Persona 3 Reload Review | Attack of the Fanboy

Within the gaming business, you should ask your self if there can ever be an excessive amount of of a very good factor. I not too long ago have had this sense that builders today live previously and might’t suppose up an unique concept — leaning on their previous successes to proceed to thrive.

I’m all for it if it’s achieved proper, completely executed with each the Closing Fantasy 7 remake and the massive hits of the Resident Evil sequence, however not a lot in The Final of Us Half 1. It’s a wonderful line these builders have to stroll, the place they’ll both fumble the thought of a remake fully or nail it on the top to make one thing nice much more wonderful. This is the reason I’m all the time skeptical once I hear of a remake within the works of a recreation that’s so beloved by the gaming neighborhood. Enter Persona 3 Reload.

Persona 3 is the entry of the Persona franchise that put the sequence on the map. It’s the one which acquired individuals speaking about Persona generally and made it its recognizable title at present. Why utterly remake one thing excellent for a lot of the followers of your sequence? Why not depart one thing nice alone? It’s the query talked about earlier: “Can there ever be an excessive amount of of a very good factor?” 

The reply isn’t any, in accordance with Atlus, contemplating Reload is the fourth model of the sport. And you understand what? I believe I agree with them as a result of Persona 3 Reload will not be solely an excellent remake of the most effective JRPGs on the market, but in addition a recreation that’s fully its personal factor. It sticks to its roots whereas being a totally completely different expertise, making you generally overlook you’re taking part in a reimagining of a recreation that got here out virtually 20 years in the past. Persona 3 Reload was made with love, care, and fervour for the sequence’ fanbase, and I can’t thank Atlus sufficient for making it occur. 

A Nostalgic but New Expertise

After I say this remake is fully its personal factor, you shouldn’t suppose it strays away from the unique recreation as a result of it doesn’t. Persona 3 Reload improves on the unique whereas sticking to the supply materials by means of its story beats, social hyperlinks, and college administration system. It’s all about quality-of-life inclusions in Persona 3 Reload that result in a definitive model of a masterclass JRPG for contemporary occasions. Something you’ll be able to bear in mind and love from Persona 3 again in 2007 has been improved, reworked, and rebuilt from the bottom as much as make a two-decades-old recreation really feel like a next-generation entry. 

That is very true in its additions to the fight system. Fight nonetheless feels like the unique recreation however contains options and mechanics that make it extra enjoyable and addictive. For instance, “Theurgy” is a brand new addition impressed by Persona 5’s “Showtime” that grants everybody in your get together a particular assault that may flip the tides of a battle. Theurgy is a posh mechanic that revolves round a gauge that may solely be constructed up by performing particular actions throughout battle. Every get together member has a unique requirement for the Theurgy build-up, placing strategic pondering on the forefront as an alternative of simply merely deciding on an assault. 

For instance, if you wish to construct up Yukari’s Thuergy gauge, you have to proceed to heal the get together, or the gauge will keep stagnant. However, the chief should proceed utilizing Persona abilities to achieve “max” on Theurgy for the flexibility to change into out there. I discovered myself planning every battle across the necessities of filling the Theurgy bar, which made every get together member’s flip extra significant.

Fight will not be the one factor that acquired enhancements, as you’ll discover many inside the recreation’s Social Hyperlink system. All social hyperlink occasions at the moment are absolutely voiced, eradicating the effort of studying each line of dialogue. This straightforward addition could be very welcomed and extra necessary than you’ll suppose, because it makes conversations extra participating and provides extra to the characters of Persona 3. It makes you discover how vastly completely different all of the characters within the recreation are.

With absolutely voiced social hyperlinks, you study that every character has their very own character, tone, and mannerisms that genuinely make you are feeling such as you’re getting shut to those individuals all through the sport’s calendar yr. The playfulness of Maiko, the shyness of Chihiro, the aged couple’s forgetfulness, Kenji’s sarcastic conduct, and so forth, are all dropped at life with voice appearing, making their tales extra impactful and plausible.

