Self Personas 3 is a timeless game, telling the story of imperfect young people, overcoming death and facing tragedies with courage. That meaningful message is always valuable regardless of whether it was before, now, or ten years later. That deep impression of Persona 3 is too high a threshold for remakes, but Persona 3 Reload has excelled in overcoming it, even setting a new threshold for those who follow. The game remains true to the original, with a few minor tweaks to make things up a notch. In general, Persona 3 Reload definitely deserves the word “masterpiece”.
Improved graphics
Persona 3 Reload not only covers the original game with a new coat, but also improves the original game’s graphics in a meaningful way. Tatsumi Port Island has been redesigned, the characters have been revamped with jackets, super-powered armbands or black gloves… They all become more prominent and eye-catching during combat, making everything become both strange and familiar. The way your character raises their gun and shoots themselves in the head with the Evoker is definitely the coolest and sickest way to summon their Persona. This detail once caused a lot of controversy, but now it is a unique feature that cannot be ignored and has been successfully recreated by Reload. The fresh aesthetic and style that closely resembles Persona 5 also makes things more appealing and eye-catching than the original.
New events and social activities
Persona 3 is the first in the series to use a calendar system and social simulation elements to advance the story, plan activities during the day, and explore dungeons at night. Persona 3 Reload recreates that with valuable improvements, making the balance between daily life with young relationships and the quest to defeat the darkness in Dark Hour strangely engaging. . An ordinary school in the morning suddenly turns into a chaotic 250-story tower, definitely a place that any gamer would want to spend dozens of hours exploring.
One of Reload’s most valuable improvements is the full voiceover for Social Link scenes, making them more powerful and valuable. You can now freely choose romantic relationships with female characters, something that was impossible in the original Persona 3. Thinking back, you will feel it’s wild that you were ever forced to fall in love with any character when you reached max rank in your relationship with them. “Quality of life” improvements such as text messages that help keep track of what’s happening during the day, or online suggestions about activities that other players have prioritized… all help players quickly recognize what’s important and discover new content in the world of Persona 3.
Not only that, Persona 3 Reload also has new events and social activities centered on the characters. They make the group more united, with very natural bonds, and seem to really have another life outside of SEES missions. An activity as simple as dorm study sessions helps you upgrade your learning stats quickly, but more importantly comes with adorable scenes as the whole crew interacts with each other in many ways , like helping with math problems or just venting about random things. All of them make us believe that there really is such a group of friends, struggling with the troubles of school age.
There are countless such activities, including extracurricular programs like gardening or cooking, or watching movies with Yukari, watching boxing matches with Akihiko, reading books with Mitsuru, Aigis or Fuuka… All of them contributes to perfecting the characters, helping us feel more connected and enhancing the experience.
Another noteworthy point is that Reload also adds a Social Link route for male characters, giving them the opportunity to build a close brotherly relationship with the main character. These additional dialogues are all very high quality, sometimes truly touching, making these characters come alive and escape the pale shadow of the original. An extremely expensive improvement.
The Theurgy move is the reward
All of the additions to daily activities above are in fact an invisible bonus because of the stronger relationship between characters and players, but Reload does it even better, when they work together. Time also brings tangible rewards. These come in the form of combat buffs such as permanent stat increases, status effects, and Theurgy attacks, a type of special attack for each party member. That’s probably the best way to show the “power of friendship” of the whole group.
Each character’s Theurgy moves have their own limitations and effects, which can cause great damage or enhance allies’ stats. Using them wisely is the key to victory, especially when Reload also adds many new enemies. Defeating bosses that seem to have no weaknesses in unique cutscenes of magnificent Theurgy attacks will definitely make any gamer feel satisfied.
Great voice acting
One of the biggest reasons why everything in Persona 3 Reload is so emotional is how the new voice actors bring their characters to life. The voices of the voice actors accurately expressed each character’s personality and emotions, then raised them to a new level. The emotional dialogues, the fierce battle cries and the gentle moments… are all excellently expressed, making players able to completely feel the characters’ thoughts, especially the characters. with people who have good foreign languages.
Tartarus has been improved just enough
Tartarus itself has been refurbished to give it a fresh feel with a distinct look for each floor level. From biomechanical labyrinths to transforming industrial halls, Tartarus is certainly more visually interesting than the original, where the floors were left with little care and a bland look. This isn’t a revolutionary overhaul, but at least it’s been improved just enough to not become a fatal weakness. In addition to Tartarus, separate story boss battles await you at every full moon throughout the story. Even though they happen relatively quickly, all of Reload’s new mechanics and visual flourishes make these battles more engaging and epic, especially as you get closer to the ending Persona 3’s daring and touching.
Conclude
Persona 3 Reload has brought valuable improvements from images, sounds, new details in gameplay to new moves for the characters… All of which contribute to creating a more perfect Persona 3 game. , worthy and even surpassing the original game. The game is currently released on PC, PS4/5, Xbox One and XSX/S. To discuss and learn more about the game, readers can:
