Persona 3 Reload is a good jumping-off point for new players
Persona 3 Reload is a vibrant remake of the original game, combining captivating visuals and revamped music with familiar gameplay. The immersive story revolves around battling Shadows during the enigmatic "Dark Hour". With engaging life-sim elements and challenging fights, it offers a compelling ex
The following is a script of my 5-minute review of this game for Late Night Video Game Music on Radio KLFM.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sLJ2ReMmU8AuPeSLvc5jX
Persona 3 Reload follows you as an unnamed protagonist starting at a new school. But mysteriously, you are witness to what is known as the "Dark Hour", a strange 25th hour, where phemonemons called Shadows rule the night. Your new dorm happens to be home to the Specialised Extracirricular Execution Squad. Their goal is to eliminate the shadows and investigate the appearance of a massive structure known as Tartarus, which exists only in the Dark Hour.
All of this is familiar to those who played the original Persona 3, but ATLUS's latest release dials up the style to 11. This marks developer ATLUS's first shot at a full remake of one of their JRPGs from the ground up -- Persona 3, as well as it's re-released Persona 3 FES, P3Portable, were released in the late 2000s. And they've gone all out.
While the combat formula for the main Persona games hasn't really changed much, the presentation for Reload takes clear influence from Persona 5's flashy sounds and animations. The blue motiff is everywhere -- Art Director Tomohiro Kumadai was influenced by the original game and uses the water motiff specifically as a way of "sinking into your own mind to check information and your relationships with others" when accessing the menu screen. It helps that the game's set on a fictional island, with the sea being a major factor of the game's surroundings.
The music has been revamped too! Shoji Meguro didn't come back for this game, having composed most of the Persona franchise music, but instead, the music from the original game has served as a fantastic blueprint. It's the same with the original singer -- Yumi Kawamura hasn't returned, and instead Azumi Takahashi has recorded the revamped tracks alongside Lotus Juice. It's fresh music, but reminiscent of 2000s pop -- especially important being set in 2009. These jams keep you upbeat no matter where in the game you go.
But as flashy as Reload looks, is it actually any good?
It's fantastic. The new voice cast bring a new life to these characters players may have known from almost twenty years ago, and this is a good jumping off point for anyone new to the Persona games. Fights are challenging, but rewarding. The life-sim side of the game where you make your way through a calendar day going to school, working a job, stocking your team up for the next battle in Tartarus, is fulfilling.
There is no reason to be bored in this game. ATLUS has managed to successfully marry a life simulator with a turn-based RPG. Play the life sim and get bored of conversations? Hit Tartarus and test your skills matching attacks to enemy weaknesses. Bored of battles? Head on back to the life-sim, engage with your classmates, and get to know your friends.
While Remake obviously keeps a significant amount of the 2006 Persona 3's content, this story keeps on giving, and it's nice to see it with such a fresh coat of paint. The reflection on life, death, and everything in between, is as true as ever.
Persona 3 Reload is a Japanese Role-play game released on the 2nd of February 2024 on Playstation, XBox and Windows it's available for purchase both physically and digitally.