A Lovely Rebuilt World

It wouldn’t be a remake with out enhancements to the graphics and visuals, and Persona 3 Reload is nothing wanting extraordinary in that regard. The sport is solely stunning. Tartarus is extra enhanced, emphasizing a darker tone, whereas the mall space and dorm are brighter, graphically wanting as much as par with the newer Persona 5. It nonetheless has that anime and manga really feel like the unique model, but it surely’s scaled up with extra textures and particulars, including its personal distinctive attraction that solely newer Persona video games can pull off. Atlus knew what it was doing right here.

Not solely is the world rebuilt to pop on display, however character fashions additionally acquired a rework. Their base design appears to be like much like the unique, except new outfits, however they’re extra alive and detailed than ever. For example, they present extra vary of their feelings now throughout social hyperlink occasions. Blushing, concern, shock, disappointment — all feelings at the moment are proven in Persona 3’s characters. Because the Persona sequence has all the time been concerning the human situation, detailing feelings additional is a superb contact that makes the sport much more stunning than it was.

A Story That Stands The Take a look at of Time

The enhancements of Persona 3 Reload assist give the story extra highlight and the reward it actually deserves. In case you aren’t accustomed to the unique, with out spoilers, Persona 3 is about excessive schoolers navigating on a regular basis life as they battle an unnerving darkness that seems at midnight. It seems like an easy premise, however what appears easy quickly turns into a narrative with a lot deeper that means than anybody would anticipate. It slowly morphs right into a story about how highly effective the human spirit will be, studying about loss of life and the way to deal with it, the significance of friendship, and overcoming fears of life generally. Any individual from all walks of life will discover one thing to narrate to within the highly effective message the sport exudes.

The story is similar within the remake as within the unique, however the easy additions make it really feel extra actual. As beforehand talked about, absolutely voice-acted social occasions, enhanced graphics, and a bigger vary of character for the characters are current in Persona 3 Reload. All of those additions make the sport’s deeper that means stand out far more than it did within the unique.

And that’s the place Reload shines essentially the most — in its capability to inform the identical story as the unique however make it hit that a lot more durable. This recreation will hit you want a truck for those who let it as you discover your mortality and the struggles one often has to search out that means in life. I like to recommend anybody who performs Persona 3 Reload to take a second and suppose critically about its story beats, as you’ll discover so much to unwrap, and when you do, you’ll admire your entire recreation that rather more.

The Verdict

Persona 3 Reload is a remake achieved proper. Every thing you like concerning the unique recreation is improved upon, resulting in a brand new expertise that feels contemporary and model new whereas not forgetting its supply materials. Visible enhancements, inclusions of addicting fight mechanics, extra pleasurable social hyperlinks — this recreation has all of it. That is the definitive solution to play the beloved JRPG, and when you get your palms on it, you received’t ever wish to return to the unique.  

There’s a sure attraction in Persona 3 Reload that I don’t suppose many sequence have the potential to copy. You begin to really feel for these characters as you navigate the hardships of on a regular basis life. Tough upbringings, willpower to reach faculty, looking for each other, and most significantly, the facility of the human spirit. That is what the Persona sequence has all the time been about and Persona 3 Reload is aware of this, clearly proven within the enhancements added to the just about 20-year-old recreation. Atlus has showcased what a remake can and needs to be.

– This text was up to date on February ninth, 2024

About The Creator

Christian has been a author of Assault of the Fanboy for over a yr and has lined Shadows of Rose, Lords of the Fallen, Remnant 2, Lies of P, and extra; his favourite style is Survival Horror. He has a enterprise diploma however felt the necessity to take his love for video video games to the gaming neighborhood. Outdoors of writing, yow will discover him listening to all varieties of podcasts, particularly All the time Sunny Podcast and Morbid True Crime.