Persona 3 Reload review: The franchise's best game got even better

With Persona 3 Reload, Atlus is set to introduce one of its biggest titles to the modern audience. Persona 3 holds a special place in the hearts of JRPG fans, and despite receiving two separate versions (FES and Portable), it appears that many of us want to return to the streets of Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island.

To say I was hyped when Persona 3 Reload was announced is a massive understatement. I immediately wishlisted the game on Steam when its page went live and waited patiently for my turn.

I am relatively new to the franchise, and my journey began with Persona 4 Golden when it was released on the PC. After departing from the platform of rural Inaba, my train took me to the urban metropolis of Tokyo, and stealing people's hearts alongside the Phantom Thieves was my favorite tale at that point. That is till I played Persona 3 Portable.

Portable offered something that I loved and other things that I disliked. While the story, in my opinion, is the finest that this Japanese role-playing series has to offer, its outdated dungeon crawling made me want to quit the game several times. But I am glad I didn't because when the credits rolled in, I was left awestruck.

Persona 3 Reload promises to bring that amazing story to life, supported by updated gameplay and visuals. But how does Atlus's remake of one of its best titles fare against other JRPGs, and does it live up to the hype? Let's delve into this review of Persona 3 Reload and find out the answer.

An unforgettable high school journey

The contract has been signed. You are in control of your destiny (Image via Atlus) s)

The Persona franchise has always placed a huge emphasis on being a high school student ever since its inception in 1996. Every entry revolves around a group of high schoolers who fight god-like entities using their power. Persona 3 Reload takes you through the life of a student attending a Japanese school.

The unnamed protagonist (Makoto Yuki in various other media) is your blank canvas, and it's your choices that ultimately shape him to be the hero he is destined to be. It is up to you how you wish to spend your time in Persona 3 Reload, whether you want to sleep in class to test your courage or study vigorously. If you want to hang out and form ties with people, you can meet at school and around town or spend time goofing around on Port Island and Iwatodai.

Persona 3 Reload enhances Tatsumi Port Island and Iwatodai with new colors

Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island look excellent (Image via Atlus)

The city of Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island are the main hubs for you in the game. Atlus has carefully crafted each part of the environment, which makes Persona 3 Reload one of the best-looking JRPGs. Whether it's the bright atrium of Paulownia Mall or the main lobby of Iwatodai Student Dorm, each location from the game looks fantastic.

The Strip Mall has also changed, as you can now traverse seamlessly across the three floors of the location. Thanks to Atlus' utilization of Unreal Engine 4, each section of the town feels more alive and filled with NPCs.

Tartarus and Dark Hour - Combat and Dungeon Exploration

Exploring Tartarus never felt better (Image via Atlus)

The best part about Persona 3 Reload, except the story, is the Tartarus dungeon. While this tower of Hell was a bit difficult to explore in the previous iterations of the game, Reload perfects Tartarus by improving the gameplay a lot. The first thing you will notice when entering this massive dungeon is that instead of a top-down view, you will get an over-the-shoulder viewpoint.

This makes scouting for objects and enemies ahead of your path easier. Tartarus also hosts eerie-looking structures with a glow that will give you various items. The dungeon of Reload will feel akin to Mementos from Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal: procedurally generated dungeons with enemies crawling that you can either confront or avoid while moving on to the next floor.

Another great thing about Persona 3 Reload's labyrinthian tower is that there are teleportation points on various floors. You can use these devices to return to the starting area and change team composition for upcoming battles before returning.

The combat of Persona 3 Reload is also fantastic. Most of the time, you can attack shadows first and gain an advantage thanks to the smoother controls of modern-day hardware. Atlus has also included various tweaks to the gameplay

While the previous releases of the original Persona 3, FES, and Portable were restricted due to hardware of that age, the developers took full advantage of modern hardware, introducing unique animations for each character. If a party member scores a critical hit using their normal attack, they each receive a unique animation; if you trigger a weakness using your Persona, you get a different one.

Combine that with a few key systems from Persona 5 Royal, such as the Baton Pass system (called Shifting in Persona 3 Reload) and each character having their distinct set of ultimate abilities, you get the best combat loop in the franchise.

