ThePersonagames have become the most popular in theShin Megami Tenseiseries. The first two titles in the series were excellent games, butPersona 3, with its modern setting and social sim mechanics, attracted fans and helped spawn two widely successful sequels.
Persona 3’s fanbase grew, and it wasn’t long before the developers, Atlus, launched Persona 3 FES, a director’s cut-style remaster with new features and story elements. A portable version,Persona 3 Portable, was also launched on the PSP. The vastly popular third entry has been developed into a fully-fledged remake withPersona 3 Reload. It looks as good as Persona 5 and is just as stylish, but does the gameplay hold up? Let’s take a look and see how each version of Persona 3 stacks up.
The original version of Persona features the base story, also known as The Journey in Persona 3 lore. It holds up well, as evidenced by the faithful remake, which pays tribute to the classic while modernizing it for a new audience. The opening and anime cutscenes still look tremendous by today’s standards, and the social sim gameplay and the combat are just as compelling.
While it is an experience to play Persona 3 in its original form on the PlayStation 2, it only includes the base game, there is no female protagonist like the portable version, and it lacks The Answer epilogue from Persona 3 FES.
Persona 3 FES was the first enhanced remaster of the original classic. As a PS2 title, it looks the same but added significant elements and sequences to make it close to being the definitive version of Persona 3 before the remake. Unfortunately, it was never ported to other gaming systems and remains locked on the PS2.
It features nicely designed 3D environments and excellent character models with a distinct style that holds up today. The Journey has been improved with better dialogue. However, the most significant addition to Persona 3 FES is The Answer, a 30-hour expansion that serves as an epilogue to the base game, tying up plot threads from the main story. Even though the portable version features an alternate protagonist, new Social Links, and a bonus dungeon, fans may still prefer Persona 3 FES because of its cutscenes and exploration, feeling more immersive than the static point-and-click elements of P3P.
Persona 3 Portable is an enhanced remaster condensed to fit on the PlayStation Portable. It was remastered again and launched on the PS4, Switch, and the Xbox. In many ways, it is a nicer-looking game than Persona 3 original and Persona 3 FES, but it sadly doesn’t feature animated cutscenes and lacks the epilogue from Persona 3 FES, known as The Answer.
However, P3P makes up for this bygiving you a choice between a male and female protagonist. The female protagonist offers unique dialogue, new Social Link sequences, and new endings. There are no 3D environments, but the remastered 2D versions look great. P3P also connects toPersona 4by featuring the Velvet Room’s Margaret in a new bonus dungeon with challenging bosses. There are more difficulty options with Beginner, Easy, Normal Hard, and Maniac, too.
Persona 3 Reload is the long-awaited remake of the original Persona 3. While itlacks the epilogue expansion from Persona 3 FESand the alternate protagonist from P3P, Persona 3 Reload edges both versions as the definitive experience. The omission of the epilogue expansion is surprising, but signs point to The Answer getting launched as DLC.
The Journey’s pacing has been improved with added dialogue and several moments that remain faithful to the 2006 version. Requested features like switchable characters in combat and a more streamlined Tarturus experience have been addressed by removing the annoying stamina mechanic from the originals. It’s also faster than the originals, and the conversations between the party members while exploring and climbing the tower improve the repetition of the procedurally generated dungeons.
The romantic social links are more realistic, and entering into a relationship with more than one character can have implications. This makes thesocial aspect of Persona 3 Reloadfeel more organic and natural.
