Persona 3 Reload is a role-playing game set in the fictional Japanese town of Tatsumi Port Island, where players must navigate a supernatural phenomenon called the Dark Hour. In this “hidden hour,” which occurs every night at midnight, monstrous Shadows roam free, regular people turn into floating coffins, and the local high school transforms into Tartarus, a tower of impossible proportions. The only ones aware of the Dark Hour are the Specialised Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES), a group of students who use their own powers, called Personas, to protect the town’s unsuspecting residents.
The game is a ground-up remake of the 2006 original Persona 3 and follows a high-schooler who has just moved to Tatsumi Port Island. While investigating the Dark Hour, players must also keep up with regular student life, attending school, hanging out with friends, and studying during the day. By night, they delve into Tartarus to face Shadows in turn-based combat, unearthing the tower’s mysteries while leveling up their party.
Combat is fought with a mix of standard weapons and Personas summoned by using a modified gun to the head and pulling the trigger. Shadows and Personas have their own strengths and weaknesses, making combat a violent guessing game where players hurl lightning bolts and fireballs until something knocks over the enemy, then pile on with heavy-hitting attacks. The thrill of the battles can become repetitive after playing for tens of hours, however.
The greatest joy of Persona 3 Reload is its slice-of-life elements. The game offers two time periods, “after school” and “evening,” to explore the world of Tatsumi Port Island and interact with its characters. Major characters’ storylines range from light-hearted culinary disasters to supporting an alcoholic Buddhist monk. Alongside the Social Bonds, the game’s main plot follows SEES as they investigate why the Dark Hour and Tartarus exist and try to stop the phenomenon. Players will laugh, cry, then cry some more, as the game eloquently explores themes of grief and mortality within bigger mysteries.
While some minor issues with the game include repetitive combat and Tartarus becoming dull in the game’s latter half, Persona 3 Reload is still an exceptional tale of friendship, mortality, and what it means to be human. Its fantastic storytelling, stylish design, and fantastic soundtrack make this an unmissable remake for RPG fans. The game will be available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms
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