Last time I played this was in 2012 or so on my PS Vita. My first SMT and Persona game, and while I loved it, it wasn’t until Persona 4 Golden that I got emotional rolling the credits.
Things are way different now. While in 2012 I was a weird kid graduating high school, in 2024 I have a wife and newborn. I am no longer “Persona age,” as it were. So while 17 year old me was sad Naoto wasn’t real, 29 year old me plays this feeling wistful and nostalgic about the way life used to be.
But other than that change in perspective, playing Persona 3 Reload now feels like playing Persona 4 Golden or Persona 5 for the first time. I did my daily life, got into several relationships (tho Yuko #1), chose some silly answers, fused some Judeo-Christian-inspired demons, and felt an empty void by the time I reached credits (the mark of a good Persona game!). I didn't feel as strongly my first time around.
To the credit of this remake, I have very little idea which content is new and which isn’t. Like, obviously the Theurgy stuff, but even that is so well integrated I find myself doubting that. Everything feels so smooth, and the QOL improvements (faster battles and no more getting tired at Tartarus!!!) maintain the feel of the original game while refreshing it for a Persona 5 fanbase. It’s beautifully presented, and the music pops off just as much as you hope. It’s all just elegant, and it all just works.
You can nitpick which Persona game is your favorite or be confused about why the Persona team didn’t integrate the second MC (who could almost certainly only be integrated into Portable because that game is mostly text and not powered by HD assets), but for my money, this is the perfect remake of a game that needed one. Other than maybe wishing the FES stuff was here now instead of DLC (most likely), I have zero notes.
My heart aches yet again, Persona. Good to be back.
Things are way different now. While in 2012 I was a weird kid graduating high school, in 2024 I have a wife and newborn. I am no longer “Persona age,” as it were. So while 17 year old me was sad Naoto wasn’t real, 29 year old me plays this feeling wistful and nostalgic about the way life used to be.
But other than that change in perspective, playing Persona 3 Reload now feels like playing Persona 4 Golden or Persona 5 for the first time. I did my daily life, got into several relationships (tho Yuko #1), chose some silly answers, fused some Judeo-Christian-inspired demons, and felt an empty void by the time I reached credits (the mark of a good Persona game!). I didn't feel as strongly my first time around.
To the credit of this remake, I have very little idea which content is new and which isn’t. Like, obviously the Theurgy stuff, but even that is so well integrated I find myself doubting that. Everything feels so smooth, and the QOL improvements (faster battles and no more getting tired at Tartarus!!!) maintain the feel of the original game while refreshing it for a Persona 5 fanbase. It’s beautifully presented, and the music pops off just as much as you hope. It’s all just elegant, and it all just works.
You can nitpick which Persona game is your favorite or be confused about why the Persona team didn’t integrate the second MC (who could almost certainly only be integrated into Portable because that game is mostly text and not powered by HD assets), but for my money, this is the perfect remake of a game that needed one. Other than maybe wishing the FES stuff was here now instead of DLC (most likely), I have zero notes.
My heart aches yet again, Persona. Good to be back.