Persona 3 Reload Review
Persona 3, a game that has left an indelible mark on the gaming landscape, has a somewhat convoluted release history that is worth delving into. The game first saw the light of day in 2006 on the PlayStation 2, marking a significant turning point for the franchise. It ingeniously fused elements of a role-playing game with those of a life simulator, challenging players to strike a balance between navigating through dungeons and managing the mundane daily routines of a typical high school student.
This initial release was subsequently followed by a special edition, aptly named FES, which enriched the game with an extensive epilogue that added a substantial 30 hours of gameplay. The evolution of Persona 3 didn’t stop there. The game underwent a transformation for the PSP with the release of Persona 3 Portable. This version, which breathed new life into the game on PC and modern consoles just last year, brought its own set of enhancements and changes.
While the core game is undeniably compelling, each iteration comes with its own set of compromises. FES, for instance, offers the most comprehensive narrative, but it lacks the refined gameplay mechanics and the option to play as a female character, features that were introduced in Portable. On the other hand, Portable expands the game with a new playable character but simplifies world exploration to a series of menus, stripping away most of the beautifully crafted animated cutscenes that added depth to the game’s storytelling. The latest addition to the Persona 3 family is Persona 3 Reload, a complete remake that comes tantalizingly close to being the ultimate version of the game.
To fully appreciate the intricacies of Persona 3, it’s necessary to take a step back and delve into the game’s unique setting. The game unfolds in a world that experiences the Dark Hour, a mysterious period of time after midnight where monstrous entities known as shadows roam freely. Most people remain blissfully oblivious to this phenomenon, sleeping soundly in coffins during this eerie hour. However, a select few not only remain awake but also possess the ability to summon powerful beings called personas to aid them in combat.
The narrative centers around a group of high school students who harness this power to explore a seemingly infinite tower known as Tartarus. Their goal is to unravel the mysteries of the Dark Hour and its connection to a spreading malady known as apathy syndrome, which is causing widespread concern. The students’ journey through Tartarus, their encounters with shadows, and their struggle to understand and combat the effects of apathy syndrome form the crux of the game’s captivating storyline.
The game’s complex release history, its innovative blend of RPG and life simulation elements, and its engaging narrative set in a world grappling with the enigmatic Dark Hour, all contribute to making Persona 3 a truly influential game. Despite the compromises in each version, the game’s core appeal remains undiminished, making each iteration a worthwhile experience for fans of the franchise.
Persona 3 is a game that doesn’t shy away from exploring the darker aspects of its narrative. It’s a grim game, underscored by the fact that the teenage characters summon personas by shooting themselves in the head with mystical firearms. However, this grimness is counterbalanced by the ordinary aspects of daily life. Your nights are consumed by battling shadows in Tartarus, but your days are filled with the routine activities of a high school student. You attend school, socialize with friends, take on part-time jobs, and engage in a plethora of other activities. These two contrasting aspects of the game feed into each other in a fascinating way. For instance, consuming a mystery burger can boost your courage, while forging a closer bond with a guild mate in an MMO could enhance a persona’s strength in battle.
This peculiar and captivating blend of elements is what transformed Persona into a cherished franchise. Persona 3 Reload doesn’t tamper with this successful formula; instead, it refines it. The graphics and menus have been revamped to resemble the incredibly sleek Persona 5, albeit with a noticeably darker aesthetic. Elements such as combat have been streamlined to be quicker and more intuitive. A standout feature is the new “shift” mechanic, which allows you to switch characters following a well-executed attack. This adds an additional layer of strategy and enables you to breeze through regular battles more swiftly. Reload also revises one of the game’s more contentious sequences and, thankfully, introduces more activities and sights within Tartarus to prevent the dungeon crawling from becoming too repetitive.
VERDICT
In essence, Reload takes the original game and enhances it. However, the operative word here is “original.” Reload only includes the original PS2 version of Persona 3, which means it lacks the FES expansion and the option to play as a female lead. In every other respect, it’s a step up from Portable, especially because the ability to explore 3D spaces is such a crucial aspect of the game’s world-building, lending it a tangible sense of place. However, it’s somewhat disappointing that this isn’t quite the definitive version of Persona 3 that it initially appears to be — even if it is, on the whole, the best version to date.