SekiganX
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GOTY '23
Participated in the 2023 Game of the Year Event
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Persona 3 Reload, from a P3FES player:
A great way for new and old players to experience the game, if the general themes of the persona series vibe with you, this is the game that'll get you staring at the ceiling feeling empty once it's over. I.e. It's good
The same phenomenal story, brought out vividly in full HD graphics for a modern era.
A persona 3 remake is something I really wanted for a while, but certain decisions did have me skeptical going in- the new EN voice cast, rearranged soundtrack, and some big changes to the gameplay loop.
Most of my doubts were satisfied. This is going to be the version of P3 I recommend to most people. The original definitely has its own flavour to it, which will always have my heart. But this did a great job at recapturing that feeling, and fully bringing out the warmth that people sometimes forget is a massive part of Persona 3's themes of death. The original game taught me once that death is all the more reason to celebrate life, and this arrived at the perfect time to remind me that. A must play.
Pros:
- Full voiced social links make a world of difference in relatability of some characters
- Extra social events also help flesh them out where they may have been lacking
- Inspiration from some of the arcs in the movies, regarding the last character to join the cast
- Modern graphics- beautiful HD models
- Combat is very accessible to new players
- Tartarus gimmicks are quite fun, breaking items is surprisingly all you need to do. But Monad doors are cool too.
Neutral
- New soundtrack- as a fan of the original I initially played modded with the original soundtrack. But it's just a different take, which new players will see no issues with. Towards the end I did give the new soundtrack a chance, and some of the arrangements are beautiful in their own right, and new players are sure to remember some of these arrangements for decades to come.
- In English, some of the new voice actors- up to you if it's an issue. Again, not a problem for new players
Cons:
- Quite easy by persona standards imo, even on max difficulty. A lot of the deliberate handicaps in the original game gave that its own flavour- namely the tiredness mechanic which forces you to pace your tartarus exploration (and therefore doesn't give you too much free time without knowing what to do with it). SP refills are extremely easily to come by, so there's no real cap to how long you can spend in the dungeons.
- Not very challenging on highest difficulty. I'm hardly a pro, but there are so many game breaking systems
- If you're coming from Persona 5, the lack of options for things to do becomes apparent once you start optimising your time spent in tartarus to not take up too many days
- The Answer DLC being sold separately is criminal.
A great way for new and old players to experience the game, if the general themes of the persona series vibe with you, this is the game that'll get you staring at the ceiling feeling empty once it's over. I.e. It's good
The same phenomenal story, brought out vividly in full HD graphics for a modern era.
A persona 3 remake is something I really wanted for a while, but certain decisions did have me skeptical going in- the new EN voice cast, rearranged soundtrack, and some big changes to the gameplay loop.
Most of my doubts were satisfied. This is going to be the version of P3 I recommend to most people. The original definitely has its own flavour to it, which will always have my heart. But this did a great job at recapturing that feeling, and fully bringing out the warmth that people sometimes forget is a massive part of Persona 3's themes of death. The original game taught me once that death is all the more reason to celebrate life, and this arrived at the perfect time to remind me that. A must play.
Pros:
- Full voiced social links make a world of difference in relatability of some characters
- Extra social events also help flesh them out where they may have been lacking
- Inspiration from some of the arcs in the movies, regarding the last character to join the cast
- Modern graphics- beautiful HD models
- Combat is very accessible to new players
- Tartarus gimmicks are quite fun, breaking items is surprisingly all you need to do. But Monad doors are cool too.
Neutral
- New soundtrack- as a fan of the original I initially played modded with the original soundtrack. But it's just a different take, which new players will see no issues with. Towards the end I did give the new soundtrack a chance, and some of the arrangements are beautiful in their own right, and new players are sure to remember some of these arrangements for decades to come.
- In English, some of the new voice actors- up to you if it's an issue. Again, not a problem for new players
Cons:
- Quite easy by persona standards imo, even on max difficulty. A lot of the deliberate handicaps in the original game gave that its own flavour- namely the tiredness mechanic which forces you to pace your tartarus exploration (and therefore doesn't give you too much free time without knowing what to do with it). SP refills are extremely easily to come by, so there's no real cap to how long you can spend in the dungeons.
