Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is a rhythm game spin-off of the popular JRPG Persona 3. It is the second in a series of rhythm game spin-offs of the Persona series, and launched alongside Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight after the success of Persona 4: Dancing All Night (I agree these titles are confusing). Released for several platforms including the ill-fated PlayStation Vita in 2018, Dancing in Moonlight features the main cast of Persona 3 dancing to a selection of songs from the game's soundtrack, as well as new remixes and arrangements from other Persona and Atlus titles.
The gameplay of Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is nothing special in the rhythm game genre, and is essentially identical to that of its predecessor. In short, players press buttons in time with the beat of the music, and are scored on their accuracy - again nothing groundbreaking. The only slight mix-up present in the gameplay here from other rhythm games is the use of either analog stick to hit what the game calls Scratch Notes. These special notes are essentially a record scratch effect that slightly changes the song. They add very little in the way of difficulty, but function as a means to help the player fill up the Fever Bar. If this Fever Bar is filled by a certain point in the song, the player will enter Fever Mode where a chosen partner character joins in the dance routine, with unique choreography reflecting the characters' existing relationships. This doesn’t change the difficulty of the track being played, but does offer a means to see how characters interact outside of the typical scenarios seen in a Persona title.
While a story does exist in Dancing in Moonlight, it is sparse to say the least and only functions as an excuse to explain why these characters are dancing in the first place. The story is honestly secondary to a system of character interactions that showcase the Persona 3 cast interacting in lighter tone and less stressful scenarios than the atmosphere present in the original game. It is these character interactions (as well as the amount of unlockable outfits) that really propels the player to continuously try to get a high score or tackle songs on harder difficulties. Without these character interactions I doubt Dancing in Moonlight would be as engaging or fun to play for me personally as I am seldom motivated by the quest for a high score, but would do just about anything a game asks of me to uncover another part of a story or see characters I adore grow closer together.
The easy to understand gameplay and fun character interactions are amplified by the game’s stunning visuals. Even on the less powerful PlayStation Vita. Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is a visual treat. The game's graphics are bright and colorful, and the characters are all beautifully animated. Furthermore, while Dancing in Moonlight is no Persona 5 in the presentation department, it does have that Atlus flair that makes their games standout. Every menu is laced with character and something as simple as song selection or menu navigation is intriguing. It’s something Atlus continues to nail in their games and I wish more developers would follow suit.
Despite my praise so far, Dancing in Moonlight is not without its flaws. As mentioned previously, the story, if it can be called that, is non-existent and, besides the character interactions, the game adds little to the original Persona 3 experience. Players looking for more lore or interesting tidbits concerning the world of Person will be disappointed. The game in general is also pretty short. Even with 8 different characters to interact with, it doesn’t take long to unlock all of their Social Links in the game as just playing every song at least once will typically do the trick.
Despite these flaws, however, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is overall a great rhythm game that is sure to please most fans of Persona 3 and rhythm game enthusiasts alike. The game is truly tons of fun to play, and the music is fantastic. If you're looking for a fun and addicting rhythm game, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is definitely worth checking out.
The gameplay of Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is nothing special in the rhythm game genre, and is essentially identical to that of its predecessor. In short, players press buttons in time with the beat of the music, and are scored on their accuracy - again nothing groundbreaking. The only slight mix-up present in the gameplay here from other rhythm games is the use of either analog stick to hit what the game calls Scratch Notes. These special notes are essentially a record scratch effect that slightly changes the song. They add very little in the way of difficulty, but function as a means to help the player fill up the Fever Bar. If this Fever Bar is filled by a certain point in the song, the player will enter Fever Mode where a chosen partner character joins in the dance routine, with unique choreography reflecting the characters' existing relationships. This doesn’t change the difficulty of the track being played, but does offer a means to see how characters interact outside of the typical scenarios seen in a Persona title.
While a story does exist in Dancing in Moonlight, it is sparse to say the least and only functions as an excuse to explain why these characters are dancing in the first place. The story is honestly secondary to a system of character interactions that showcase the Persona 3 cast interacting in lighter tone and less stressful scenarios than the atmosphere present in the original game. It is these character interactions (as well as the amount of unlockable outfits) that really propels the player to continuously try to get a high score or tackle songs on harder difficulties. Without these character interactions I doubt Dancing in Moonlight would be as engaging or fun to play for me personally as I am seldom motivated by the quest for a high score, but would do just about anything a game asks of me to uncover another part of a story or see characters I adore grow closer together.
The easy to understand gameplay and fun character interactions are amplified by the game’s stunning visuals. Even on the less powerful PlayStation Vita. Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is a visual treat. The game's graphics are bright and colorful, and the characters are all beautifully animated. Furthermore, while Dancing in Moonlight is no Persona 5 in the presentation department, it does have that Atlus flair that makes their games standout. Every menu is laced with character and something as simple as song selection or menu navigation is intriguing. It’s something Atlus continues to nail in their games and I wish more developers would follow suit.
Despite my praise so far, Dancing in Moonlight is not without its flaws. As mentioned previously, the story, if it can be called that, is non-existent and, besides the character interactions, the game adds little to the original Persona 3 experience. Players looking for more lore or interesting tidbits concerning the world of Person will be disappointed. The game in general is also pretty short. Even with 8 different characters to interact with, it doesn’t take long to unlock all of their Social Links in the game as just playing every song at least once will typically do the trick.
Despite these flaws, however, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is overall a great rhythm game that is sure to please most fans of Persona 3 and rhythm game enthusiasts alike. The game is truly tons of fun to play, and the music is fantastic. If you're looking for a fun and addicting rhythm game, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is definitely worth checking out.