Persona 3 Reload Preview: A Dazzling New Life For Persona's Darkest Entry

gamespot.com:

Though Persona 3 Reload's demo shied away from showing off the game's social elements, it did feature substantial combat improvements and visual upgrades.

By Jess Howard on

Despite being a long-time turn-based RPG fan and one of the many, many people who will tell you at length why you should play the Persona series, it wasn't until earlier this year that I played through the entirety of Persona 3. However, this wasn't for lack of wanting to.

Persona 3 has become notorious for its lack of availability on modern consoles. Prior to its portable version being released on PC and Switch earlier this year, players would need to own either a PSP, PS Vita, or PlayStation 2 to experience its somber story. And even then, the Portable version is not quite the entire package. While it does contain a substantial amount of new content--including a new protagonist choice and the ability to fully control your party in combat--some concessions were made. To better fit the hardware it was ported over to, for example, the game traded in its 3D environments for a visual novel-style approach.

Considering these facts, it becomes clear why Persona 3 Reload is such a hugely anticipated title. Reload is an opportunity for a new audience to finally experience Persona 3, complete with updated environments and character models, modern trimmings, and several quality-of-life changes. It does come with a few frustrating omissions (such as the game's female protagonist) that keep it from being the definitive edition many hoped for. But it is hard to see it as anything other than the best chance to experience the game's emotionally resonant story, sloppy-yet-sincere relationship mechanics, and intense gameplay. After loving my time spent with Persona 3