Persona 3 Reload is a remake of the original Persona 3 game(s). Its one of those games that a remake made sense for the bring it graphically up-to-date and introduce it to modern audiences who couldn’t play it or were not around when the original(s) came out. I personally only got into Persona from Persona 5, which is the case for a lot of the modern player base as of writing. Given the original came out in 2007, I was a bit young to be playing it and honestly didn’t have a console etc to actually play it anyways.
With that in mind, I was coming into this game with some knowledge. No matter how hard I tried, some spoilers did come my way. I knew the ending was long fight and the protagonist died. The theme of death was obvious to me as well. What I didn’t know is much on the actual story etc and how it got there other than a really big tower that everyone hated.
After I had finished Persona 5 Royal back in 2022/23, I made a start on Persona 3 Portable and got through about 2/5ths of the game before the original leaks of a potential remake were out. Once that happened I decided to hop onto Persona 4 Golden instead as Persona 3 Portable was certainly showing its age compared to 5. I also got through Persona 5 Strikers at the same time, though that took some adjusting to as I like having time to plan things out properly.
Once the remake came out I was hiped to play it. Taking a couple days off work to give it a play on release day. The early game I already knew having started portable. Though the upgrade in graphics and voice acting on the dialogue made it a much nicer experience. That and the updated battle mechanics and Tartaus being made somewhat bearable thanks to the party mood system being removed. While I can appreciate the idea behind the mechanic for realism, it certinaly made the game a lot less fun. They also added a similar baton-pass style mechanic which is a massive help to.
The story has a heavy focus on death and the emotions around it. Out of the recent 3 persona games this is the darkest by far. The arcana also plays a bigger role in this game than the others. The group dynamic is good between the party and you can see how they would get along well. Reload adds some additional character moments which are nice and help bring extra life to them. While I was playing Portable, I certainly found it hard to connect with them, it was much easier in reload. The addition of fully voiced social links was great as well.
I certainly appreciated that they didn’t pull any punches here. While a bit dark, I prefer if a character takes a mortal wound, that they don’t survive it. It happens far too often in today’s media where the main cast can just get away with anything. A game that isn’t afraid to kill off main characters on both sides is good in my opinion.
Out of all the characters I think Aigis is my favorite. You see her go from a kind of clueless robot into a true human in all bar body. She also has some awesome moves and is pivotal in the ending which is a real emotional rollercoaster. I instantly trusted her intuition that Ryuri was not a good guy. Likely missing some character moments with him, as if I was in the protagonist’s shoes, I would’ve stayed clear of him. The back story and resolve to protect also resonated with me. She stayed in my party the moment I could have her in, even in the hermit arcana fight, given she’s weak to electricity.
For me this games ending hit me the most out of the Persona endings to date. While P5R’s ending was also really good. I felt more emotion in the ending cutscene here. I still tear up a little re-watching it to this day. The dialogue and soundtrack make it a real emotional moment. I also loved the touch with the main menu after you beat the game, showing the passing and hope for the future.
The UI redesign is top-notch as you’d expect from Atlas. Managing to keep it on theme with the mood and drifting away and still being usable and stylish. I remember seeing a lot of outrage online of some not being happy about the gun barrel UI not being used in the battles. I honestly didn’t mind the change and preferred not having to cycle through options constantly.
As for the soundtrack, this is one of the few instances where some of the remake tracks actually sounded worse to me. For me the worst change has got to be Deep Breath, Deep Breath -Reload-. I much prefer the older style on the track. Changing Season -Reload- was okay, though I would have preferred a mix of both vocal placements, the french in the empty space from the older track would’ve been a nice touch. The new intro song Full Moon Full Life was great, Deep Mentality -Reload- still as good as the original along with Master of Tartarus -Reload-. Memories of You -Reload- sounds good, though I think I mildly prefer the original. My favorite and new personal favorite for the series to date is Color Your Night. I could happily have that on loop for hours, it’s such a chill song and a great fit in-game.
Overall, it’s a really good game to play and I highly recommend it. Just like Persona 4 & 5. If you’re new to the series I’d still play Persona 5 Royal first, as it does a really good job introducing the mechanics in its opening act compared to the rest of the series.
