Persona 3 Reload is great for newcomers, but old fans may be left behind
PERSONA 3 Reload is the fourth release of the game that originally launched in the PS2 era and is a thorough remake of Persona 3.
It brings updates across the board, but also lacks some features available in other versions.
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Longtime Persona 3 fans remember the release of Persona 3 FES, an expanded version that added an epilogue to the story.
Persona 3 also received an enhanced re-release as Persona 3 Portable for the PSP, which received the remaster treatment in 2023, bringing that version to modern consoles.
With the massive success of Persona 5, it only made sense that publisher Atlus would want to release a full remake of one of the series' best games for new fans to enjoy.
Every re-release of Persona 3 has added something new while missing something from the versions that came before it, and Persona 3 Reload is no different.
Persona 3 FES was a post-game expansion with some much-needed improvements to the original game.
Portable added a female protagonist, changed the story a bit, and brought new social links to the game, but lacked the additional content from FES.
Persona 3 Reload is a complete remake of the original game, updating P3 with new visuals, music, and new mechanics that put it on par with Persona 5.
Expect stylish menus, transitions and animations from P5, modern graphics, but also overly long cutscenes for special attacks that you can't skip.
Combat brings the switching system from Persona 5 and a new powerful attack called Theurgy, which you need to charge up before you can use it.
Tartarus, the main dungeon in P3, has a brand new look and new underpowered Great Clocks party members are automatically leveled to your level.
This and the addition of armor specific to your party members encourages you to switch characters during battle more often than in previous versions of P3.
New scenes have been added with characters who have no social ties, to compensate for the male lead being the only option to play.
Despite the welcome additions and updated graphics, Reload does not include the female protagonist available in Portable, or the additional epilogue chapter from FES.
Nevertheless, Persona 3 Reload is a great version of one of the best games in the series.
It will certainly appeal more to recent fans of the franchise, who hopped on board when Persona 5 came out.
Still, long-time Persona 3 fans will be left wanting more, as Reload is yet another P3 release that falls short of being a 'definitive edition'.
Rating: 4/5
If you're looking for more reviews of recent game releases, check out our Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review.
Written by Stoyan Ovcharov on behalf of GLHF.
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