Persona 3, more specifically, Persona 3 FES, is a special game for me. Not only was it my first introduction to both the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series, but it was also the very first game I attempted to review. With the release of Persona 3 Reload, I can happily say that Atlus and SEGA have delivered what is easily the definitive version of Persona 3.
Addressing the Grimekhala-sized Elephant in the room, Persona 3 Reload does indeed forgo the inclusion of some of the additional content made available in its other releases, specifically, the option to play as the fairer sex, introduced in the recently released Persona 3 Portable remaster, along with the lack of Persona 3 FES’s The Answer content. Thankfully, unless you’ve already played Persona 3 FES or Portable, your core experience with Persona Reload will feel complete and feature-rich.
Unlike Persona 5 and Persona 4 to a lesser degree, Persona 3 FES’s additional content felt less imperative to the overall story and more like a bonus post-game episode. On the other hand, the lack of a female protagonist is somewhat more disappointing, particularly as Persona 3 and Persona 3 Reload lack any Social Links with the main male cast of characters, which can feel odd, especially if you’re coming fresh off later numbered entries or Persona 3 Portable.
Thankfully, one new addition to Persona 3 Reload is the inclusion of Linked Episodes or Social Link adjacent scenarios in which the player can hang out with party members, including the guys, which unlock unique Persona fusion opportunities.
“Persona 3 Reload is an essential JRPG experience for 2024.”
Before delving into what else is new with Persona 3 Reload, if you’ve never played a Persona or Shin Megami Tensei game and none of what I just said above makes no sense to you, then fret not, as I’ll quickly go over what you’re in for with Persona 3 Reload if you’re thinking about trying it out without any prior experience with the series.
Persona 3 Reload is a faithful remake of the 2006 PlayStation 2 game, which essentially rebooted the then-dormant Persona series, which in itself is a spinoff of the Shin Megami Tensei series of long-running JRPG titles. Unlike SMT, Persona 3 began the trend of emphasizing visual novel and dating simulation-style game elements with the introduction of the Social Link system, or the ability to build relationships with various characters, which directly ties into its Persona summoning system as the player strengthens their bonds with specific characters that correspond with Persona’s of various Arcana.
Similar to later entries into the series, Persona 3 Reload’s protagonist is a mostly silent high schooler who, after moving to the fictional Japanese city of Tatsumi Port Island, becomes embroiled in fighting monsters known as Shadows after joining SEES or the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, as they explore a labyrinthian tower known as Tartarus which arises every midnight. Thematically, Persona 3 Reload is much darker than its various sequels and spinoffs, exploring the concept of death and loss, which the game thankfully handles with a deft hand.
The gameplay in Persona 3 Reload essentially boils down to two segments: Living your life as a highschooler, focusing on building relationships, sharpening your social skills, academics and guts, while dungeon crawling at night, fighting Shadows, looting treasure and unlocking new and more powerful Persona. In other words, if you’ve played a modern Persona game before, Persona 3 Reload will feel right at home.
With the original release of Persona 3 being nearly two decades old, Persona 3 Reload feels like a transformative experience thanks in part to its reliance on Unreal Engine 4, which brings with it visual flourishes such as real-time ray-traced reflections in key areas, high framerates, and a stellar sense of style in its UI, reminiscent of Persona 5. In fact, Persona 3 Reload is the first modern Persona game not to be derived from a PlayStation 3 title, making it truly feel like a next-gen experience on PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X.
This level of detail is most evident when using theurgy attacks, a brand new mechanic introduced in Persona 3 Reload that grants your party unique and powerful finishing moves. Persona fusion attacks also make a comeback, now incorporated into the player character’s theurgy move, opening up ample opportunity for some spectacle during your excursions into Tartarus.
“…if you’ve played a modern Persona game before, Persona 3 Reload will feel right at home.”
Tartarus is now more expansive than ever before, placing it somewhere between the TV World of Persona 4 and Persona 5’s Mementos. Outside of fighting Shadows and steadily making your ascent, Tartarus now features special locked chests which require a new currency to open called Twilight Fragments, which can be found by exploring both the overworld and inside Tartarus, in addition to being rewards from Elizabeth inside the Velvet Room.
Breakable edifices containing valuable loot meant to be sold populate each floor of Tartarus, occasionally containing useable items on top of the aforementioned Twilight Fragment pieces. Similar to Persona 5, non-Persona users will occasionally get lost inside the Greek-inspired tower, requiring the player to rescue them as additional side objectives while dungeon crawling. A clock-like structure can now also be found inside Tartarus, similar to the one found at the dungeon’s entrance — activating the clock will fully heal your party while requiring 7 Twilight Fragments to use. Finally, special doors that appear later on in the tower can be opened to fight new optional bosses and loot.
Speaking of bosses, defeating a major story-related boss will give the player a new Arcana card, which will then be added to the Shuffle Time mechanic of the game, granting bonuses when a set is achieved during a run in Tartarus. Shuffle Time now closely resembles its Persona 4 equivalent, removing some of the RNG frustration of the original.
Other quality-of-life changes and improvements include no longer getting sick after exploring Tartarus, new Persona from Persona 4 and 5, and new side activities to partake in when not inside Tartarus. These activities include gardening, watching a movie inside the dorm via a DVD player, raising your states via a communal computer with purchasable software, finding new vendors inside Club Escapade and finding new ways to interact with your Social Links, such as not being forced to romance your female confidants without negatively your Social Link level.
The story in Persona 3 Reload, although mainly true to the original, has some new elements that I won’t spoil, but they feel organic and worthy of your time. Finally, some of the more dated aspects of the game have also been addressed, specifically the transphobic scene of the original, which has been reworked to feel more inclusive.
Finally, the voice acting in Persona 3 Reload features a brand new cast for its English dub, which mostly approximates the original’s great performance, outshining it in some instances, as many of the Social Links found in the original released lacked voice work.
If you’re a fan of the Persona series, then you probably already have Persona 3 Reload on your radar. If you’ve never played the original or are looking to get into the game for the first time, Persona 3 Reload is an essential JRPG experience for 2024.
