Persona 3 has always been somewhat of an outlier in the high-schooling, monster-bashing series. Going back to 2006, Persona 3 was the first in the series to layer visual novel social elements on top of the turn-based combat and party-centric stat fiddling. Now, it’s perhaps the only modern Persona game that doesn’t enjoy a ‘definitive’ edition for first-timers, and with the release of the high-definitioned remake Persona 3 Reload, I can’t say the situation’s changed.
Persona 3 Reload reviewDeveloper: AtlusPublisher: SegaPlatform: Played on Xbox Series X/SAvailability: Out 2nd February on PC (Steam), PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One (Game Pass)
Of course, Persona 3 Reload does tweak and turn knobs in almost every corner of the original, providing a streamlined and easygoing take on the classic, but some aesthetic adjustments in particular don’t exactly gel with the teens-dealing-with-death tale that pulls everything together. And as much as Reload reaches into the future to borrow from Personas 4 and 5, the best things about it are still from 2006. Still great, then.
Persona 3 Reload follows the original game’s story very closely, focusing on an orphaned transfer student who begins life anew at Gekkoukan High School and Tatsumi Port Island, which receives a blindingly bright glow-up compared to its relative murkiness on the PS2/PSP. He soon discovers the powers of the titular Persona – magical alter-ego warriors – and joins a group of fellow students (plus a very, very good dog) on their journey to end the Dark Hour, the time between days when mysterious creatures come a-running to feast and all the regular humans remain oblivious, trapped in sinister coffins.
Events both minor and major stay mostly intact here, with only small line adjustments or changes in tone in certain scenes. (Thankfully, ‘s transphobic tropes have been scrubbed from existence, even though the game still forcibly induces an eye roll over the boys’ reactions to girls in bikinis.) Good thing too, since Persona 3’s themes and characters are just as powerful now as they were, err, 18 years ago. Ouch.