As a game that sets the new standard for future games in the Persona series, the original Persona 3 was, without a doubt, highly influential. Its gameplay that combines turn-based RPG elements with elements from dating simulator games was something new and exciting for the series at the time, and accompanied by a very touching story that reflects on the meaning of life, there’s no surprise that Persona 3 becomes a beloved title for many on the PS2.
A year after Persona 3‘s original release, Atlus released Persona 3 FES, an enhanced re-release with tweaks to the original game’s mechanics and a newly added epilogue campaign titled ‘The Answer‘. Then in 2009, a year after the release of Persona 4, Atlus released Persona 3 Portable, an enhanced remake of Persona 3 for the PSP. Along with new improvements to the battle system, Persona 3 Portable also allows the player to choose the gender of the protagonist, giving returning players entirely new routes and scenarios in the story. However, unlike the other versions of the game, Persona 3 Portable lacks 3D environments and character models outside of combat. It also doesn’t include ‘The Answer‘ campaign from Persona 3 FES.
With each of the game’s renditions having its own drawbacks and advantages, for quite some time there is no ‘definitive’ version of Persona 3. That is until in Xbox Game Showcase 2023, Atlus finally announced that they’re remaking Persona 3 from scratch with a reveal trailer of Persona 3 Reload.
When it happened, I was naturally very hyped. Persona 3 is a special game to me. It is my favourite entry among the newer generation of Persona games. I have replayed it several times on both Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable, and I am ready to experience the game again, this time with a fresh coat of paint. For a lot of fans, this is the long-awaited remake of their beloved game, but is Persona 3 Reload truly going to be the ‘definitive’ version of the classic PS2 RPG?
After playing the game for roughly 90 hours ever since its release back on February 2nd, I have found that the answer is…a bit complicated. Persona 3 Reload as a whole might be the best rendition of Persona 3 to date, but some aspects of this remake hold itself back from truly being the ‘definitive’ version of Persona 3.
It’s Full Moon Again.
The first thing that stands out about Persona 3 Reload compared to its predecessors is the visuals. I daresay even, that Persona 3 Reload is the best-looking Persona game to date; Everything from its stylish UI, the environments, down to the minute details in each character’s 3D models, is a touch above Persona 5 Royal. While I understand that the UI design in Persona 5 Royal was made to match the themes of that game, I feel like it has readability issues at times, something that Persona 3 Reload‘s much cleaner UI handles pretty well. The reimagining of the environments in Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island has also been done well, giving a real sense of scale compared to the original game’s more deformed style.
This is also shown in the areas of Tartarus, as the developer has remodelled every block of this game’s main dungeon beautifully; with each block having its own unique aesthetic, such as the never-ending hallways of Thebel, the creepy and almost alien-like terrain of Arqa, and the industrial-looking Yabbashah. The unique aesthetic and visuals help alleviate the player’s exhaustion from long-winded explorations of Tartarus, which was a problem in the original game due to the monotonous nature of the dungeon.
The UI and environments aside, it wouldn’t be right to not talk about the updated looks of the characters; Each of the main characters along with other important NPCs gets newly drawn portrait art by Azusa Shimada. Except for some uncanny-looking front-facing portraits, the new portraits are overall an improvement from the original. Not only that, members of SEES also wear new combat gear while they are exploring Tartarus, which further adds to the ‘specialized combat squad’ feel of the group.
Despite me singing praises to the game’s visuals above, I also have some problems with it. One of them is the game’s use of lighting and colour. In my opinion, the colours pop out too much compared to the original game. This can be very apparent in areas like the Iwatodai Dorm, where the light is way brighter than in the original game, and ultimately changes the mood of the place entirely.
This can be somewhat alleviated by reducing the game’s brightness to match the original game’s visuals, but it’s not exactly ideal either since it makes darker areas too hard to see. It might be a small thing for some people, but it bugged me enough to make me reduce the game’s brightness throughout my entire playthrough. I think Iwatodai Dorm would look better if it was reimagined like the stage in Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight, not like what was shown in Persona 3 Reload.
I don’t know what to think about the new 2D animated cutscenes and the new pre-rendered 3D animated cutscenes either. Some of them are good, namely the pre-rendered 3D cutscene shown on October 4th and the game’s ending scene, but the original Persona 3 does some scenes like the game’s intro and the protagonist’s awakening better than what Persona 3 Reload offers. The animation on the original does look rough and minimalistic compared to Reload‘s shiny new looks, but in Yukio Takatsu’s hands, who was the Animation Director for multiple openings in the Monogatari series, the original game’s cutscenes make up for it with his thoughtful animation direction. I think Persona 3 Reload loses some of the original game’s charms because of this and is worse off for it.
