Persona 3: Reloadis another stunning remake from the good folks at Atlus. It modernises the gameplay of the original release to be more akin toPersona 5: Royal,while telling an original story and improving on the gameplay formula.
While I have a few gripes with the game which I’ll get to in due time, I can confidently say this is one of the best JRPGs I’ve played in recent memory, and it has already eaten up several days of my time with never a dull moment.
Take a look at the trailer forPersona 3: Reloadbelow.
Advert
Advert
A larger piece of cut content is an epilogue called The Answer. Without getting into spoilers, The Answer was a fairly short add-on to the original story that saw you take control of a different character, and was the cherry on top for such a fantastic adventure. A new epilogue takes its place but in comparison, I’d have preferred The Answer remain in the remake, purely for what it adds to the overall story and fresh perspective to the gameplay.
Fortunately, those are the only two complaints I can make aboutPersona 3: Reload, so without further adieu let’s move onto everything the game does right, and there’s a lot to get through.
Persona 3: Reload- SEGA
Advert
Advert
Character designs are top-tier, and while they lack some expression - being stationary for the majority of cutscenes - it doesn’t take away from their overall appeal to the player. They’re also incredibly well-written with the dialogue and voice acting ranging from humour that actually got a good laugh out of me from time to time, or heartfelt conversations that played with my emotions. Personas and monsters are also particularly menacing and powerful, especially boss monsters. It’s alway the mark of good enemy design when one appears and makes you internally question, “How am I going to kill this thing?” which makes it especially rewarding when you bring one down. Some of the creatures you’ll encounter are also quite unsettling at times which almost morphs it into a horror game during certain story encounters.
Then we have the soundtrack, packed with groovy tunes that are bound to find their way onto your home playlist. Like the game’s art style, the music helps set the tone of the situation and conveys the type of emotions you should be feeling at the time. The songs range from chilled lofi beats to relax and study to, to bombastic scores that motivate you to give everything you’ve got in a battle. The music has always been one of the best parts of any Persona game andPersona 3: Reloaddoesn’t disappoint as it never feels intrusive or out of place, and most importantly it never gets old on repeat listens.
Persona 3: Reload- SEGA
Moving onto the story. The gist of it is you’re a new transfer student moving to Tatsumi Port Island. All seems relatively normal aside from a few crazy characters, but things quickly go awry when you experience the horrors of the Dark Hour, a hidden hour that begins at the stroke of midnight where the world warps and monsters lurk in the shadows. Normal people don’t experience the Dark Hour, instead being sealed in coffins unaware of the changes to the world outside. Some unlucky folk are being removed from their coffins though, and are falling victim to what’s known as the Apathy Syndrome, reducing them to a catatonic state of which there’s seemingly no cure. The only ones who can experience the Dark Hour first hand and defend themselves from its threats are persona users like yourself, and you’re quickly recruited into the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, or S.E.E.S for short, a task force dedicated to ending the Dark Hour and protecting the world from its harmful effects.
Advert
Advert
Overall, it’s a great story and packs more than enough twists and turns, without being afraid to slow down every now and then. After all, you’re still a school student at the end of the day with other responsibilities than just saving the world. The whole thing plays out like an anime where you’re the main character, meaning there are the action-packed segments, info dumps, recollections, and a few filler/slice-of-life storylines thrown in for good measure. I personally preferPersona 5’sstory, though I was still invested and eager to learn more about S.E.E.S, the Dark Hour, and who’s pulling the strings.
Persona 3: Reload- SEGA
Advert
Advert
The highlights of combat are when you’re consistently hitting the weak points of the enemies on screen as when all of them are stunned/knocked down, you can initiate a flashy all-out attack that usually obliterates everything in your way. Each playable character also receives a super move later in the game that charges up during combat, and can easily turn the tide of a tough encounter when deployed at the right time. Learning how to best organise your party is integral to success, so it’s best to become acquainted with all of your allies to understand where their strengths and weaknesses lie, picking your favourites will only get you so far.
Persona 3: Reload- SEGA
This also applies to your personas. Your character is blessed with the ability to have more than one persona in your arsenal and you can collect more at the end of Tartarus battles. If you hit an opponent’s weakness enough times, or end the battle with an all-out attack, you’ll enter Shuffle-Time. This lets you choose from an assortment of cards holding various effects and rewards like bonus experience, healing your party’s wounds, changing an aspect of Tarturus until you leave or granting you a new persona, just to name a few. In the original version of the game, things played out a bit differently as you were given a card at random instead of letting you pick for yourself, so this version of Shuffle-Time is a huge improvement and one of the best changes made to the game.
You’ll often find yourself choosing the persona cards more than anything, as personas can be fused together to create a new, often more powerful, monster with more abilities. You’ll want to fuse them often to ensure your roster is as powerful as it can be, and it was great fun experimenting with the different combinations and holding onto certain personas in case I could fuse them into something better later in the game. In time, you’ll also unlock different fusion techniques for greater results.
Advert
Advert
All in all Tartarus is an enjoyable dungeon that seemingly never ends. Each section takes on a new appearance or theme, and the layout is random each time you visit with a few exceptions. Ascending its many, many levels is engaging, and the boss encounters encourage you to master your skills and ensure your team is as strong as possible before tackling them. It’s a great part of the game, which is good as you’ll be spending a lot of your time climbing it.
Persona 3: Reload- SEGA
The other half of the coin revolves around living. As stated at the beginning, one of the fundamental parts of the Persona series is the relationships you kindle with other characters, andPersona 3: Reloaddoesn’t disappoint with its cast of Social Links. These are the people you’ll spend your time with when you’re not studying at school or plundering Tartarus, and while some are definitely more memorable than others, there’s some excellent variation here.
For me, this was where the game was at its strongest, as the highlights often occur when the game takes its time. More importantly, the game respects your own time as you can experience just about everything it has to offer in whatever order you choose. There will be scripted moments like when you have to dedicate a few days for school exams or go on a mission for S.E.E.S but for the most part, your life is your own andPersona 3: Reloadisn’t going to tell you how to live it.
Persona 3: Reload- SEGA
At its core,Persona 3: Reloadis a game about relationships and it’s that focus that will motivate the player to experience everything it has to offer. You’ll want to advance the story to see how your team expands and becomes a more coherent unit, spend time with your Social Links to grow closer to them, and explore the island to learn how best to spend your time.
Persona 3: Reloadis an enormous time investment with rarely a minute wasted. If you’re a fan of JRPGs, you’ll likely be invested from start to finish and it’s nice to see the game cater to so many different playstyles.
It’s still disappointing to know that some content from the original release was gutted for the remake, though it’s clear this was an intentional decision to bring it more in line with the other revamped Persona games. Overall, when you evaluatePersona 3: Reloadon how well it remakes the original, it’s clear this is an improvement in almost every way. It’s a masterful JRPG with a lot of heart and streamlined gameplay that’s beautifully presented through stunning animations and a fantastic soundtrack.
Whether you’re a lifelong Persona fan or a total newcomer,Persona 3: Reloadis well worth your time as both a stunning remake and a unique masterpiece.
Pros:Gorgeous visuals and soundtrack, exciting strategic exploration and combat, intriguing story, memorable and charming social life moments
Cons:Cut content from original version is disappointing
For fans of:Persona, JRPGs, Anime,
9/10:Exceptional
Topics:Persona,Sega,Xbox,PlayStation,PC
