You know, its funny. When I first told a friend of mine that I was gonna play Persona 3 on an emulator he told me to install a mod that adds controllable party members. I get why this mod exists and will be the definitive way that most people approach Persona 3’s gameplay, but the Tactics system acts as a summary to one of the game’s greatest strengths: treating it’s characters like people. You play the part of a commander that prescribes a general flow of battle rather than some far-off omnipotent being that extends its will over your party members, who learn to cherish each other and work harder together (symbolised by gaining new tactics after a full-moon mission). SEES wasn’t exactly the closest group of friends nor did they amazing chemistry with eachother, but they have been the only Persona party members to feel like a team of authentic, real people. Characters won’t develop in single, one-off “chunks” only to never really be relevant again, instead oftentimes have intricate and multifaceted arcs that occur naturally over the course of the game. They sometimes get tired and have to take a few days off, or need to take exams, or grieve the death of someone who you (the protagonist) never got to know well and will be subsequently unable to visit Tartarus.

It’s certainly unconventional, but the Tactics system and the many other small instances of micromanagement teaches the player to make the most of their time with the people they love while they still have it. No Persona game comes close to tying it’s themes into the gameplay so effortlessly and as a result Persona 3 is easily my favourite game from what I’ve played of the series and has quickly become one of my favourite games of all time. It’s just completely authentic. Engaging with it’s source material in a multitude of complex but with earnest, deeply human sensibilities. I don’t think I’ll ever play something like P3 ever again.