Persona 3 Reload Review

 PERSONA 3 RELOAD (PS4/5, XBO/X/S, PC)

Atlus/SEGA, 2024

RPG/Life Sim, Rated M

I'm not typically a fan of turn-based RPGs. I can't play Pokémon, and I can't play the old-school Final Fantasy games. I have never jived with the gameplay of standing in one spot, going through menus to attack, and then standing and taking attacks that enemies dish out without any ability to avoid it (disregarding stat manipulation). I've always been more of an action guy. I'm also never typically been a fan of anime. Though nowadays, I'm finding more anime that I enjoy, the idea and style of anime never used to appeal to me. So when all of my friends were telling me about this ANIME TURN-BASED RPG series called Persona, I thought I was going to hate it. One day, I tried out Persona 4 Golden for the first time and immediately fell in love. The atmosphere, the style, the characters, the gameplay immediately clicked for me, and from that day onwards, I became a Persona fan. 

I ended up jumping into Persona 5, and inevitably jumping back in time to play Persona 3, the game that many fans consider to have the best story in the series. Upon playing it, I felt very torn, as there were plenty of things about the game that I loved, but just as many that left me feeling uneasy, and like it could have been so much better if they had refined a few gameplay and story things. All in all though, I still treasure my time with the original game, and it left me with plenty of fantastic memories. So when this game was announced to have a remake in development, I was pretty pumped. I figured that this would be the opportunity to get the definitive version of Persona 3 to play. After having spent 130 hours beating this game, I can confidently say that while the game still does have issues, some even returning from the original, this is a fantastic game in its own right, and easily my favorite version of Persona 3.

Story Setup

Story: 

Persona 3 Reload sees you controlling a high school transfer student as he moves to Port Island. After a few days of adjusting, he gets roped into a group of fellow high school students (all of whom live in the same dorm building) who call themselves SEES, or Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. The goal of SEES is to investigate what is known as the Dark Hour, a secret 25th hour of the day, occurring when the clock strikes midnight that only people with the power of a Persona are able to access. A Persona is the manifestation of someone's psyche that the members of SEES use to aid in their exploration of the Dark Hour, particularly as they explore a mysterious couple-hundred story building only appearing during the Dark Hour known as Tartarus. Inside Tartarus, they hope to find an explanation behind the Dark Hour, and stop all threats from inside from potentially causing the end of the world.

Summoning a persona in Persona 3 Reload

The main themes of the story revolve around the idea that life will end someday, and that everyone needs to find their own meaning in life in order to make it feel meaningful. The theme of death is represented in so many different ways throughout the game, but probably the most obvious is the way in which each member of SEES summons their persona when they want to take action in battle. Every Persona game has their own unique way of summoning a persona. In Persona 4, you crush a tarot card, symbolizing the uncovering of truth. In Persona 5, you rip off your mask, symbolizing the reveal of your "true form." Persona 3 requires persona-users to shoot themselves in the head with a gun to summon their persona, symbolizing that the only way to achieve your true potential is to accept that fact that one day, you will die. 

This story can get very heavy at times, and that it what I like about it. It isn't afraid to ask some pretty hard, deep questions about finding meaning in life, and coming to terms with wrong choices you might've made, and having to deal with the actions of those bad choices. Of every Persona game I have played, Persona 3 has the most resonant themes. The actual story on the other hand can be a bit of a mixed bag sometimes. It never gets to the point where it is flat-out bad, but its irritating that if they had just adjusted one or two things about this specific character or that specific plot point, it could've been essentially perfect in my books.

Characters:

Across the game, many characters will be met, all with their own in-depth stories to tell that all service the game in many different ways, so to keep this section as brief as I can, I will list off every member of SEES, and how they all fit into the story.

Protagonist

You play as a nameless silent protagonist who becomes the commander of SEES and their operations. He transfers into Port Island as a second year student of Gekkoukan High School. Unlike the other members of SEES, the protagonist can wield multiple personas, as opposed to just one.

Yukari Takeba

Yukari Takeba is a second-year student in the same class as the protagonist. She is the first person the protagonist meets upon arriving at the student dorm. She is one of the most popular girls at school due to her attractive, bubbly personality, and her good looks. Since she is a member of the archery team, she uses a bow to aid her in battle, along with Io, her persona who specializing in healing, and wind magic.

Junpei Iori

Junpei Iori is a second-year student in the same class as the protagonist. He's a loveable class-clown type who is never misses an opportunity to lighten the mood with jokes. Though his flirtatious nature can get him into trouble sometimes, he's nonetheless reliable and determined to achieve his goals. Junpei loves baseball, so he uses two-handed baseball bat adjacent weapons to aid him in battle, along with Hermes, his persona who specializes in critical damage, and fire magic.

