When Persona 3 got here out in the summertime of 2006, it was a serious paradigm shift for the franchise and Atlus total. It turned one of many hottest PlayStation 2 RPGs; spawning manga, anime film variations, a ton of merchandise, and even a stage play based mostly on it.
Persona 3 was a really edgy and recent idea in its day. The story offers with heavy themes of existentialism and isolation as a youngster with loss of life looming over the narrative because it unfolds. Bleak although it might be, Persona 3 can be about discovering which means and connection within the face of these challenges. It explores friendship, acceptance, and the braveness to reside life to the fullest, even when you already know it’s finite.
For some time, you solely had the PlayStation 2 model or the hopelessly gutted PSP port. While you possibly can play the definitive model of Persona 3 on PlayStation through PSN, the time has come for a remake that goals to match the manufacturing values of Atlus’ newest video games. Is this the last word Persona 3 expertise? Did this have to be remade? Find out in our Persona 3 Reload evaluation!
Persona 3 Reload
Developer: Atlus, P Studio
Publisher: Atlus, Sega
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S (reviewed), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Release Date: February 2, 2025
Price: $69.99 USD
Persona 3 was such a giant deal that it supplanted Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei collection, the very franchise that Persona spun off from. With each sequel, the collection would additional develop into extra fashionable and would middle on managing day by day life routines as an anime highschool scholar whereas main a double life as a persona person.
Before Persona 3, there have been two Persona 2 video games(Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment), and each of them featured a forged of adults. Looking now, it’s arduous to think about the franchise being something apart from what it’s recognized for at this time. The double life and Jungian symbolism of masks appear to be it was at all times part of the franchise, but it surely was the third sport the place all of it got here collectively satisfyingly.
Persona 5‘s distinct model and presentation turned one among its defining traits. The newspaper clipping-style fonts and typesetting, coupled with the graffiti-like prospers, made the sport stand out. Even navigating menus felt partaking attributable to their animation and audible suggestions, which prolonged to the battle interface as nicely. Persona 3 Reload takes this design philosophy and applies it to the basic Persona 3 expertise.
Persona 3 Reload facilities on the thriller behind the Dark Hour and Tartarus. The Dark Hour is a hidden time frame unseen by most, the place Shadows roam the world shrouded in darkness and other people develop into coffins. Tartarus is an enormous tower, the supply of the Shadows, which the get together will interact with.
The unnamed protagonist is recruited by S.E.E.S., the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, a bunch of scholars who’ve the facility to combat these Shadows. This energy comes within the type of Personas, manifestations of their internal selves. By wielding Evokers – magical pistols – they will summon their Personas to fight the threats.
The story follows your character as they navigate a double life: attending faculty, constructing relationships with classmates, and venturing into Tartarus to combat Shadows alongside SEES. As you delve deeper, you uncover the secrets and techniques of the Dark Hour, the origin of the Shadows, and a looming risk with dire penalties.
The SEES companions delve deeper into the tower, going through stronger Shadows and encountering figures who could maintain the solutions. The story additionally explores how the characters confront their mortality and the inevitable method of a particular date linked to their destinies. This setup takes a number of hours to determine and for the following 20-something hours, there isn’t any story till July-August, which is when the plot lastly begins to type.
A professional-Shadow cult will get launched and whereas they do push the sport in direction of having some plot, they aren’t the principle antagonist. The motivations of the true villain are saved for the twilight hours of the sport and it could actually take a very long time earlier than there may be any thought of what the purpose of something is. The wait is value it, however it is going to demand some endurance.
The fundamental plot will not be the explanation why anybody would get absorbed by Persona 3 Reload. The coronary heart of this sport is its characters and human aspect tales that flesh out the setting. The Social Links every have a mini-narrative that drives the sport’s core themes. The energy of friendship is sensible because the world round them is formed by perception and the collective unconscious. Friendship is an influence, as is faith and different types of perception.
Persona 3 Reload‘s story is understandably the identical because it was in 2006 however with weaker voice performing and a few questionable casting decisions. Akihiko’s voice is method too deep. Yukari lacks curt and harshness in her efficiency. There are even some weird situations of self-censorship in a number of the rewritings of some scenes that make no sense.
Some could say that they recast the English actors for brand new expertise, however they didn’t recast Elizabeth’s voice for some cause. It is fascinating how she is the very best actor in Reload, but can be the one returning performer from the unique.
The actual failing of Persona 3 Reload, is that it’s a utterly pointless remake. The main draw is that there are some new social hyperlinks and the presentation has been up to date to be extra according to how fashionable the collection has develop into.
There isn’t any query that Persona 3 Reload‘s UI design is first-rate. It is modern and funky, and the brand new character fashions are a number of the greatest examples of easy methods to do anime-style shading in 3D. No matter what angle you have a look at them, they at all times look wonderful and higher than something Atlus has executed to date.
