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Regardless of being a long-time turn-based RPG fan and one of many many, many individuals who will inform you at size why it is best to play the Persona sequence, it wasn’t till earlier this yr that I performed via the whole thing of Persona 3. Nevertheless, this wasn’t for lack of desirous to.
Persona 3 has develop into infamous for its lack of availability on trendy consoles. Previous to its moveable model being launched on PC and Change earlier this yr, gamers would wish to personal both a PSP, PS Vita, or PlayStation 2 to expertise its somber story. And even then, the Transportable model isn’t fairly your complete package deal. Whereas it does include a considerable quantity of latest content–including a brand new protagonist selection and the power to completely management your social gathering in combat–some concessions have been made. To higher match the {hardware} it was ported over to, for instance, the sport traded in its 3D environments for a visible novel-style strategy.
Contemplating these details, it turns into clear why Persona 3 Reload is such a vastly anticipated title. Reload is a chance for a brand new viewers to lastly expertise Persona 3, full with up to date environments and character fashions, trendy trimmings, and a number of other quality-of-life modifications. It does include just a few irritating omissions (resembling the sport’s feminine protagonist) that maintain it from being the definitive version many hoped for. However it’s onerous to see it as something aside from the perfect likelihood to expertise the sport’s emotionally resonant story, sloppy-yet-sincere relationship mechanics, and intense gameplay. After loving my time spent with Persona 3 Transportable earlier this yr, I went right into a preview occasion for Persona 3 Reload with pleasure and excessive expectations. Luckily, what I noticed delivered.
![The staircase leading up to Tartarus' entrance.](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1639/16394322/4185962-p3r_newmoon_001.jpg)
I performed via two separate demos, every of which took about quarter-hour to finish. These sections featured two distinctive situations, each targeted on fight somewhat than braving the perils of highschool and navigating relationships. Sadly, this implies we’ll have to attend only a bit longer to preview any modifications there–and to start out shamelessly complimenting Akihiko on his proper hook, however I digress.
Within the first demo, I used to be tasked with doing a little good ol’-fashioned dungeon crawling alongside Yuakri and Junpei, that are basically P3’s model of Yosuke and Chie or Ryuji and Ann. This performed out very like another Persona sport and consisted largely of me scouting out flooring, choosing up gadgets, and making an attempt to land shock assaults on enemies denoted by small glowing dots on my minimap. In comparison with the second demo, this one wasn’t fairly as exhilarating, however that is to not say I did not discover a number of thrilling upgrades and particulars throughout my time with it.
Most notable have been the modifications made to Persona 3’s fight. Whereas Persona 3 featured AI-controlled social gathering members (which, as you may think about, did not all the time work out for the perfect), Reload follows Persona 3 Transportable’s go well with and permits the participant to take management of your complete social gathering. This degree of management makes for considerably much less tedious (and irritating) battles. Moreover, Persona 5’s trendy, clean, and dynamic fight shines via in Reload, which now options its personal model of 5’s Baton Move system. Assault animations and victory screens are additionally much more stylized and fluid, with waves of blue and punches of brighter accent colours making the sport fairly the visible deal with.
![The game's protagonist awaits a command in battle.](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1639/16394322/4185963-p3r_newmoon_014.jpg)
And whereas Persona 3’s Tartarus stays firmly in place as the sport’s one-and-only dungeon (assume Persona 5’s Mementos, however with extra mystique and direct plot relevance), Atlus did take note of how elaborate Persona 5’s dungeons are and seemingly tried to repair the disparity between the 2. The flooring I explored featured a nightmare-ish model of Gekkoukan Excessive Faculty and felt a bit bigger and extra detailed than these in P3 and P3P. Moreover, I acquired an opportunity to listen to just a few of the brand new voice actors–all of which sounded great–and soften into the sport’s groovy, hip-hop soundtrack. It is value mentioning that this additionally consists of new tracks from Lotus Juice, the Japanese rapper who labored alongside composer Shoji Meguro and vocalist Yumi Kawamura on the unique (and extremely good) soundtrack.
The second demo, titled “Full Moon,” supplied up a extra high-octane expertise. Set on the sport’s first full moon (the timeframe when the sport’s malevolent powers-that-be are most energetic), this part featured a stress-inducing, timed battle aboard a racing monorail. After battling my approach up the practice, I used to be met by a sprawling girl each impressed by and named after the Excessive Priestess tarot card, and promptly entered the sport’s first boss battle. Whereas not significantly difficult, she served as a pleasant reminder of how difficult these battles do finally develop into, and made me much more excited for my inevitable playthrough subsequent yr.
Other than the sport’s fight modifications, this part performed out almost identically to the way it does in Persona 3, albeit with this new, intense inexperienced lighting that added to how eerie the state of affairs was. I’m additionally thrilled to report that “Deep Breath Deep Breath” remains to be a implausible battle monitor that one way or the other triumphs at being each creepy and a complete banger.
![The monorail's High Priestess](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_super/1639/16394322/4185964-p3r_fullmoon_010.jpg)
Total, Persona 3 Reload most pleasantly shocked me in its dedication to enhancing the artistry of the unique sport somewhat than emulating the sequence’ most up-to-date title. This may sound obvious–it is a remake, after all–but, as I used to be taking part in, I discovered myself extraordinarily appreciative of how Atlus preserved Persona 3’s smooth and easy interface once they might have applied the identical degree of flash and flourish seen in Persona 5. Positive, the visible upgrades and trendy trimmings and mechanics are there, however these upgrades strategy the sport by itself phrases. Persona 3’s depth, darkness, and distinct identification remains to be mirrored in each component of its visuals. You’ll be able to see it within the pervasive emptiness of Tartarus, and within the sport’s deep colour palette, composed of blues starting from azure to midnight.
Thirty minutes is way too wanting a time to find out the benefit of a 60+ hour game–particularly when that sport is a remake of an extremely beloved and impactful title. That stated, my time spent with the sport made me assured that Reload will largely be the definitive version Persona 3 followers have been on the lookout for. It stays to be seen if relationships might be dealt with with a bit extra tact this go round, and a few lacking features–such as the dearth of the sport’s feminine protagonist–do barely bitter issues. Nevertheless, Reload appears profitable in narrowing the hole between 3 and its successors, and most significantly, will get folks taking part in what is maybe the Persona sequence’ most poignant entry.
Persona 3 Reload is slated to launch on February 2, 2024 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
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