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0 Persona 3 Reload is an Adventure RPG developed by Atlus and published by Sega. The Persona series first originated as a spin-off of the Megami Tensei games. The series always has us being high schoolers going through some extreme situations. When it comes to controversy, Persona 3 Reload does have a few that even I agree with. Because of the missing content of both “The Answer” and FeMC.
However, recently a trusted leaker when it comes to the Persona series, says that we are getting this prologue as DLC. Which has a lot of fans of the series fuming about it being DLC. But, what was sacrificed by this was the FeMC option being forsakened. This is because it was a part of P3P and Reload is a remaster of P3FES.
So, you’re telling me I’ll get free food and board, I’ll get a gun and you want me to stay up at night? Where at Midnight, time freezes and we fight shadows?! Forget fighting! You do know we can catch up on One Piece and all my crafts?!
Gameplay
Persona 3 Reload is available on Steam, Xbox X/S, and PS5/PS4. You’re the protagonist transferring to Gekkoukan High School and arriving at the station at exactly midnight. When leaving the station, you notice a few standing coffins and puddles of red gunk. The real events of the game starts on the third day at the dorms where the stars align. And by stars, I mean you get a gun, shoot yourself and awaken to your persona.
Having the old Slash, Pierce and Strike weaknesses still be here is a breath of fresh air. Sure, we had guns in P5, but these three weapon types being weaknesses is what gives it strategy. Being used to playing P5, I rarely relied on items during any run, but with P3R it’s a whole different story. There were items that weren’t in the previous versions that can make or break your adventure. Please, make sure to look at every item’s capabilities or it’ll be game over quick.
To test the waters of Tartarus, I stood still to see if “they” would appear. Let’s just say, I went away for a couple of minutes and “they” appeared out of nowhere and still spooked me. So, take my advice and never pause while still in Tartarus. However, I did find it funny that opening a chest while a shadow chased me caused them to disengage. It felt as if it was Dark Souls when opening the door to avoid getting damaged, use that knowledge how you wish.
Now besides the graphics, which I’ll discuss in length in the next section, there are some new additions. They’ve added Shift which was the baton pass from Persona 5, Theurgia which are Ultimate gauge for each character. Shuffle time are improved with bonuses with the Major Arcanas. They did improve on the fact that fatigue is gone and that all the social links have voice lines as well. Though, I still wish both “The Answer ” and FeMC were in the game to begin with.
To finish off the gameplay section, let’s talk about leveling up your Social Links. I won’t gatekeep the method you should approach this, but it’s worth doing any of them. They not only strengthen you, but it also boosts your fusions that have the same arcana. You could either take the blue pill and only level up your teammates’ social links to just relax. Or will you take the red pill and make an excel sheet to max level ALL OF THE SOCIAL LINKS! Like I’m doing.
Graphics & Audio
Now, playing on PC, they have greatly improved not only the models but as well as the art and UI. I had the setting on Full Screen with Vsync on to stop any tearing for the animated scenes and their opening. I’ve also set the frame rates to 60 fps with options to go to 30 or 120 fps. The remastering of the OST for Reload is amazing. Giving voices to the social links was by far an amazing move to make. There’s even the UI that looks gorgeous and is a clear sign that Persona 5 greatly influenced this upgrade.
However, one of my biggest gripes with the remake has to be resolution options. Choosing Fullscreen, you also choose the resolution, and oh my god does it go nuts. Even if you put the same resolution that your monitor uses, it shrinks everything and gives it black borders. The only option that can give you a full screen is Borderless Fullscreen.
There’s even the weird fact that the game is completely pauses, even though it’s borderless full-screen mode. I have both watched and heard others stating they don’t like the new OST, but I like it. Sure, the music in Reload can’t compare to the original soundtrack, but that was its aim. This is a whole new being that is trying to be as memorable as its predecessor. Heck, I’m still listening to Full Moon Full Life on repeat through the Atlus YouTube channel.
Longevity
Now bear with me when it comes to the longevity of Persona 3 Reload. If it’s anything like Persona 3 FES, this game has over 100 hours of story, side content and grinding. With me, I have a habit of making an Excel sheet of optimizing my run and maxing out my stats. With the social links to get a chance for a secret fight if you know who it is. I can already see myself dropping about 140 hours just to get every achievement for this game.
There’s also the fun part of doing New Game+ and having maxed out stats. Now I can tell Yukari that it was fate…or not.
Final Thoughts
But, even if the knowledge from the past is slightly helpful, that can only take me so far. Getting to experience Persona 3 Reload practically through a clean slate felt great. It almost felt as if I was in high school on my PSP enjoying every single minute. Having the waves of nostalgia really reminds me of my first intro to the Persona series.
Even with the auto function turning itself off even new cutscene does seem a bit weird. I’ll still love my experience through Tartarus and Gekkoukan High School in a new way. Though, I still wished they’d give the protag his ability to use all weapon types again. Another small note, the difference in OST when entering battle. The music changed from a sneak attack, a normal attack or getting caught off-guard.
Also, SAVE OFTEN! There is no auto-save!
Persona 3 Reload receives the Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received to write this review.
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