happy march 5th everyone today is the day i decided to finish persona 3 reload. i heart you persona 3 forever and ever

having played portable and fes before, i can safely say that gameplay wise, reload had the most fun factor with a lot of the mechanics they added. the quality of life improvements from previous games also felt refreshing, for example i hated that on holidays i could not simply leave the dorm and come back lest it turn to night. not the only thing they changed, but one of the bigger ones. however, i feel atlus may have overdone it at times. i actually enjoyed the fatigue system in portable, as i felt it contributed to the game’s themes of managing your time wisely. your time with your friends mattered just as much as trying to end the dark hour. while many players tend to rush tartarus in one day anyways, it would have been enriching for those experiencing the game for the first time to have to manage their time and fatigue. i also felt as though there was too much handholding, a curse that plagues this generation of gaming. at times there are puzzles in which the player is simply handed the answer instead of coming to their own conclusions. playing games is about feeling good about clearing obstacles, and when the bar is clearly set lower it doesn’t feel rewarding. one thing that i did feel needed to be easier were some of elizabeth’s requests, however. in older versions of p3 it was so unnecessarily difficult to find the specific items she requested, but with the exclamation points as markers for request events it makes more sense.

the art direction is of course wonderful. while i love the original art style, it’s nice to see updated sprites. i love the way they made tartarus in reload as well. in previous versions it often felt very monotonous and dull but now the environment, despite feeling grim and threatening, is full of life. some areas were not as fortunate though, there were parts where the quality of cutscenes dropped. but i also loved seeing new animations and designs for the shadows. some of the animations outside of the shadows are very stiff, however, often weightlessly running and the stroke of their legs not matching the distance the model has traveled, or was choppy and looked uneven. not that i think it matters too much. i also appreciate the detail in facial expressions on the characters especially during social links, i was surprised that side characters were given that level of detail. and everyone has said something about the ui. something as mundane as ui receiving art direction is incredibly important to not only create a menu that is comprehensible and concise, but also make it pleasing to the eye.

the music is honestly hit or miss. the new singer, azumi takahashi does not sound bad in general. it is just that her voice does not fit the songs she is trying to sing. yumi kawamura had a certain style in her vocals, full of vibrato and a bit of bounce in her voice. takahashi’s voice is much smoother in comparison and that style of singing does not fit the origjnal p3’s style. her voice is more suited for jazzier songs, which is why she doesn’t sound too bad in any of reload-exclusive music (it’s going down now, color your night, full moon full life). and how could anyone replace the rap in iwatodai dorm…such a shame lotus juice how could you. the music overall isn’t bad and a lot of it still keeps a similar feel from the original, evolving to be a little smoother.

the little ways in which atlus has fleshed out the characterization in this game is incredible. the text message system is a fun way to add bits and pieces to an individual’s personality, and the special interactions you can have in iwatodai dorm truly make it feel like home. in some ways, it feels a little too nice and cozy though. yukari and junpei (possibly other characters as well, but these two were the most notable) had interactions in previous versions that were biting and a little mean. but such banter only showed how close they were. there are boundaries to every friendship, and if you’re able to jokingly insult a friend or beat on them without overstepping such boundaries it feels more intimate. not to mention it’s less funny. i enjoy the extra mechanics that make the characters feel fresh, but i do wish they were a little more faithful to their original personalities. just a bit.

strega was given a bit of a mini arc and i loved seeing more, we had so little about their motivations in previous versions of persona 3. i love being able to sympathize with villains it makes them so much more interesting.

to be frank, some of the voice acting in the original was horrible. kind of charming and nostalgic, but simply not great. and while it wasn’t all of the characters, those who did have horrible voice acting were extremely noticeable. reload has a wonderful new cast, but i do think yukari leans more into whiny, rather than sassy.

i have watched all of the persona movies thrice, played the games twice over. yet this was still able to make me feel as though i was experiencing it for the first time. the scenes do not feel like they were blankly repeating what happened in the original games; there was thought and care put into the direction. it's wonderful that i could reexperience it this way.

as a femc fan i do think it sucks. it really does. i would have waited as long as i could if it meant that this could be the definitive edition of persona 3, complete with femc’s route and the answer. but deadlines are deadlines i suppose. i can’t say the game is complete without these things, but it doesn’t mean that the game lacked any value or that i had any less fun playing it. while it isn’t a perfect remake, reload was an immersive game that took the criticisms of the original game and improved upon it, creating a fresh experience that both old and new players could enjoy.

I don't have much to say that's new about this game or the original, this is a remake that lives up to the original- and even surpasses it. Something I was hopeful for yet didn't quite expect with how most remakes turn out.

The team that made this clearly holds love for the original and took tons of care to preserve its essence in as many ways possible. While it does miss some of the ludo-narrative poignance of the original and certain charms or scenes the original had, it makes up for it fully in reimagining Persona 3 in such a fresh, vivid and more satisfying manner by delving deeper into characters they couldn't do the same for in the original.

My few gripes are with the audiovisual aspects, I like the OST a lot but it's certainly not as iconic as the original which is fine but in certain songs it's a little too off. And for the visuals, on most fronts this is one of the prettiest games I've ever played yet the lighting can be completely out of sync in certain areas. Besides the things I've mentioned, this game is essentially perfect.

Now for a little personal footnote, this game came into my life when I started questioning the meaning of life and why I was alive at a very tender time of my pre-teen years, still unaware of how to deal with a loss. Back then, this game was a guiding light to me, it helped me sit with my fear of death despite how much it posessed me. Death is something I fear even to this day, this moment. But unlike 10 years ago, this time I know the meaning of my life is mine and the people I surround myself by to find. It's alright if I can't find it as long as I'm alive, my life already means something to the people that love me.

And that's fine enough, no matter when or how I pass. This realization only came to me then due to this game and today it comes back into my life in a further fully realized manner to pat me on my back and remind me of the same, to keep walking on and adore the burning glimmer and brilliance in life even if it means enduring all the suffering I have to face or that it'll all come to an end.

And as the game says, "Nothing's a waste...my life will have meaning."