- Not very challenging on highest difficulty. I'm hardly a pro, but there are so many game breaking systems
- If you're coming from Persona 5, the lack of options for things to do becomes apparent once you start optimising your time spent in tartarus to not take up too many days
- The Answer DLC being sold separately is criminal.
The Good.
- Mr Hands: he's arguably the most enjoyable addition to this DLC, his fixer storyline is definitely a lot of fun and leads to one of the best side missions for me personally, where you get to play "Aguilar"
-The endings to the DLC are very impactful and can feel almost as weighty as the endings to the main story. In part, this is because one of the DLC endings also acts as a separate conclusion to the entire game, replacing "meet hanako in embers", and if you liked the bittersweet nature of the Temperance ending, you'll love this.
- Dogtown is a cool area to wreak havoc in, in part due to the atmosphere of the area- great work nailing this, CDPR. From the moment you see the barriers in and out of dogtown, you can feel the atmosphere of this section of the city where martial law rules. Honestly it serves to just make pacifica cooler because "barren section of the city" is okay, but "barren section of the city with a walled off district inside it" is cooler. Ah wait maybe I just like dogtown because it reminds me ever so slightly of the atmosphere of Arkham City.
The issues are with what leads up to the endings of the DLC. The writing.
The issues: investment into the story
-A DLC that was sold as a spy thriller in the cyberpunk world. And sure, it is exactly that, but personally I feel like it didn't have very strong writing in that regard. It feels out of place for the character's story- which everybody mentions- and ultimately just feels like a series of fun missions with V moonlighting as a spy.
- I played it in one sitting, but playing it between other missions must make this feel even more jarring
- I felt like I had no reason to be invested in the characters in this, other than Songbird. I really wanted Idris Elba's character to be more interesting- the actor does well at playing him, but I wasn't so invested.
- Mr Hands: he's arguably the most enjoyable addition to this DLC, his fixer storyline is definitely a lot of fun and leads to one of the best side missions for me personally, where you get to play "Aguilar"
-The endings to the DLC are very impactful and can feel almost as weighty as the endings to the main story. In part, this is because one of the DLC endings also acts as a separate conclusion to the entire game, replacing "meet hanako in embers", and if you liked the bittersweet nature of the Temperance ending, you'll love this.
- Dogtown is a cool area to wreak havoc in, in part due to the atmosphere of the area- great work nailing this, CDPR. From the moment you see the barriers in and out of dogtown, you can feel the atmosphere of this section of the city where martial law rules. Honestly it serves to just make pacifica cooler because "barren section of the city" is okay, but "barren section of the city with a walled off district inside it" is cooler. Ah wait maybe I just like dogtown because it reminds me ever so slightly of the atmosphere of Arkham City.
The issues are with what leads up to the endings of the DLC. The writing.
The issues: investment into the story
-A DLC that was sold as a spy thriller in the cyberpunk world. And sure, it is exactly that, but personally I feel like it didn't have very strong writing in that regard. It feels out of place for the character's story- which everybody mentions- and ultimately just feels like a series of fun missions with V moonlighting as a spy.
- I played it in one sitting, but playing it between other missions must make this feel even more jarring
- I felt like I had no reason to be invested in the characters in this, other than Songbird. I really wanted Idris Elba's character to be more interesting- the actor does well at playing him, but I wasn't so invested.
This review contains spoilers
Part review, part ramblings/thoughts. Spoilers to follow.
Trails of Cold Steel 2. What a game. Once again, it's managed to subvert my expectations from what should be standard JRPG fare.
Gameplay: MECHA. ROBOT SWORD FIGHTS. THIS IS EVERYTHING I NEEDED.
Anyways, I've gotten that out of my system, the mech battles always put a grin on my face. They're not as in depth as regular combat, however I'd agree with what I read somebody else mention: they are one hell of a spectacle.
Otherwise, the game has improved upon the formula of the first game, with many new gimmicks for extra variety and tactical usage. Overdrive is a godsend. Lost arts are also suitably busted rewards for how much EP they use.
Also, Laura and Fie are insanely busted if you build them right.
