Persona 3 Reload was the first Persona I ever finished. I’m late to the party, but I can say with 100% confidence that Persona 3 was a cultural shift for the series. This is based on reviews from friends, websites, magazines, and anything in between. The trend continued with FES and P3P. Really, the trend continued (and seemed to get better) with the rest of the series. Personally, I viewed most games from the series from afar. I have limited experience with the remake of the first Persona on PSP, Innocent Sin on the PSP, and P4G on the Vita. None of the games grabbed me, but I acknowledge they grab other gamers. The series has its fans, and that’s great.
What’s not great, however, is the foolish behavior from some of these fans. Five times out of ten, a Persona fan will forget (or ignore) that Persona is under the Shin Megami Tensei series. Before there was Persona, there was Shin Megami Tensei. They are different beasts, yet for some reason, when anything with Shin Megami Tensei is announced a fanbase immediately gets up in arms about them “not being Persona enough.” To call it annoying is an understatement. There’s also the issue, which has become a meme at this point, of gamers thinking they know everything about Japanese life and culture because they played Persona. Remember how there were some people that played Guitar Hero and automatically thought they could play the guitar? That’s how it is with Persona. I’m loathe to use this term because I think it’s a stupid one invented by stupid people, but Persona and “weeb” culture are attached at the hip. In some subconscious way, I think I dug my heels in further when one of these specimens adamantly recommended that I play Persona 3 and/or upwards. Long rant and introduction over. Out of all the games in the series, Persona 3 was the one I was the most interested in due to its story, themes, blue and purple motif, and the way it reinvented the series. I’m glad I waited to play this definitive version. Note that the “FeMC” option, FES bonus content, and other new features are not available in Reload (as of this writing). I have no attachment to either of those, but I know that they are important to longtime fans of the base game.
Set on Tatsumi Port Island in 2009, Persona 3 draws players in with the Dark Hour: a period that exists between midnight and the next day. Most people aren’t awake during the Dark Hour; they’re transmogrified into glowing coffins and oblivious to what’s happening. Then, there are the few that are aware of the Dark Hour. These are Persona users, young individuals capable of superhuman feats and able to summon celestial beings from their consciousness to provide magical support. More and more lately, the Dark Hour is causing cases of Apathy Syndrome to increase. Those afflicted by Apathy Syndrome are in a semi-permanent state of depression: eyes glazed over and lamenting about the end of the world. To lower the number of Apathy Syndrome cases, the Persona users must venture into Tartarus: Gekkoukan High School by day and everchanging tower-labyrinth during The Dark Hour. Shadows, monstrous creatures of multiple shapes and sizes, inhabit Tartarus. What ties the Dark Hour, Tartarus, the Shadows, and Apathy Syndrome together? Those answers will slowly but surely reveal themselves as you take control of a silent protagonist that is not only a Persona wielder, but a “chosen one” that is capable of housing multiple Persona. The connections he forms with his classmates and friends from all walks of life will allow his powers to grow beyond those of the other Persona users.
The story is excellent. Despite P3’s length, it moves at a nice pace. Your character is silent as a mouse, but he’s constantly getting dialogue options and choices as the story moves forward. Overall, they don’t make a difference. However, they do when you’re talking with a person tied to a Social Link. Introduced in the original Persona 3, Social Links let the MC grow closer to a range of people tied to one of the major Tarot Arcana. The Tarot have their own set of Persona attached to them. Ultimately, this means his Persona will become more powerful. When a link is at maximum, new Persona become available. For example, an elderly couple at a bookstore are tied to the Hierophant Tarot. As his relationship grows with them, any Persona tied to the Hierophant will get an increase in strength.
Social Links are a mixed bag. On the one hand, they turn the MC into a powerful warrior while he gets to know multiple Tatsumi Port residents on a deeper level. On the other hand, it’s necessary to keep a strategy guide handy if you want to maximize them. And even following said guide to the letter is not a guarantee of maximizing them on a first run. Social Links are so rigid, so strict with their timing and requirements, that they’re stressful for someone who wants to make the most of their file. Persona 3 is a long game; I can’t fathom a world where anyone would want to redo most of its stuff just to get the last few Social Links at maximum. There are also Linked Episodes with your party members that you need to monitor since these unlock extra Persona, too.
