The Persona series has seen a tremendous growth in popularity since the release of Persona 3 in 2006, meaning a lot of newer fans have never experienced the iconic story. Still revered as one of the best entries in the franchise, Persona 3 is set to re-enter the conversation with an upcoming remake. I got to play a couple of sections from the game during a recent preview event.
Jumping into Persona 3 Reload, the visual improvements were instantly apparent. Character models were a lot sleeker, doing away with the more polygonal look of the PS2 era and putting it more in line with modern entries like Persona 5. The first level I played through was a section in which I had to ascend through a clock tower, battling sludge-like enemies as I made my way to the staircase on each floor. Traveling with companions Junpei and Yukari, I got to witness some updated animations for their attacks and Personas.
Source: SEGA
The next mission that I played was aboard a speeding train, where I faced enemies throughout the different cars on my way towards the front. Again, this section showed off the improvements to lighting and animation as I moved throughout the vehicle while it was in motion. P3 Reload has also reworked the UI to be a bit cleaner and easier to understand, which will hopefully make the game more welcoming for newcomers.
With Persona 3 Reload boasting a host of visual and quality-of-life improvements over the original, it’ll be interesting to see how it stacks up against later entries in the series, and how longtime fans of the JRPG classic will feel when they go back to solve the mystery of the Dark Hour once more. Persona 3 Reload is currently set to be released in February 2024.
