When we reviewed the Xbox Series X model of Persona 3 Portable final yr we slapped an enthusiastic 8/10 scoreline on it, calling the sport “a turning level for Atlus’ franchise”, one which redirected the tone away from the darkish and dingy aesthetic of the primary two entries in the direction of the extra assured, cool environment that is turn into the signature of this spectacular collection ever since.
Persona 3 Portable was itself an up to date model of the beautiful 2006 authentic, one which reworked the sport to raised swimsuit a handheld platform’s capabilities. It stripped out some lovely anime cutscenes, eliminated the power to free roam your environs and customarily in the reduction of on some stuff that would make the outdated PSP chug slightly. Why are we losing time speaking about this as an alternative of getting straight into the brand new model? Well, as a result of we wish to level to the truth that, even in a resized moveable kind (and remembering that the added alternative of a feminine protag, which is lacking on this Reload model, did not actually have an effect on the story in any respect), Persona 3 stays completely gripping.
Serve up a narrative this properly written, with a solid of characters this unforgettable and you’ll doubtless reduce numerous different bells and whistles earlier than it dipped out of ‘extremely beneficial’ territory for us. Of course, Persona 3 Reload does not truly reduce any bells and whistles in any respect, it provides them, and it provides them in spades. Before we dig into the small print of this marvellous remake although, let’s have a fast recap for these clever souls amongst us who have not performed by this a method too many occasions already.
Persona 3 invitations us to Gekkoukan High School, the place our anonymous orphan protagonist (once more, solely male this time round sadly) has simply enrolled after transferring again to their hometown. True to kind for the franchise, as quickly as they’ve settled in and are starting to make some buddies, unusual issues start to happen. Our hero learns that he has the ability of Persona hidden inside, an influence he should wield towards Shadows throughout the Dark Hour, a hidden hour that happens at midnight and sees regular people transmogrified into coffins whereas demons run rampant. So, identical to a traditional Monday morning at Pure Xbox HQ then.
The essential rhythm of the sport right here, very similar to the opposite entries that adopted within the franchise, sees you cut up your time between each day actions in school and battling bizzarro ghouls, with social/romance points cleverly tied to the fight aspect of proceedings. It’s a world that designed to be explored by yourself phrases whenever you’re not in a scrap, and making the time to strike out and get to know the neighbourhood rewards you with all method of additional content material and conversations which are helped lengthy by uniformly glorious dialogue, sturdy rising themes and a central thriller that retains issues compelling all over. It’s the great things, is what we’re getting at.
Before lengthy our protagonist has joined up with the SEES (Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad), a bunch composed of different college students who journey to the tower of Tartarus each evening throughout the Dark Hour so as to combat off Shadows, rescue trapped innocents and customarily simply kick a number of ass utilising the sport’s pleasant turn-based fight. So, now that we’re all none the wiser (we can’t spoil something past these opening particulars for worry of wrecking one thing for newbies), let’s discuss what this reload layers on prime of an already VERY GOOD GAME™.
First up, and the obvious change is the graphics, which have now been introduced according to Persona 5’s extremely fashionable appears to be like. “Brought in line” is a fairly poor option to describe what’s been executed right here although actually as, when you dig in, you may discover that the artists at Atlus have gone proper to city with some cool as heck fight animations, Persona transformations and fancy stylistic prospers that simply carry on impressing, elevating a smile and, most significantly, pushing return gamers ahead to find how the whole lot they keep in mind now appears to be like, sounds and feels. It cannot be overstated simply how beautiful a few of this all-new fanciness is in movement, with the devs as soon as once more proving they’re masters with regards to creating cutscenes and assault animations which are about as funky as video video games get.
3D fashions, backgrounds, surroundings and the whole lot else you’ll be able to see right here as you discover the town or dig into dungeon-crawling, has additionally been redone and up to date and, with this Series X model working flawlessly at 4K/60FPS, it is fairly the dramatic revamp total, and one which stands as one of many extra thorough remasters we have been handled to lately.
This graphical overhaul extends out to each different facet of the sport, together with to the sport’s slick UI and menus – once more, for those who’ve performed Persona 5 you may know the final drill – and consequently the whole lot simply feels a lot extra fashionable and user-friendly. Menus particularly, although they have been effective within the vanilla model, are actually so fashionable and snappy that it is a pleasure to leap into melding fusing personas and all that great things that provides this one a lot depth. Everything simply appears to be like and feels so rattling good.