Regretfully, this remake will not be at all times constant. While the characters look superb, the environments will be very hit-or-miss. The Gekkoukan dorms are an ideal instance of how the artists missed the purpose of the unique’s darkish and moody ambiance. In Reload, the dorms have very flat and sterile shading. The outcomes make it look lifeless and boring.
Not solely are a number of the visuals not as interesting because the PlayStation 2 unique, however Atlus failed to handle the shortcomings. Tartarus was made up of repetitive recycled halls and rooms. It was a trade-off as a result of Persona 3 was a mid-budget PlayStation 2 JPRG, so that you ended up with a really boring dungeon in your elaborate life-sim RPG.
Persona 3 Reload missed the chance to revamp Tartarus with new concepts and probably make it engrossing. The builders did attempt to make the repeating halls have extra selection, however there isn’t any disguising it. They might have had some insane M.C. Escher-inspired designs or utilized Unreal Engine 4’s capacity to distort house as seen in Psychonauts 2. Tartarus might have been something.
All the enemies nonetheless have the identical points from the PlayStation 2 carried over. They are nondescript Shadow enemies that don’t have plenty of selection amongst them. Persona 5 was good to make the most of the demonology from Shin Megami Tensei for its foes, however Reload doesn’t observe go well with. There might have been extra distinctive designs for all of the shadows, however they’re nonetheless completely stifled by the identical few ideas.
This was the prospect to make Persona 3 all it may very well be and push the collection ahead. Instead, it falls into plenty of the identical traps as its predecessors. The unbearably lengthy introductions, the day by day faculty life, social hyperlinks, and the metaverse; it’s changing into drained and generic. Worse but, Persona 3 FES remains to be broadly obtainable on PSN for reasonable if you happen to nonetheless have your PlayStation 3.
The fight blends components from Persona 3 by 5, providing a “best hits” of confirmed mechanics. Atlus properly preserved this core side, making use of some twists to current methods to enrich new options. Persona 3 veterans shall be particularly happy.
The turn-based battle system is a variation of the press-turn mechanics seen within the Shin Megami Tensei video games. Hitting enemies with their acceptable weaknesses will grant the participant one additional flip and ship the foe right into a fallen state. Getting all enemies fallen permits gamers to do an all-out assault for main harm.
Something to at all times contemplate is that enemies can put get together members right into a fallen state too or lacking causes them to slide as nicely. There is simply sufficient randomization to maintain battles fascinating, however there may be at all times a possibility to show issues round. The disadvantage is that Reload finally ends up feeling like an inexpensive rehash of Persona 5 moderately than feeling like a remake of Persona 3.
Regretfully, Persona 3 Reload has a considerable quantity of minimize content material which goes to be offered as DLC. The Answer was a prolonged bonus state of affairs the place Aigis, the get together’s cyborg, turns into the principle character. This arc is commonplace in Persona 3 FES on PlayStation 2 and is the model that’s obtainable for $9.99 on PSN for PlayStation 3 customers.
Reload cuts this sequence out and shall be offered as DLC when it already is priced at $69.99. The new social hyperlinks and added manufacturing values are genuinely spectacular, however they aren’t value $69.99 when the sport remains to be a PlayStation 2 sport at its core, particularly when the unique remains to be on the market for a fraction of the worth and is full and uncut.
Cutting out The Answer is unforgivable for a AAA worth, particularly since Reload doesn’t justify itself. If you’re a fan of Persona 3, likelihood is you have already got FES and can be higher off replaying it as a result of Reload has extra in frequent with Persona 5.
Reload will not be completely different sufficient the place it counts and fails to honor the unique intent with a few of its many alterations. This remake lacks ambition the place it might have addressed the shortcomings of the unique sport and its new content material is hardly definitely worth the worth of admission. Some of the brand new visuals are nice, however there are a number of situations of the artwork being a step backward.
Environments are nonetheless small areas that have to be loaded. Most story scenes unfold like a visible novel with massive portraits and textual content. Tartarus remains to be a randomized assortment of samey halls. You can’t go fishing or play arcade mini-games. There isn’t even any close-up of detailed meals fashions. You by no means really feel such as you see the cash on display.
Persona 3 Reload is a cynically made money seize that has no wow issue. It’s peak remake tradition the place plenty of the sting will get sanded off to be according to “trendy viewers expectations”. It could look nice (in components), but it surely lacks the imaginative and prescient to appreciate the complete potential of what a contemporary Persona 3 may very well be. Even if it didn’t minimize content material, it’s nonetheless a grossly overpriced remake that also looks like a PlayStation 2 sport. Go play Persona 3 FES as a substitute.
Persona 3 Reload was reviewed on Xbox Series S utilizing a duplicate bought by Niche Gamer. You can discover further details about Niche Gamer’s evaluation/ethics coverage right here. Persona 3 Reload is now obtainable for Windows PC (through Steam), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