Akihiko Sanada

Akihiko Sanada is a third-year student, and has lots of fans at school due to his status as captain of the boxing team. He is a loyal member of SEES, and is committed to getting stronger both mentally and physically in his fight against the shadows, though he can be quite stubborn sometimes. He uses his fists to aid him in battle, along with Polydeuces, his persona who specializes in physical damage, and lightning magic.

Mitsuru Kirijo

Mitsuru Kirijo is a third-year student, as well as president of student council, and was one of the first members of SEES, alongside Akihiko. As heiress of the Kirijo Group, who seemingly have something to so with the appearance of the Dark Hour, she is well respected among her peers, and determined to lead SEES to victory. She uses she graceful skills with one-handed swords and rapiers to air her in battle, along with Penthesilea, her persona who specializes in ice magic, and inflicting detrimental statuses onto enemies.

Fuuka Yamagishi

Fuuka Yamagishi is a second-year student, who due to her timid nature, is unfortunately a common target of bullying. She is incredibly sweet though, and vows to assist SEES in their operations in any way she can, after they save her from being trapped in the Dark Hour. She uses her tech know-how to assist the other SEES members in battle, along with Lucia, her persona who specializes in pointing out enemy weaknesses.

Aigis

Aigis is a robot who later poses as a second-year student in the same class as the protagonist. Part of the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon series, Aigis joins SEES to destroy shadows, as per her directive, as well as to fulfill her mysterious desire to protect the protagonist at whatever cost. She uses her various arsenal of weapons to aid her in battle, along with Palladion, her persona who specializes in physical damage, and buffing party members.

Koromaru

Koromaru is a dog who guards the local shrine, and is fiercely loyal in regards to protecting the memory of his late owner, the priest of the shrine. Due to this unfortunate turn of events, Koromaru takes a liking to the member of SEES and joins them not only to fight shadow, but also just to be the cutest, bestest boy. Koromaru uses knives he wields in his mouth to aid him in battle, along with Cerberus, his persona who specializes in dark magic.

Ken Amada

Ken is an elementary school student, making him the youngest member of SEES, and making him the subject of a lot of coddling due to his small stature and young age. Determined to uncover the truth behind the death of her mother, Ken wants to join SEES to gain the strength needed for people to see him as mature, and in no need of taking care of, even if he truly is a young child at heart. To make up for his short arms, thus his lack of range, Ken uses a spear to aid him in battle, along with Nemesis, his persona who specializes in light magic, along with protection spells.

Shinjiro Aragaki

Shinjiro Aragaki alongside Mitsuru and Akihiko was one of the founding members of SEES. He used to be a third-year student, but does not go to school anymore after an unfortunate incident involving his persona caused the casualty of a bystander. Even with his edgy, shady exterior, Akihiko eventually convinces Shinjiro to rejoin SEES. He uses large bludgeons to aid him in battle, along with Castor, his persona who specializes in laying on the physical damage.

In-game, these characters all feel very different to be around, and have wildly different takes regarding SEES and the Dark Hour. Because you spend so much time witnessing these characters in their best, and worst times, they start to feel like real people, and thus start to get more invested in the story. I don't necessarily think that every character is implemented perfectly, but at the end of the day, these characters service the story in some of the best ways I can imagine.

Along with all the members of SEES, there will also be other students that the protagonist will meets, all having their own stories and struggles to overcome, and all feeling just as fleshed out as the main cast. These characters are definitely more hit or miss though, with some flat-out feeling like a waste of time to hang out with. But when the a character's story hits, it hits hard.

Presentation

Graphics:

If there's one thing that Persona games are known for (especially nowadays), its having some of the most striking UI design you could as for in a game. The idea behind designing UI that pops as much as it does appeals to people like me. Atlus is aware that people are going to be spending a lot of time in menus while playing a game like this, so why not make the menus interesting to look at. These games are all about integrating the themes of the game into the menus, and Persona 3 Reload does not disappoint when it comes to not only the series trademark menus, but also the stylish graphics that make everything pop.

Battle graphics in Persona 3 Reload

Main menu in Persona 3 Reload

School life and conversations in Persona 3 Reload

The graphics alone I feel can sell this game to many people. The graphics alone make even something as simple as attending school interesting. The stylish cartoon lighting mixed with lots of little flourishes, such as sparkles flying off of the protagonist whenever you get a correct answer in class add to this sense of atmosphere. The argument could be made that for a game so focused on death that having the bubbly interface kind of flies in the face of that, but even the UI changes depending on the mood of the story, and where the characters are, particularly in the Dark Hour. Simple battles go from static models hitting each other sometimes to making each and every battle feel so energized.

All-Out Attack in Persona 3 Reload

Audio:

Along with having lots of different characters, Persona 3 Reload features brand new voice acting for all of the main cast, and has added voice acting for good chunk of the people who you will meet outside of SEES. Atlus tends to end up with some of the most talented voice actors who specialize in anime, and dubbing. Persona 3 Reload is no different, and while I wouldn't say this is some of the best acting ever, for what Atlus are trying to achieve with the story and mood, it works out great! Compared to the original however, I personally feel some voices are a little worse (Yukari for instance) while still being good, but I got used to all the new voices.

