Today the new Persona 3 Reload arrives on consoles and PC and that means that one of the best and most respected Japanese role-playing franchises returns. As has become tradition, this installment is also signed by the Japanese studio Atlus and arrives loaded with new features. Although, strictly speaking, it is not a totally new game, but rather a remake of the original Persona 3 published in 2006 for PlayStation 2.
As is usual in the Persona franchise, the action is divided into two very different facets: the action itself, the combat and fighting against demons, and the social simulation. In Persona 3 Reload, the player plays a young student who has to combine his daily life and social relationships with killing demons and other creatures.
After the enormous success of Persona 5 in 2016 and Persona 5 Royal in 2019, fans were looking forward to this remake. Especially since the original version of Persona 3 never arrived in Spain fully translated, so those who played in 2006 did so with the texts in English. Although this did not prevent it from becoming a cult Japanese role-playing game that greatly influenced those who played it at the time.
Translation and localization, unsurprisingly, is one of Persona 3 Reload’s biggest changes. The European version comes with dubbing in Japanese and English, but the texts are completely translated into Spanish. Although with some errors and several slightly strange translations. It is something that, at this point, is essential and it is sad to see that it has not been given as much love as it should be.
When entering Persona 3 Reload for the first time, it is surprising how the legacy of Persona 5 has influenced this new installment. On a visual level, this remake inherits many elements of the interface and design of Persona 5, those that already gave the franchise a lot of praise in 2016 and 2019. At first, it is a bit shocking, but it is understandable, since this is the new visual identity of the saga and it is normal that they want to unify criteria and aesthetics.
In terms of action and combat, Persona 3 Reload has also inherited several mechanics from Persona 5. A good example is the Baton Pass, which allows you to give the turn to another character when you land a critical hit. If used correctly, this allows you to finish a fight with virtually no hits.
Persona 3 Reload is a pretty demanding game and I’m not just talking about the difficulty. There are a total of five difficulty levels ranging from relaxed to unforgiving. Each player can adapt the experience to their liking, but what they cannot modify is the length of the story. Persona are famous for being very long games and this remake is no exception.
That’s why I talk about demand. Completing Persona 3 Reload can easily take between 80 and 100 hours, depending on how you play and how you delve into the social simulation and side challenges.
Persona 3 Reload arrives today, February 2, 2024, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC with a price of 69.99 euros. It costs the same in both the current and previous generations. In addition, it is also available from today on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service on console.
