Feb 09, 2024 - 18:47
By mmorpg.com

Persona 3 Reload Review: A Remake That Persona Fans Can't Miss

Let’s get right into it. In an industry where remakes and remasters are far from rare, Persona 3 Reload is an absolute masterclass on the idea. As the progenitor of the modern Persona game, Persona 3 was a diamond in the rough at a time when JRPGs struggled with their identity. It seems only fitting that 17 years after the initial US release, and during another similar identity struggle, Persona 3 Reload shows up with a brand new bag.

Persona 3 was a pretty revolutionary game for its time. While not the prettiest game for the time, Persona 3 was a fantastic JRPG that featured some relatively unforgiving combat, a super-long main dungeon, and a lot of micromanagement of your character’s bonds. While the original game’s final act left a lot of unanswered questions, the subsequent releases of the game on the PlayStation Portable and the secret fighting-game sequel helped flesh that out. Persona 3 is one of the rare cases where I've played the same game more than once.

This brings me to Persona 3 Reload. This is the original Persona 3 with highly improved graphics, gameplay, and mechanics. Persona 3 Reload is almost an entirely new game; outside of the story beats themselves, Persona 3 Reload is probably how you remember the original Persona 3 because, man, did Persona 5 perfect the formula!

That’s the thing with Persona 3 Reload; I remember playing through the original game in 2007 and then the PSP version a few years later. The second playthrough was painful because while Persona 3 is a fantastic game, I don’t do repetition well. I was cautious about taking this review because I felt like I’d get burned out over this technically third playthrough. The funny thing is, I can’t put it down. I have invested about 40 hours into my Persona 3 Reload playthrough and just hit the game’s halfway mark. I could add another 40 hours into this review and I'd still feel the same way!