While the graphics are good enough to stand alone by themselves I feel like, the fact that the sound design is as good as it is helps sell the stylishness of the graphics even more. During battle, its punchy and impactful, while outside of battle doing everything it needs to to be incredibly atmospheric while exploring Tartarus, and while exploring the streets of Port Island. I did however encounter some mixing issues with the voice acting, as some of the lines came through louder than others for no real reason.

Music is personally the selling point for me in Persona games. Every game features a different style expertly composed by Shoji Meguro. Persona 3 while not being my favorite of the series, can definitely have tracks that sound incredibly catchy and head-thumping on their own, while also having tracks that can be incredibly poignant, and hit you right in the feels whenever the story calls for it. Just like the voice acting, Persona 3 Reload features new mixes of every song from the original game, along with a few new songs to accomadate some new additions to Reload. While it sounds different from the original, it sounds way better to my ear, and more fitting for the scenarios, while all the brand new tracks added are certainly going on my Best Music playlist.

Gameplay

Fun Factor:

The gameplay loop of this game involves two parts - exploration of Tartarus during the Dark Hour, and living your life as a student. Both of these systems intertwine together in a lot of clever ways, mostly that service the story. 

The point of being a good student is so that you can make connections in an out of school not just with your party members, but other students to learn more about different struggles they have to endure. Talking to these people can massively benefit you in battle, either by giving you expendable items or equipment, or allowing you to receive more EXP when you fuse personas together to create a new one to aid you in battle in different ways.

The goal of exploring Tartarus is to reach as high as you possibly can, for the hope that the answers to why Tartarus exists lay at the top. In Tartarus, you engage in turn based battles with shadows, most of which have a particular weakness that needs to be targeted. If you successfully target every enemies weaknesses in a certain amount of time, you can perform an All-Out Attack, essentially a screen-nuke that deals lot of damage to the enemy.

The way these systems increasingly compliment each other throughout the game never ceases to be fun and engaging. It also forces you to be able to handle essentially two different lifestyles, and if you aren't good at one, you won't be good at the other.

Learning Curve:

Fusion animation in Persona 3 Reload

The game does a great job of teaching you its systems in a way that doesn't feel overbearing, or annoying. With a game as in-depth as Persona 3 Reload can get, I'm shocked that's the case. However when it comes to fusing new personas there is a lot of hidden depth that isn't necessarily told, but that rampant experimentation can reveal with enough time invested.

With knowledge on how the fusion system works, its pretty easy to break the game. I was playing on Hard and I was able to use my knowledge of persona fusion to get myself to level 99 way easier than probably intended. These mechanics appear in every Persona game, so I've had lots of knowledge to act upon, but I always find it satisfying that the game gives knowledgeable players the tools to "beat" the systems.

Controls:

Battle button layout in Persona 3 Reload

Simplistic controls are a necessity for an turn-based RPG such as this in my opinion. Ever since Persona 5, Atlus has been able to show what buttons to what in a way that I haven't seen another game really do before. They also do it in a way that fits with the graphics and style of the game. Players are never at a loss for what the controls do, or feeling like they are being overwhelmed with actions, because there will always be a little space at the bottom of the screen that shows what the buttons do.

Level Design:

Tartarus is where the bulk of the level design shows itself. Each floor of Tartarus you visit is procedurally generated, meaning the layouts of the floors are random. Depending on what block of Tartarus you are on, the look and feel of the levels can changes drastically, from being a wrapped version of the school to an Egyptian-like temple. Some layouts of Tartarus are harder and more annoying to navigate than others (particularly the third and fifth blocks, with it being hard to tell what is interactable or not). Some changes were made to how levels were generated in this game compared to the original Persona 3, some of which I am fond of, and make the game easier, but some of which I feel were unnecessary, and make the game feel worse in some aspects.

Conclusion

Changes:

Most of the changes I would make to this game are DEFINETLY not because this is a bad game, but because of my fond memories of playing the original Persona 3, and wishing that some aspects of the gameplay and story remained the same. For instance, how levels are generated is more visually interesting, but makes less sense when it comes to how it services the story in my opinion. I also feel that some of the new voices for some of the members of SEES are not bad, but I don't necessarily think of these voices when I see a picture of the character. As a game by itself, there is very little I would change.

Recommendation:

As somebody who used to not be ingratiated into these types of games before, I urge anyone who is interested to give this game a shot. No matter if you've played JRPGs for years, or have never played any sort of RPG before, Persona 3 Reload is a fantastic place to start, due to its resonant, and engaging story, striking art style, and addicting gameplay. I would be very surprised if another game that comes out this year tops this one.