Is Persona 3 Reload Worth The Upgrade?
13.02.2024 - 19:12
/ fortressofsolitude.co.za
Persona 3, or Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, was first released as far back as the PlayStation 2 2006 in Japan and in 2007 for the rest of the world. Seventeen years later, the game was finally remastered for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, even being renamed Persona 3 Reload. So what are the changes to Persona 3 Reload from the original, and is the remake worth the upgrade?
This point is a double-edged sword, depending on which side of the game’s fan population you are on.
Suppose you are a new fan of the Persona franchise and want to catch up on the story in a refreshed way that is visually stunning and upgraded. In that case, Persona 3 Reload doesn’t change the original game’s story and allows you to travel back in time with better glasses on and experience what all the other fans were squinting at in comparison.
If you are a die-hard fan wanting to refresh your knowledge about the series or want a healthy dose of nostalgia, the remake is the game for you. Unfortunately, suppose you are such a fan of the franchise that you have played Persona 3 a couple of times and know the story by heart. In that case, there is nothing new to the story besides lines that weren’t given voiceovers before, a few new inconsequential options in dialogue and NPC interactions.
There are a lot of visual upgrades to enjoy and other upgraded elements to the game, but the story remains intact and untouched.
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The short answer for whether or not the upgrade from PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 5 is worth it it is and will always be yes. The capabilities of the PS2 can’t hold a match, let alone a candle, to what the PlayStation 5 is capable of. When loading up Persona 3 Reload, from the start of the game, it feels like you are playing an anime that you interact with slightly until the game starts. You can move around in the world.
The core graphics of the entire game have been taken and improved. Everything from cut scenes, enemies, and characters to the user interface has been rendered in stunning detail. Gone are the days of pixelation and faded colours. Atlus has thought of and improved everything from the angle at which the camera sits while you are in class to the improved speech bubbles.
Suppose you ever played the original and got frustrated by the difficulty of navigating the combat menus and the fact that you could only really control some of your party members’ actions initially. In that case, the game has taken their players’ advice and made some changes.
Combat is still turn-based, like the original game. Still, it has also adopted some mechanics, like splitting the damage you take into three different categories or types. This combat system was only picked up