Good game, but the jank of being a clearly priority B project remake shows in all aspects of it: Rather than elevating 3 to the mechanical standards of its successors, Reload is akin more to a fresh coat of paint, adding plenty of needed combat and QoL improvements but still retaining plenty of the jank of the original. Tartarus is still braindead, the pacing of all the different segments of the game are still off with a truckload of pointless empty time in the closing months of the game, most non-endgame Persona's kits and stats feel like they were decided by throwing darts at a board, making the MC feel weirdly gimped for a substantial amount of the game, and there is simply a general lack of meaningful and varied content. Social Links are also fairly underwhelming for the most part, but on the other hand I think many could appreciate their more down-to-earth-ness, and I suppose work well within the themes of this particular game.

Still, it's Persona, it's good and fun even though it definitely overstays its welcome, and I can clearly see why so many people resonate with its meditations on death, though I personally feel like it would've definitely benefitted from not having the subtlety of a sledgehammer in its storytelling. Still, again, this is Persona, a series that is ultimately made for teenagers who have not yet stopped to think about these issues, and so this type of storytelling might be a necessity. Persona 4 was that for me in my teen years, and so I won't hold 3 in any contempt either.

Ultimately Persona 3 is a game about how, when faced with the inevitability of the end of all—life, relationships, family, etc— one must treasure all the diverse bonds we craft during our lives that makes us who we are, which is why you should go and befriend at least two people who are constantly trying to scam you.