Persona 3 Reload Review: Brand New Days

Like millions of others around the globe, Persona is a series that I've only started to really get into over the past few years. After playing Persona 5 Royal upon its launch in 2019, I've since started to revisit some older entries in the series, all of which I have greatly loved. Knowing that Persona 3 was getting a new remake in the form of Persona 3 Reload, though, I opted to hold off on playing the original P3 (or P3P) in favor of experiencing the game for the first time with this new version. Having now done so, I'm even more thrilled that Atlus chose to bring back Persona 3 as it's an RPG that still stands toe-to-toe with some of the best of the genre. 

Per usual, Persona 3 Reload centers around a cast of high schoolers that use supernatural powers to take on dark forces that are slowing harming the world. Reload doesn't differ any any drastic ways from the original Persona 3, which makes this an incredibly faithful remake. Given that this is my first time playing Persona 3, I can't speak to any differences that might be found with the story in this iteration. That being said, the tone and larger themes of P3 remain intact with Reload, making for one of the most unique Persona games in the franchise. 

Compared to later installments, I do think that Persona 3's story lacks a bit of cohesion, especially out of the gate. Key plot elements such as the Dark Hour and Apathy Syndrome are glossed over a bit flippantly at first to the point where it's a bit hard to understand your overall goal. As Persona 3 Reload continues, though, its story becomes much stronger and is primarily amplified by some fantastic character work. The Social Links in P3R, in particular, are some of my favorites in the series and are very much worth going out of your way to experience in full. 

Gameplay-wise, Persona 3 Reload keeps many of the standard turn-based mechanics from the larger series while folding in others that were seen in Persona 5 Royal. At a baseline level, you'll use weapons, fists, and abilities from your titular Personas to take on different Shadows and bosses. Elements such as the Baton Pass from P5R are found here in Reload, but Atlus does implement a few wholly new mechanics as well. My favorite new feature, Theurgies, allows the main protagonist (and other ally characters) to unleash incredibly powerful moves that can deal huge amounts of damage. These attacks all come with stylish animations that I loved watching each time around. Theurgies don't completely change combat in P3R, but they do freshen the game up quite a bit and bring one more layer of depth. 

One thing that might be more apparent to those like myself who have never played Persona 3 before is that the game is much smaller in scope compared to later entries. There are only a handful of in-world hubs to visit, most of which are unlocked in the game's earliest hours. Given that this is an RPG that lasts dozens of hours, more locales begin to become available as the experience continues onward. At its core, though, this very much does still feel like a PS2 game in terms of its scale.

This remains true as well with Tartarus, which has always been the one big sticking point of Persona 3 for many. While later entries introduced hand-crafted dungeons, Tartarus is a singular, sprawling labyrinth that is ever-evolving and randomly generated. To that end, Reload hasn't done a whole lot to make Tartarus more compelling, even for a newcomer like myself. This is an area that at times can feel like it is dragging on with no end in sight. It's clear why Atlus moved on from this type of dungeon in later entries, but if nothing else, Reload doesn't make many compromises to the format of Tartarus, which I very much do appreciate. 

If there was one aspect of Persona 3 that I was incredibly familiar with before Reload, it would be the game's stellar soundtrack. Rather than simply recycle all of the fantastic tracks from Persona 3 here in Reload, though, Atlus chose to re-record every song in the game (and add a couple of new ones), which I think is something that largely works well. While the songs themselves are the same, some of the instrumentation and vocals are different, which leads to Reload's score sounding fresh. This is also true of the game's voice cast, which features new actors in all major roles. As someone who doesn't have a connection with the original cast, it's hard for me to compare this cast to the previous one, but I found the voice work here in Reload to be one of its strongest components. 

More often than not, when a game from the past is remade, it ends up coming back with excellent graphics and heightened performance capabilities. With Persona 3 Reload, the biggest improvements on this front are less with the actual graphics and more with the style. Obviously, Reload looks drastically better compared to the original Persona 3, but it's the game's artwork that has been overhauled the most. Reload features some slick menus and revamped cutscenes, all of which look stunning. At times, Reload feels like it's trying to a bit too blatantly rip off the look of Persona 5, but that doesn't prevent it from being a visual treat all the same. 

Persona 3 Reload definitely still feels dated in some areas, which isn't always expected from a modern remake. Despite this, some of these older aspects of Reload are what I came to appreciate the more that I played. Atlus isn't trying to create the best all-around modern Persona game with P3R, it's instead simply trying to create the best version of Persona 3 by combining everything from the original with some enjoyable new mechanics and aesthetic tweaks. To that end, I have a hard time believing that newcomers or veterans of Persona 3 will be anything other than delighted with Reload. 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Persona 3 Reload is set to release on February 2, 2024, and will come to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC. An advance copy of the game on PS5 was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.