The in-game map of the town has additionally had a really good 3D revamp, making it far simpler to learn particulars, and, maybe most significantly, Tartarus, that the majority divisive of dungeons, has seen adjustments that make it extra impactful and satisfying. There’s extra selection between flooring and areas, new hidden secrets and techniques, treasures and areas to search out (the fatigue mechanic has additionally been excised, so be at liberty to take your time doing this) and your social gathering now have interaction in a lot of banter alongside the way in which which actually helps make this place really feel a lot extra alive.
Speaking of banter, there’s all-new voice-acting for the English dub too (it is uniformly glorious), and even some new scenes scattered all through the big marketing campaign. This voice-acting additionally extends to the sport’s social interactions, social interactions which now have brand-new “Link Episodes” to discover, which supplies them far more life this time round. In truth, this revamped model of Persona 3 has apparently now received extra strains of dialogue than another entry within the collection. So there! None of this added materials adjustments the narrative in any means, it is simply extra gravy for an already scrumptious meal, and the core story and the way occasions unfold stays unchanged.
Persona 5’s community mechanic has made the bounce, permitting you to nip into your menus and take a look at how different gamers are spending their time within the sport, and new dorm actions be certain that there are a number of new methods to relax throughout the downtime afforded between excursions to Tartarus. You get to cook dinner meals that can be utilized in battle now, do a spot of gardening, learn and a bunch of different stuff. Oh, and we also needs to give a shoutout to a soundtrack that is been rejigged and refreshed with a superb new battle anthem and plenty of remixes of the OG tracks. It’s a little bit of a banger.
The sport’s already glorious battle system additionally receives plentiful upgrades right here, once more bringing the entire thing according to what extra fashionable Persona stans might be used to. The skill to maneuver your social gathering members round throughout turn-based scraps is retained from Persona 3 Portable, and there is even an all-new Theurgy assault system, which is activated by fulfilling on-the-fly goals that cost your Theurgia Gauge. An instance of that is Junpei’s Hack n’ Blast talent, which may be charged up by touchdown important hits, and leads to a devastating slash assault that ignores an enemy’s varied resistances for giant injury.
These explosive new strikes are fused with animations that truthfully…there’s simply so many occasions throughout this remake we thought “oh s**t, that was superior” throughout scraps, there are such a lot of cool new touches, loopy Persona transformations and assaults right here that it is laborious not be be fairly blown away by how exhaustively this huge sport been rejuvenated. The ‘shift’ mechanic is a brand new model of P5’s ‘baton go’, permitting you to change to a different social gathering member as soon as you have downed a foe, and Shuffle Time adjustments issues up post-battle by permitting you select your reward reasonably than being assigned a single Persona card on your efforts.
So, with all-new appears to be like, flashy new battle mechanics, new content material, refined controls and mechanics and little touches and enhancements just about all over the place you suppose to look, what we have got right here (and it is no shock given it has been in improvement since 2019) is one of the best model of a JRPG traditional that we might have dared hoped for.
Do we want the selection of feminine protagonist was carried over from the PSP model? Of course, and though we get that this can be a return to Persona 3 and never Persona 3 Portable, we will not assist however really feel as if they need to have simply put it in there anyway. We say “simply put it in there” like we would know the way that works, it is most likely sophisticated let’s face it, however that is the one single situation we had sport so it is getting a point out.
Beyond this, and principally for youthful gamers, it is price noting there are some actually darkish themes handled right here. It could seem like Persona 5 (itself pretty darkish), however Persona 3 actually does go to some locations and contains controversial imagery (you gotta shoot your self within the head to enter Persona kind) so that is one thing price noting earlier than digging in. We also needs to give a fast shoutout to a very nice accessibility addition within the type of a ‘rollback’ perform that permits you to bounce again to earlier factors in your sport save to rectify any errors or do issues slightly in a different way, even when it is simply stocking up slightly higher pre-scrap or doing a little aspect exercise you ignored by chance.
This actually is a reasonably beautiful return to Tatsumi Port Island. Atlus has gone the additional mile and it is paid off, with a sport that now appears to be like and feels the enterprise when it comes to offering a completely fashionable expertise. All additions have been fastidiously and respectfully applied and all there’s to do now, particularly for those who’ve but to play this one, is dive in when it hits Game Pass on launch day. What an absolute deal with!
