An injury sustained during combat with a Shadow holds him back for a little while, but ever eager to get back into the ring, he soon recovers and returns to his place on the front lines.

In battle, she fires off an arsenal of weapons built into her mechanical body. Her unique Persona is Palladion, specializing in physical and support skills.

I fully appreciate this improvement to the presentation, as the well-done voice acting made the Social Link interactions much more enjoyable to sit through and had me more invested in their stories than in the original version, where they were mostly unvoiced.

If that doesn’t sound appealing, you’re better off looking for more traditional JRPGs with more grounded settings where you go off on a journey to explore the world and save it from evil villains.

And the original story stands the test of time because of how sharp it was in bringing those darker themes together. Several characters examine their will to live when there's so much suffering to endure, but Persona 3 fires back with fulfilling, bittersweet answers that it doesn’t always have to outright say.

Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn more

However, in an interview with Famitsu, translated by Siliconera, the development team confirmed that the focus will be on the base version of the game. According to Personal 3 Reload producer Ryouta Niizuma, the game “…is a project that prioritized remaking the original Persona 3 for modern consoles.

Overall, I really enjoyed all the gameplay improvements and additions Persona 3 Reload has brought. It’s made combat more enjoyable and less stressful since I don’t have to worry about AI making decisions for my comrades.

Your browser isn’t supported anymore. Update it to get the best YouTube experience and our latest features. Learn more

The new, upbeat battle theme “It’s Going Down” you hear when surprise attacking enemies during exploration complements the soulful classic “Mass Destruction” nicely, and I didn’t mind failing to jump the enemy so I could sing along with an enthusiastic "Ooooh yeah! Dada-dada, dada-dada!" the same as I did years ago. However, it’s the beautifully chill night time theme “Color Your Night” that sets the mood with familiar instrumentation and lyrics that wistfully reflect on the events of Persona 3 – I can guarantee it’ll become a fan favorite.

He also envisioned slower animations and softer aesthetics in the menus, in order to contrast Persona 5's emphasis on aggressive movements and pop-punk influences, deriving inspiration from the sea surrounding Tatsumi Port Island, the game's primary setting. A special 3D character model of the protagonist was created by the animation team for use exclusively in the game's menus, with a large number of animation skeletons and polygons used to express the character's emotions, and the shimmering effect conveying the feeling of being submerged in water. Kumagai stressed that it was equally important that the team retained the ease of navigation and responsiveness present in Persona 5's user interface.

That makes it easy for me to get caught up in the hype of Persona 3 Reload, but it also sets the bar as high as Tartarus as this remake tries to recapture the magic of its original versions. But after spending 70 hours playing through it, I can pelo longer imagine Persona 3 without Reload. It's a shining example of seemingly small changes adding up to make a significant impact, uplifting its greatest qualities while staying true to the source material. And it more than proves why the darkest and boldest Persona yet deserved this new lease on life.

As she is the head of the fencing team, she wields one-handed swords in battle. Her unique Persona is Penthesilea, specializing in ice and healing skills.

As is tradition for Shin Megami Tensei games, the turn-based RPG combat revolves around accounting for elemental affinities, knocking down enemies to earn Em excesso turns, and persona 3 reload gameplay setting up those iconic All-Out Attacks. Persona 3 Reload uses the same foundation as the original but builds upon it in ways that mitigate the monotony of churning through battle after battle. The aforementioned Theurgy attacks are relegated to a meter that fills during fights, each serving a strategic purpose given their limited use and character-specific effects, be that massive damage or major stat buffs – and they all come with some fantastic animations, too.