Persona 3 Reload has been a long time coming.
Fans have been crying out for a full remake of Persona 3 for years, and for good reason. While the later games introduced many in the West to the series, it is the underrated Persona 3 that is often cited as having the best story out of the 'modern' games.
It's certainly one of the most memorable JRPGs in the last couple of decades, we would argue, and exposing the game to a whole new audience can only be a good thing.
Persona 3 stands out among the modern Persona games for how dark the story and the themes are, at least relatively speaking.
Facing death is a theme that carries throughout the whole game. It's hammered home by the fact that for the main characters, the act of summoning a Persona – most often during battle – is pointing a gun-shaped evoker at their own head.
The story follows a transfer student who, not long after arriving on Tatsumi Port Island, is recruited into a group named SEES, committed to protecting the residents from enemy Shadows that surface during the Dark Hour – a mysterious 25th hour in the day that most people are oblivious to.
Those who are attacked by Shadows are left in a broken and vegetative state, losing all of their will and becoming husks of their former selves.
SEES's mission soon turns towards eliminating the Dark Hour for good, but the journey to that goal is anything but simple.
Related: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review
The game is essentially split into two parts. Combat takes place during the Dark Hour and most commonly inside a mysterious tower called Tartarus, a dungeon where many of the Shadows reside.
The other half plays almost like a life simulation game, as the protagonist lives his daily life – attending school, studying, hanging out with friends, eating out, and so on.
At the start, these two parts appear juxtaposed. The Dark Hour is gloomy and depressing, while during the other 24 hours, life goes on as normal. But one of the smart things about the structure of the game and its narrative storytelling is how there is more that connects the two halves than it may first appear thematically.
Tragedy is something that many of the characters experience during or before the events of the game, and loss, grief, and depression are themes that are heavily explored.
However, the story is also about overcoming the fear of death and accepting that death is part of life. Characters coming to that realisation often find renewed will and determination.
The social links play a significant part in reinforcing these themes. During your time living in the city, your character can befriend a variety of different residents. Form bonds by spending time with them, and you learn about their individual stories.
The majority of these characters are going through a difficult or important time in their life, from a young girl whose parents are planning on divorcing to an elderly couple trying to save a persimmon tree that's a tribute to their late son from being cut down.
Not every social link pays off in a satisfying way, but the ones that do (like the two above examples) have an impact that feeds back into the overall narrative, as the people face adversity and the pressures of life with the help of bonds.
The strength of your social links doesn't solely contribute to the narrative throughline of the game. It also has benefits for combat, giving experience to fused Personas.
The combat itself has been given an upgrade. Much of it will be familiar, as you're encouraged to target enemies' weaknesses and are rewarded for it through extra turns and special team attacks.
Baton Pass from Persona 5 is here, called Shift instead – handy to maintain pressure as everyone will have different elemental spells and attack types – while the new Theurgy mechanic lets party members unleash an ultimate move once they've filled up their gauge.
However, SEES is required to progress up Tartarus over the course of the story, and despite attempts to mix up the exploration including with new random events and dialogue, Tartarus remains structurally the same and the gameplay doesn't change much from floor to floor.
We didn't mind the monotony of Tartarus more than a decade ago. Playing this in 2024, though, the lack of variety sticks out and the dungeon becomes a slog after a while.
It is commendable that the remake is largely faithful in this regard. But perhaps a bolder approach could have been taken, putting a more modern spin on Tartarus to make it more engaging.
Similarly, the remake doesn't touch the overall narrative much. That's more than fine particularly as its storytelling is one of the strongest parts of the game, but it also means it has inherited the same pacing issues.
Related: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review
The first half of the game moves slowly, with SEES's focus fully on the Shadows. It's not until well past the halfway mark of the story when the events dramatically pick up and begin to pay off all of the early setup.
The remake does bring together a number of features that were previously exclusive to either the PS2 or PSP version. You get a 3D overworld map and fast travel, the best of both worlds. You can also control your entire party in battle and do part-time jobs for extra cash, plus enjoy full animated cutscenes.
Add to that the gameplay upgrades, improved visual presentation, and new activities and side events with your team, and this is the best way to play Persona 3 for the first time. However, there is a 'but'.
When the remake was officially unveiled last June, there was concern over the confirmed absence of two features, namely FES's 'The Answer' epilogue and P3P's female protagonist route.
For us, 'The Answer' isn't a big loss. The epilogue was never that engaging, and the story feels complete without it anyway. But having no female protagonist option is unfortunate, and prevents this remake from being the 'definitive' version of the game.
In our opinion, the female protagonist route surpassed the male counterpart in P3P, even beyond the exclusive social links. Despite both being silent protagonists, the female lead managed to exude more personality and her upbeat vibe was a refreshing change compared to the rather bland male character.
The omission of the female protagonist route in the new remake means that Persona 3 Portable hasn't been made obsolete.
If anything, there's every chance we would choose to go back to that version instead, should we want to experience the story again in the future, even though there's no denying that the newest release plays better.
No matter how you play it, Persona 3 is more than a worthwhile experience. Reload can be accused of being a little too faithful for its own good, with some of the inherited flaws slightly holding it back, but it is still an excellent way to enjoy this classic.
It's dark at times, but has a hopeful message. Through all the devastation, the cast learn to be there for each other and try to make the most out of life.
Platform reviewed on: PC
Persona 3 Reload is out on February 2 on PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Game Pass.
May 2024 gift ideas and deals
Buy Zendaya's 'I Told Ya' Challengers t-shirt
Best refurbished phones you can buy in 2024
Buy Cat Deeley's This Morning outfits
