Persona 3 Reload is Amazing (so far)
As RPGs, and narrative-driven video games in general, have gotten longer and longer over the years, what used to be one of my favorite categories became one I simply didn’t have the time nor tolerance for anymore.
With 60+ hours for the main story now the norm, not to mention various side quests of unpredictable relevance that I’m never able to ignore — I kept finding myself not finishing games I was otherwise enjoying. I’d hit the end of the first or second act after several weeks, and if I ever took more than a couple of days break, I’d often lose track of the story or be discouraged by the realization that I still had several more weeks before possibly getting to the end.
Other than the Shadowrun Trilogy (all three of which came in under 40 hours and are arguably light RPGs), and Football Manager (the greatest RPG series without a fixed ending), it’s been a long run of mostly good games I haven’t finished over the past few years: Divinity: Original Sin, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, Cyberpunk 2077, as well as Gears 5, Dishonored 2, and Guardians of the Galaxy. None of them held my attention long enough for me to finish them, which has kept me from even considering more recent games I would probably enjoy, particularly Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader and Baldur’s Gate 3.
And then, I stumbled upon what is threatening to become one of my favorite games in a long time: Persona 3 Reload.
Broadly speaking, with the notable exception of a couple of Fire Emblem games (neither of which did I ever finish), I’ve never been a fan of JRPGs, quickly bouncing off the handful I’ve given a chance over the years, mostly because the narrative pacing and structure are different from what I’m used to. I think my continued immersion in manga has made me more receptive to those differences, though, and I started looking more closely at gameplay, particularly a tactical approach to combat, which is one of my favorites.
I’d been vaguely aware of the Persona setting because it has such a distinctive visual style, and Persona 5 Tactica piqued my interest when it was announced for Game Pass, my favorite way to explore new-to-me games. Everything I read about it, though, suggested familiarity with the original Persona 5 game made a big difference in its accessibility, so I passed on it.
Months later, Persona hit my radar again and, after watching a few videos comparing the games in the series, I decided Persona 3 Reload was the best place to start, particularly because it was available on Game Pass.
I purposefully avoided reading or watching anything about the game itself, including “X things you should know before playing…” lists, which can keep you from inadvertently making poor decisions you won’t be able to undo. As a remake of a nearly 20-year-old game, I wanted to see if the developers let any of that slip through, and if so, how much of it would actually affect my own experience.
40 Hours Later…
[NOTE: Mild spoilers ahead, but I haven’t finished the game, so YMMV.]
Because I’ve still avoided most spoilers and haven’t sought out any guides for maximizing my progression, I’ve simply been enjoying what the game has to offer — and, so far, it’s been amazing!
It took a while to get used to the game’s narrative structure and pacing, built around a daily calendar with (usually) three opportunities to choose between a varied mix of activities that can progress your character, your relationships with other characters, your Personas, and (maybe?) the underlying story itself.
I was surprised by how little combat there actually was at times, most of which is up to you to decide whether or not to engage in via explorations of Tartarus, the game’s primary dungeon/tower where most of the combat happens. If you decide to go fight every night to level up your character, your team, and everyone’s Personas, you’re missing opportunities to develop your social stats, which could lead to failing exams at school, or limit access to stronger Personas. If you prioritize social activities and studying, you risk getting your ass kicked in random boss encounters and critical combat sequences you can’t skip.
It’s a delicate balance, and the game provides subtle guardrails and signals throughout, while still giving you the freedom to prioritize character development however you want.
Personas are kind of like Pokemon, but somewhat bizarrely — and 40 hours in, still unexplained — you use an Evoker to summon them into battle. An Evoker (pictured above) looks like a gun, which you only ever use by putting it to your own head, “shooting” yourself to summon your Persona. It’s introduced in the game’s opening sequence, unexplained but clearly something unnerving to the first character you see attempt to use it, and then you use it yourself as if it’s a perfectly normal thing to do.
It’s probably the weirdest thing in a game full of otherwise delightful weirdness, and I had to poke around Reddit for an explanation — but there apparently isn’t one?!?