The strict timing for Social Links applies with the game overall. Persona 3 follows the standard Roman calendar. Most days have you: going to school, answering a question in class, and doing some sort of activity that helps build the main character. Along with regular RPG stats like health and endurance, there are Social Stats (Courage, Charm, and Academics) and his Persona’s stats. Raising Social Stats allows you to participate in more Social Links, access new areas, meet new people, and ultimately create more Persona. Speaking of, you can visit The Velvet Room anytime you’re not in school to summon and fuse Persona. As a fan of the SMT series, this was one of my favorite things to do. I got to see many familiar and new demons that I’ve come to enjoy throughout my time with the mothership series. Once the afternoon activity is done, you’ll have the chance to participate in an evening activity. Again, this can range from Social Links to doing some other activity that either boosts Social Stats or your Persona’s stats. All this to say that P3R is a very linear game in which you must use all your time strategically. Otherwise, you’ll be at some disadvantage. It’s equal parts overwhelming and rewarding, so your mileage will vary and fluctuate.
Perhaps the most important thing available to you and your friends during the evening hours is heading into Tartarus, Persona 3’s labyrinthine, ever changing tower. Tartarus has multiple purposes. Along with adding to the game’s narrative, it’s where you and your teammates battle the Shadows. There are also treasures, hidden items, and other goods to discover, but combat is what Tartarus is all about. After striking an enemy, you and your selected team will enter turn-based battles that combine classic and contemporary features. While it doesn’t use the Press-Turn System, it does do something similar. A typical battle will start with one of your teammates hitting an enemy’s weakness. This member can act again, or pass their turn to another party member. The process continues until all enemies are hit by a weakness. Following this, you can initiate an All-Out Attack, which deals massive damage to every enemy on screen. Hopefully, the battle ends and you’re awarded with items, experience points and Shuffle Time. Shuffle Time lets you pick a random Tarot card for a bonus or new Persona. Obviously, not all enemies have a weakness. You’ll have to use some strategy; healing and buffing/debuffing as necessary. It’s a new yet familiar system that fans of SMT will quickly recognize and adapt to. Multiple difficulty options make it more accessible. Exclusive to P3R is the Theurgy Gauge. Once full, a party member can unleash an extremely helpful skill. These attacks are powerful enough to ignore an enemy’s resistance, or they can provide immensely powerful support. While venturing through Tartarus and the battles within can get stale here and there, the combat system is one of the best features and I always looked forward to new areas of Tartarus opening up.
Persona 3 Reload looks sleek and stylish. Comparing it to earlier iterations is like night and day. Life sized characters milling around vibrant, modern Japanese aesthetics are everywhere in Tatsumi Port Island. Outside of Tartarus, it feels like you’re in Japan with all the hustle and bustle surrounding the various shops. Anime cut scenes were sprinkled on top for extra flair. Tartarus itself is its own bizarre and beautiful creation with various sections that are gaudy, sparkly, imposing, and exciting. Enemy design falls flat outside of boss encounters, but the voluminous levels of Persona to summon, special attacks, and the visceral look of All Out Attacks make up for them in combat.
But then, we have the sound. Voice acting (Japanese or English) and effects are fine, but the music is…questionable. Music is one of those subjective things that will always cause debate, but when it comes to the soundtrack in Persona 3, I have to question what the hell happened. There is only one track in the game that I liked: the boss theme. Naturally, it’s the one that’s played the least. The rest of the music ranges from annoying to “where is the remote so I can hit the mute button.” And sadly, the biggest offenders that land on the worse end of the spectrum are the ones heard the most: the regular battle theme and the song that plays in The Velvet Room. These songs are horrible. Bottom line. Near the end of the game, the tracks that play regularly are much more aligned with what I’m used to in Shin Megami Tensei and Shoji Meguro’s craft: electric guitars, fast drumming, and a solid rock and roll vibe. I hate that it takes that long to get to those tracks.
At the eleventh hour, I was able to maximize all Social Links and earn the good ending after 70 hours. Indeed, Persona 3 Reload is a long game. To extend the playtime, there’s a massive Persona compendium to complete, side-quests, and tough bonus battles. As for me, this is the epitome of a one-and-done game. I’m sure additional content ranging from costumes to full-on expansions will be released over the months. But, I’ve had my fill. This is a solid game and I’m glad I waited as long as I did to play it. I think the hype got the best of me because it wasn’t the end-all be-all of RPGs that others consider it. To me, it’s another RPG that was among other greats on the PlayStation 2. I just got lucky enough to experience it firsthand in its definitive form.
Overall, 7/10: A story for the ages gets shot in the head by a strict schedule, but Persona 3 Reload comes out on top thanks to fantastic combat, handy features, and a beautiful aesthetic.