REVIEW: ‘Persona 3 Reload’ Hits The Mark (PC)

Persona 3 is the fourth main installment in Atlus’ Persona franchise. It’s been almost two decades since the game was initially released on the PlayStation 2 back in 2006. Now, in 2023, the title has been remade with several updates in Persona 3 Reload. It does a great job of retaining all of the original game’s charm while introducing new features that appeal to modern players.

Persona 3 Reload follows the protagonist, who can be given any name. He travels to the small Japanese city of Tatsumi Port Island to transfer to his new school, Gekkoukan High. Shortly after arriving on the island, he arrives late from the train station one day and notices the whole town is empty. Nothing but blood and coffins populate the streets.

The odd occurrences in town result from the Dark Hour, a time when malicious creatures known as Shadows appear and prey on humans. One thing leads to another, and the protagonist learns he has the ability to call upon his Persona, which he can use to fight against the Shadows. Upon acquiring this ability, the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES) swiftly recruits him. His dorm mates formed the group and are determined to fend off the shadows and uncover the way to halt the Dark Hour.

The narrative is arguably the best part of the game. Persona 3 Reload does not change the game’s story in any way. Players follow the protagonist’s journey as he juggles meeting people, forming bonds, and attending classes with his responsibilities saving the world. Throughout his journey, you’ll see him and his teammates go through tragic events and make sacrifices and tough decisions to accomplish their goals.

What distinguishes Persona 3 ‘s story from its successors is that it notably features more depressing themes. Most characters have complex and rough backgrounds or circumstances. This ranges from a character overworking and another being bullied. Several characters have rough family situations. The protagonist is also notably more mysterious than other protagonists from the series. Most of the game shrouds his origins in mystery, but eventually, you’ll discover that there’s a reason.

However, while darker than other games, the narrative is still incredibly engaging. It remains one of the most captivating stories in the series, even a decade and a half later. The only negative is that, unlike its successors, Persona 3’s story takes a long time to actually get rolling. You won’t get to the first major part of the story and its first boss until over ten hours into the game. Even then, there won’t be a lot of story progression yet. Major beats take even more time to get to. The story is unchanged from the original version, so if you’ve played any version of the game recently, there won’t be much to engage you narratively.

Persona 3 Reload does bring fresh changes with its movements and additional features. Playing on a PC or next-gen console will offer players up to 120 FPS and quick loading times. Additionally, the game adds new animations mostly seen while exploring Tartarus, the game’s combat hub and main mega-dungeon. Players can now swing their swords multiple times at an enemy and move faster than ever with new noticeable animations for running, stopping, and more.

Speaking of Tartarus, the dungeon now has an improved look with detailed reflections, improved lighting, and newer models. However, it is worth pointing out that the procedurally generated one-dungeon system does not age well. Players who have experienced other titles and have been spoiled with different dynamic dungeons to navigate and explore will especially struggle. In contrast, Tartarus is quite the opposite. While different areas have slightly different looks and color palettes, the structure is still very much the same throughout. As such, exploring several samey floors throughout the game gets old quickly.

The gameplay in Reload remains the same as in the original. Players fight turn-based battles with the option to control each party member using their Persona’s skills. These skills can either be magic or physical. Each character also has the option of using their melee weapons.

Players gather XP by defeating enemies and bosses and collect Personas with the same random Shuffle Time system seen in Persona 4. The mechanic provides players with either health, extra XP,  or new Personas if they’re lucky. It’s worth noting that Persona 3‘s combat is one of the most challenging in the series, especially when playing on the more advanced difficulty settings. Enemies won’t be afraid to chase you down once they’ve spotted you. They’ll relentlessly exploit your party’s weaknesses when given the opportunity.

Along with quality of life changes, the remake also adds the critical Shift mechanic. This lets players pass their turn to another party member for more strategic options. It also introduces Theurgy, a new combat feature that allows players to unleash a devastating version of an All-Out Attack once they’ve filled up its bar. Overall, the combat system is still excellent, and if you’re a Persona fan, you won’t find any faults with it.

Other notable changes include the removal of the annoying fatigue mechanic, which previously saw party members leaving when they were out of SP. The remake also adds new character conversations in dungeons, the new Twilight Fragment which unlocks certain items, a Rewind system that lets players go back to a free period in a save slot to redo things if needed, and more. These changes make the game less intense and more functional, accessible, and engaging.

Outside Tartarus, players can spend time with characters and progress their Social Links for gameplay bonuses. They can also increase their social stats to unlock more gameplay options. You can work in a cafe to increase your charm or sing karaoke alone to increase courage. You can also play random video games in an arcade to increase random stats. While short-lived, these activities make the game more entertaining with their variety.

An interesting activity players indulge in Persona 3 Reload is using the shared computer. Players use it to get programs that increase stats and expose new secrets about the town. This, in turn, allows them to unlock new dialogue options and areas and collect new items. The computer can be a godsend, especially to players who pay attention to what it offers.

Players can get closer to their dorm mates through new additions like Dorm Activities, involving activities like cooking or reading. As a bonus, doing them also rewards you with items that help out in battles. The Dorm Activities greatly expand the game and allow players to learn more about their favorite characters.

All that said, Persona 3 Reload still lacks much to do compared to other Persona games. This mainly stems from the fact that Iwatodai Port Island is quite small, so the activities are limited. These activities may become tiresome for some players after the first twenty hours or so, especially those who are returning Persona players,

The obvious new change players will notice is the new visuals. Persona 3 Reload updates the game’s look with an incredible new blend of 2D and 3D models, newly made animated cutscenes, a fresh, beautiful, and dynamic UI, new textures, newly designed areas, more vibrant colors, and more flashy effects. The team at Atlus did impeccably updating the game’s looks with new visual features.

Because of these updates, the remake is now in tow with a modern game like Persona 5 Royal, despite all the character and monster designs mainly remaining the same since the game’s original launch. The only noticeably disappointing aspect of the visuals is the background character models. These models are dull and sorely lack detail. Some don’t even have faces, making it quite jarring when you enter locations like the game’s nightclub, Escapade.

The game’s remade soundtrack is just fantastic, though. It features remade tracks of songs seen in the original release. This includes new songs for several times during the day and for specific locations. There’s also dynamic versions of songs heard during battles, which changes with each scenario.  For example, a different song will play if you get an advantage over a shadow than when you start combat normally. These new changes make the remake feel unique, refreshing, and downright engaging.

Overall, Persona 3 Reload is a fantastic remake with amazing features. It would’ve been nice to include extra content seen in the game’s re-releases, such as Persona 3 FES’ “The Answer” epilogue and Portable‘s female protagonist options. But the remake more than makes up for it with all the new changes and upgrades. While far from perfect, the game still stands out as one of the best remakes. It’s a title Persona fans will be proud of.

Persona 3 Reload is available now for  PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store.