i might be biased in this review because i had the whole story spoiled for me because i actually had dropped this game twice(over the course of a year), watched the movies and figured that would be my p3 experience. there was always something in my head telling me to play it, so i finally cracked and decided to beat it and not drop it. going in knowing everything made me enjoy it less, probably. and that kinda sucks. but it is what it is.

8/10

i dont like the gameplay. tactics is fine when it works, and is a pretty cool concept. makes you feel like youre actually leading a group, lol. however it doesnt work a lot of the time. even then, my biggest critique on the gameplay is how rng based it is. it is very clearly the first incarnation of the one more system, and thats a theme youll see a lot with this game. growing pains. they struck gold with the hybrid rpg-social sim but there are visible growing pains from the transition of what p1 and 2 were to what it the series became that wouldnt be ironed out to perfection till 4 and 5. some examples are better gameplay and party member social links for the dudes, and not forcing a harem. despite all this, persona 3 still feels the most organic of the nusona trilogy to me. the characters dont just congregate around the mc, they each have their own aspirations and connections to other party members. their second awakening isnt tied to the protag. the characters can't go to tartarus some days because they have other stuff to do. all this makes it feel like a very organic experience, wheras in 4 and 5 it can feel like the world revolves around you. hmmm what else...
the soundtrack is banging as expected. i think i prefer the movie osts more tho. cant go wrong with light in starless sky

i enjoyed my time with persona 3. i think its the weakest in the nusona trilogy, but im a sucker for the persona games and thus i still enjoyed it a fuck ton. even cried at the ending despite knowing what would happen

pro tip: tartarus grinding is slow and boring,battle animations take forever que up some mid romcoms/slice of life anime and video essays on squeenix games to at least have something to listen/watch while going through tartarus. turbo mode is very helpful, lol