The tactical combat is great, also reminiscent of Pokemon’s strengths/weaknesses system but with more variety, and the execution is one of the best I’ve played, especially as your team and your own roster of Personas expands, partly influenced by decisions you’ve made in a variety of social situations. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that I’ve neither had to, nor wanted to, look up anything about how to play the game itself yet.
Enemy weaknesses? Trial and error. Best personas and party members? Don’t care. Best social links or social stats? Don’t care. I’m doing whatever seems fun or right to me.
Am I potentially setting myself up for missing out on important relationships and/or the “bad” ending I unfortunately know is a possibility? Maybe, but I’m going to enjoy the journey either way.
So far, I’ve prioritized 3 relationships (Justice, Emperor, Hierophant), two of which align to Personas I’m using a lot, one of which apparently has me on the verge of having a girlfriend?
About the Story
I wrote something recently about getting too old for some games, particularly long ones like this clearly will be, but there’s a different angle I hadn’t considered at that point: the story itself. Persona 3 Reload‘s main characters are all high school kids, and even though the original game came out in 2006, it’s full of 90s tropes and teenage stereotypes — including the frequently annoying girl-crazy team member, the comedy relief fat kid, and everyone is obsessed with their weight.
Early in the game, some of that was off-putting, but it gets weirder as certain social interactions are clearly leading into romance options, while the game’s underlying tone is also getting darker as the story’s bigger picture is slowly revealed.
I’ve never been a fan of romance options in RPGs because the mechanics behind them are usually so transparent that it kills any sense of immersion, particularly when the options feel overly binary. So far, Persona 3 Reload has kept the two storylines that seem to be heading towards romance from feeling too skeevy (reminder: these are all teenagers), especially because they’re tied to progressing your Personas. I haven’t chosen a dialogue option purely for the stat boost yet, but I’ve stalled a couple of non-romance options when their aligned Personas fell out of my rotation.
That aside, the overall story itself remains engaging, and every twist so far feels organic, with a few particularly emotional story beats so far. The voice acting is impressive throughout, too, and the whole thing is supported by one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a game, on par with the best of FIFA.
About the Soundtrack(s)
The Game Pass version of Persona 3 Reload includes all of the premium add-ons, and my absolute favorite is the collection of soundtracks from all three core Persona games (3, 4, 5), which turns an already good game into an amazing one that I frequently end up playing longer sessions than intended.
The first song that really stood out for me and got stuck in my head, “Backside of the TV,” is actually from Persona 4, but whenever it pops up while exploring Tartarus, it’s like a burst of adrenaline right before a fight starts. I ended up creating a playlist so I could listen throughout the day, which has also kept me coming back to the game almost every night. It’s one of the most righteous gameplay loops I’ve ever experienced, and if not for Game Pass, I’d happily pay full price for it.
Will it ultimately stick the landing? I have no idea, but at this point, I fully expect to see it through to the end. If nothing else, the journey so far will still be one of the most memorable I’ve had in gaming in many, many years.
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I started playing the Persona with the thieves and enjoyed it but need to get back into it. I finished Cyberpunk 2077 because it’s possibly my most favorite game ever made, but I’ve been having trouble finishing any game too, not because of lack of interest, but lack of time. I love Balders Gate 3 but I could play that for an hour and still feel like I didn’t do anything. It’s not a pick up and play game. I’m on act 3 and still have a ton left to do. same with a bunch of RPGs like Greedfall, which I also love because the setting is really cool, but I just left the opening area after a month of playing the game. I had it on the Xbox for years and didn’t even open it.
I’ve been trying to play more narrative based games that play like books lately. I feel they can often be picked up and put down easily and they also usually have engaging story and very little stopping you from proceeding with the story for any reason.
I bailed on Cyberpunk after the first act because the story wasn’t working for me enough to dig into the game’s various mechanics, but my son (with way more free time in his hands) loved it, despite its flaws. Narrative length and systems bloat are a problem with a lot of AAA games these days, though, which is partly why roguelites have become a recent favorite of mine.
Yeah I just don’t have the time for the meandering anymore. Though something about Cyberpunk’s world just sucked me in where I can just wander around that place and be happy just fooling around.
I was enjoying the Persona 5 game before I stopped. That was on game pass too. It had way more style than most games.
The art style is what first caught my attention, and I love that they updated 3 to align with 5’s visuals.