One of the biggest reasons why everything comes together so powerfully in Reload, specifically, is the way the new voice cast brings its characters to life. I cannot overstate how the fantastic voice performances perfectly capture the original spirit of each party member, then elevate them to become even better versions of themselves. It’s impressive considering how distinct each voice was to begin with, but right from the jump, I knew this cast had nailed each role.

In battle, she fires off an arsenal of weapons built into her mechanical body. Her unique Persona is Palladion, specializing in physical and support skills.

A third-year at Gekkoukan High, though he can rarely be seen at school. He was a founding member of SEES alongside Mitsuru and Akihiko. After distancing himself for about two years, a certain turn of events convinces him to rejoin the group.

If that doesn’t sound appealing, you’re better off looking for more traditional JRPGs with more grounded settings where you go off on a journey to explore the world and save it from evil villains.

The first Persona that awakens within him is Orpheus, but he turns out to be a special case who can swap between multiple Personas at will, giving the player great flexibility in battle strategy.

Following the game's official reveal, Atlus shared several additional details about Reload. P-Studio chief director Kazuhisa Wada and game producer Ryota Niitsuma clarified their intentions of producing a completely faithful recreation of the original Persona 3 experience, including implementing multiple "new scenes and events" beyond the retained narrative. However, the pair confirmed that as a result of remaining solely faithful to the game as it was originally released, none of the story content integrated into either Persona 3 FES or Persona 3 Portable would be remade for Reload, such as the epilogue chapter "The Answer" or the second female protagonist and her associated content.[14] Wada clarified following this interview however, that other story and gameplay elements first added to the main story scenario in FES would still feature in the game.[3] During a separate interview published in Weekly Famitsu, Wada, Niitsuma and game director Takuya Yamaguchi also expressed enthusiasm towards introducing alterations to the existing game's controls and map design, highlighting that the game's main dungeon, Tartarus, would undergo a "particularly large change" in structure from the original game due to the increase in environmental density, as well as interactive features and landscapes within existing areas.

A stellar visual overhaul and countless small changes and additions beyond it leave a significant impact, making Persona 3 Reload a more fully realized version of a beloved RPG. Although still dated in some respects, quality of life improvements and new features refresh its exciting turn-based combat and add depth to its touching story moments.

She harbors a mysterious attachment to the Protagonist from the first day they meet. Initially coming across as cold and robotic, she begins to discover more human emotions through her experiences with the group.

Although not loads had been seen in terms of Persona 3 Reload trailers since its Xbox Games Showcase announcement, new trailers unveiled during Gamescom 2023 both reintroduce us to the game's cast and story - as shown above - along with a BGM and gameplay trailer.

All in all, my doubts about diving back into Persona 3 territory were shattered from this demo. Persona 3 Reload isn't a remake with a few alterations here and there; it's a sincerely thought-through updated game that can seemingly stand on its own two legs in the competitive Persona lineup.

Tartarus is a massive, towering dungeon boasting hundreds of floors to crawl through, with enemy Shadows lurking around every corner. You will need to engage the Shadows in turn-based combat and use your party’s Persona abilities to exploit their weaknesses to defeat them.

Dungeons now share the perspective of Persona 4 and Persona 5, where the camera is behind the player rather than top-down. Series staples such as recruiting and combining demons are the same as before, though it’s been speculated that there are additional social links.

My biggest and most personal gripe with Persona 3 Reload is that if the main character falls in battle, it's game over, and you have to begin again from your last save point or restart the battle you died in from the beginning. This ‘game over’ condition has been a mainstay in persona 3 reload gameplay the Persona series (and its big brother franchise, Shin Megami Tensei) and I’m disappointed to see it is still here as it’s a nonsensical and cheap way to artificially increase the difficulty. It goes against the ‘power of friendship’ message the Persona series is based on.

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