God, it feels great to be able to give my P3P review a sequel. It can certainly be debated whether this is the "definitive" Persona 3. The Answer is all but confirmed to be on its way as DLC in the near future, but FeMC will sadly only find her place in the modding community. I think this is the best we're going to get, but frankly I'm more than happy with it. My concerns, from the lack of P3P/FES content to the entire main voice cast being replaced, were quickly overwritten by the direction this game ended up taking.

The new English voice cast is stellar, and it's not all goodbyes; many of the original talent can be heard in supporting roles. Not to mention Azumi Takahashi, who superbly fills Yumi Kawamura's spot as the main vocalist on the soundtrack (even if Mass Destruction has a bit less sauce to it).

The new cinematics and character models are such a leap above Persona 5, let alone the original Persona 3, that I found myself gawking at the screen with every shift and theurgy animation. Performance might take a hit for it, but man is it mind-blowing seeing these PS2-era characters and environments get this much of a makeover.

Day-to-day gameplay and even the story see similar improvements. The condition mechanic is gone, and you get far more time to dedicate to improving your skills and spending time with your social links. Non-romanceable members of SEES still don't have social links, but they get a really awesome compromise - dedicated hangouts which both build their characters and provide strategic benefits in battle. I honestly hope this makes it in to Persona 6; it gives you time to hang out with your party members while leaving room for more social links beyond them. You even get a few opportunities to hang out with Takaya and flesh out Strega a bit more.

As I touched on in my P3P review, I've always thought Persona 3 had the strongest story and characters of the "modern 3" Persona games. 4 is a close second (and I wouldn't be against that game getting a similar treatment), but 3 services its themes so well and has a world that feels the least like it revolves around its protagonist. Is this the ultimate, definitive Persona 3 experience? Objectively speaking, maybe not. But what Reload offers is a polished, accessible, and streamlined package, solidifying Persona 3 as the best of its franchise and giving future installments some towering shoes to fill.

2024 Ranked

To get the bad out of the way: Alan's segments drop from scary to frustrating pretty quick. It's so not worth fighting the shade enemies, to the extent I started to question why Alan even had any guns on him. Doesn't help that pressing any button in this game has maybe a 70% chance of actually doing anything (especially the touchpad on PS5), making the high-intensity combat segments feel more like a game of luck.

As for everything else... what a game! This is such a gripping survival horror experience with an amazing story and atmosphere made whole by the genius that is Sam Lake and the team at Remedy.

Saga Anderson is a great new protagonist and her segments balance so well with Alan's. Alan himself feels more fleshed out. You can see how being in the Dark Place for 13 years has totally changed him. I also love how the Old Gods of Asgard have become major characters in this story. As usual, Poets of the Fall brings their A-game with nothing but bangers that go straight into my Spotify playlist the second I hear them. "We Sing" is probably one of my favorite video game levels ever.

Generally this game paid off fantastically well for someone who decided to play AW1, American Nightmare, and Control beforehand. Getting to see Ahti, the FBC, and a new take on Mr. Scratch was more than worth saving this for last. I can't wait to see where Remedy takes this universe in the future; Control 2 and successive Alan Wake titles have so much potential if this is anything to go by.