Persona 3 Reload soundtracks - It's amazing!

Mass Destruction is one of the most iconic Persona soundtracks (Image via Atlus)

Persona franchise has always boasted some high-quality songs you can listen to many times and still enjoy as much as you did the first time. The OSTs for the game are identical to previous releases, except every track has been produced from scratch. The already fantastic tracks by Shoji Meguro have been given a new life by Atsushi Kitajoh.

The compositions with vocals may be hit or miss for some, but I loved them. Like always, Lotus Juice still delivers a phenomenal performance, and Azumi Takahashi does a fantastic job that can match Yumi Kawamura's legendary singing for the prior titles.

Mass Destruction, the main battle track for all the Persona 3 iterations, has been refined to match the high-paced gameplay of Reload. That, along with the other battle OSTs in the game, feel much more unsettling, making each battle more intense compared to the original

The game's opening soundtrack, Full Moon Full Life, has become my favorite, alongside Burn My Dread from the original Persona 3 and Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There from Persona 5.

Some additional noticeable changes

Persona 3 Reload offers a few welcome changes (Image via Atlus)

Persona 3 Reload includes some wonderful additions that make the game experience fresh. During their gameplay, veteran players will notice that the dates of several events have been altered. Aside from that, Gekkoukan High School will also assess your general knowledge as each question has been changed from the original Persona 3, FES, or Portable.

Another major update is the addition of several mechanics within Tartarus. Leveling up your team has become easier thanks to the additional content inside the tower. One such mechanic is the addition of Twilight Fragments, which players may use to gain access to high-level chests in Tartarus.

I will not delve into further details as I want everyone to experience these changes and additions for themselves.

Performance issues and bugs

The arcana is the means by which all is revealed (Image via Atlus)

One thing that comes to many players' minds while purchasing a new title is that the game is properly optimized. If you are one of them, you can put your worries to rest, as Atlus has done a great job of optimizing Persona 3 Reload. I've faced no major bugs during my playtime, and the game ran at a solid 70 FPS on my system, which has the following specs:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 @ 4.2 GHz
GPU: 4GB Nvidia GTX 1650 Super
RAM: 16GB DDR4

The only glitch I've encountered was a minor visual glitch that was fixed once I switched to Borderless from Fullscreen in the video options for the game. Besides that, the game ran perfectly fine.

A few gripes with Persona 3 Reload

Increasing Social Stats will take a chunk of your playtime (Image via Atlus)

My issues with Persona 3 Reload are very minuscule, and it honestly comes down to a personal opinion. After experiencing the well-crafted Social Links in Persona 5 Royal, especially with people outside of the main cast of Phantom Thieves, my expectations were pretty high. Some of the Social Links in Portable felt lackluster, and I was expecting some improvements.

Needless to say, this game remains similar to the original, which means the Social Links are pretty much the same. Some of these bonding moments with other characters lack that punch that one can expect from a modern Persona title. While it is necessarily not a bad thing, it still feels like a missed chance that Atlus could've worked and improved upon.

Another issue that I thought could've been improved in Persona 3 Reload also corresponds to how Social Links worked in the original game. Some of the best Social Links have been locked behind Social Stats, which was also the case for the original release of Persona 3.

The period of the game is divided into many activities that players can partake in. Repeating some activities to unlock these Social Links may become cumbersome and boring for many players.

In conclusion

Iwatodai Strip Mall looks beautiful at night (Image via Atlus)

Persona 3 Reload combines everything that made the original game a massive hit and brings it in a new package. Every part of the game, including the character models, soundtracks, visual effects, and environment, has been created with love and care, and it shows.

Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island have never looked more beautiful, while Tartarus' dark, ominous atmosphere has been enhanced through both graphical and audio changes. The addictive combat and the excellent soundtrack are the cherry on top of the entire experience.

Despite some of my gripes, Persona 3 Reload is a game every franchise fan should play. Even people who have already played the original, FES, or Portable should give it a go, as the already excellent story has been greatly enhanced thanks to the improved gameplay and visuals.

I enjoyed this game as the experience felt identical to the emotional roller coaster I had when I first played Portable. I can't wait to see what Atlus has planned with Metaphor: ReFantazio in the latter half of 2024.