I played Persona 3 FES back in high school over 12 years ago now. It quickly became one of my all time favorite games with it's fun gameplay, stylish visuals, catchy soundtrack and fantastic story. The game stayed with me through all these years and I always wondered if Atlus would ever go back to it in some way, so when this remake was announced I was instantly excited and onboard.

And now, another 100ish hours later, I can say they absolutely delivered. This is a fantastic remake that captures everything I loved about the original while both enhancing and adding to it. It looks great, plays great, sounds great, all just like the original just with some modern visuals and new mixes of the soundtrack. Its different but it still feels the same as I remember it. There are some changes to Tartarus exploration and a few features were dropped but ultimately the new additions more than make-up for it and that large section of the game feels much more manageable and less annoying overall.

The story also remains a peak video game narrative. The story twists and turns while juggling heavy themes such as death, the meaning of life, and one's purpose/identity. Side stuff like social links and even random NPCs in the world weave these themes into their ongoing narratives so while there's a lot of little stories going on everything still feels connected. This new version adds more hangout opportunities with the main party members which really helps to flesh them out more and give you more memorable moments with your favorites, as well as the added bonus of new skills in battle which is nice. Plus all social link scenes are fully voiced which really elevates their content. Then it all culminates in such a strong, bittersweet ending that still blows me away. When the final cutscene plays and a certain song plays over the credits, it's hard not to feel emotional again.

I really love Persona 3 and not only is it my favorite of the Persona series but it's one of my top games of all time. This remake is practically perfect and while I don't want to say its better than original, its equally as fantastic and memorable.