently possesses a variety of weaknesses. If you have an additional attack, you can distribute it to a different team member. For instance, Yukari’s Persona employs Wind assaults, whilst Junpei’s uses Fire strikes; by combining the two, you may defeat every opponent. When you do, you can choose to launch an all-out assault in which all of the players join forces and, if sufficiently weak, finish the game.
The team will receive a Shuffle Time bonus, which could include more Personas or EXP, if they end a fight with an all-out attack. This also looks really attractive in the updated version. I won’t go into too much detail about the battle here, but trust me when I say that it is a lot of fun.
Review Overview
Gameplay – 90%
Story – 92%
Aesthetics – 88%
Content – 85%
Accessibility – 78%
Value – 90%
Overall Rating – 88%
Very Good
Summary: There must now be a finale, and that is to play Persona 3 Reload. The only area of the previous game that I found fault with was the visuals, but Persona 3 Reload brings everything bang up to date. The outcome is a really amazing game. The plot and gameplay remain excellent, and the current presentation style ensures that it is no longer just lip service. It is imperative that you play Persona 3 Reload if you have even the slightest interest in PRGs.