Story: Where the first game follows a very rigid structure, the second game... Actually also follows the exact same gameplay loop structure, however it's very cleverly disguised by having each chapter take place in a different location, in a tour across eastern Erebonia.
The premise of this game makes for a far more enjoyable experience, where we get to see our characters acting independently from one another for a good portion of the game, and actually giving Rean more of a reluctant hero character.
My one gripe is that despite all the characters harping on about "being a third faction" in the civil war, they always end up benefitting the imperial army, with the game pretty much demonstrating them as, without a doubt, the good guys.
That's pretty annoying until the finale though. Once again, Trails of Cold Steel has managed to subvert my expectations. Where the first game surprised me by dropping the dawn of civil war onto us, the second game "ends" with Rean essentially being manipulated into being a dog for the Imperial Army (well, more specifically, a dog for Gilliath Osborne, in the image of the ironbloods). That was beautiful, not only because it gave Rean a reality check- you can't essentially support a faction throughout the entire game without suddenly having expectations and responsibilities come with it. But it also mirrors Crow perfectly. Crow, like Rean, only cooperated with the Noble Faction so that he could achieve his goal, and like Crow, Rean was burnt by his decision to cooperate with them.
Also Captain Claire and Sharon are great and I wish they stayed around for longer. It's pretty interesting to see Claire and Rean almost like some weird melodramatic couple at the end lmao.
Anyways, a very minor feature which honestly felt like an afterthought in the first game has a bit more relevance here- the romance element. There's a few more scenes with your partner in this game, and it does do enough to sell that.
The epilogue was. Weird, I have to admit. The final final final dungeon just felt like it was for funsies. Admittedly it was a genuinely fun randomly generated dungeon thanks to the ability to summon certain characters that shouldn't be playable lol. The final boss is a cake walk.
Trails of Cold Steel 2. What a game. Once again, it's managed to subvert my expectations from what should be standard JRPG fare.
Gameplay: MECHA. ROBOT SWORD FIGHTS. THIS IS EVERYTHING I NEEDED.
Anyways, I've gotten that out of my system, the mech battles always put a grin on my face. They're not as in depth as regular combat, however I'd agree with what I read somebody else mention: they are one hell of a spectacle.
Otherwise, the game has improved upon the formula of the first game, with many new gimmicks for extra variety and tactical usage. Overdrive is a godsend. Lost arts are also suitably busted rewards for how much EP they use.
Also, Laura and Fie are insanely busted if you build them right.
Story: Where the first game follows a very rigid structure, the second game... Actually also follows the exact same gameplay loop structure, however it's very cleverly disguised by having each chapter take place in a different location, in a tour across eastern Erebonia.
The premise of this game makes for a far more enjoyable experience, where we get to see our characters acting independently from one another for a good portion of the game, and actually giving Rean more of a reluctant hero character.
My one gripe is that despite all the characters harping on about "being a third faction" in the civil war, they always end up benefitting the imperial army, with the game pretty much demonstrating them as, without a doubt, the good guys.
That's pretty annoying until the finale though. Once again, Trails of Cold Steel has managed to subvert my expectations. Where the first game surprised me by dropping the dawn of civil war onto us, the second game "ends" with Rean essentially being manipulated into being a dog for the Imperial Army (well, more specifically, a dog for Gilliath Osborne, in the image of the ironbloods). That was beautiful, not only because it gave Rean a reality check- you can't essentially support a faction throughout the entire game without suddenly having expectations and responsibilities come with it. But it also mirrors Crow perfectly. Crow, like Rean, only cooperated with the Noble Faction so that he could achieve his goal, and like Crow, Rean was burnt by his decision to cooperate with them.
Also Captain Claire and Sharon are great and I wish they stayed around for longer. It's pretty interesting to see Claire and Rean almost like some weird melodramatic couple at the end lmao.
Anyways, a very minor feature which honestly felt like an afterthought in the first game has a bit more relevance here- the romance element. There's a few more scenes with your partner in this game, and it does do enough to sell that.
The epilogue was. Weird, I have to admit. The final final final dungeon just felt like it was for funsies. Admittedly it was a genuinely fun randomly generated dungeon thanks to the ability to summon certain characters that shouldn't be playable lol. The final boss is a cake walk.