The release of Persona 3 Portable 15 years ago was a pivotal milestone in the history of the JRPG series, signifying a new peak in the Persona narrative. Fast forward to 2024, fans are poised for another opportunity to experience this iconic game again, this time through the enhanced remake, Persona 3 Reload. However, there are a few questions plaguing the thoughts of many fans, most notably what fresh elements this remake introduces and whether it’s the same as Persona 3 Portable. So, without further ado, let’s find out!
Are Persona 3 Reload and Persona 3 Portable The Same?
While Persona 3 Reload has a lot in common with Persona 3 Portable, it’s better described as a full-fledged remake of the original Persona 3. This means that it’ll be missing a bunch of story elements that are present in Persona 3 Portable.
Therefore, Persona 3 Reload will not be featuring the female protagonist that was introduced in the portable version. The female route was perhaps one of the most significant additions in the game, offering a fresh perspective for gamers along with new narrative elements.
Another notable feature that will not be making its way into the long-awaited remake is The Answer epilogue. This additional content that was introduced in Persona 3 FES provided an extended storyline and deeper insights into the game’s universe.
ATLUS’ decision to leave out these beloved features from the remake finds its best explanation in the words of the game’s producer, Ryota Niitsuma. In an interview with IGN, he pointed out that “We wanted to genuinely work on recreating the Persona 3 experience”.
While this news has hit fans with a shockwave of disappointment, it’s important to highlight that the developers didn’t explicitly rule out the possibility of incorporating the missing content in a future version of Persona 3 Reload.
After all, such additions are not really unheard of when it comes to Persona games, especially when we look at Persona 5 Royal and Persona 4 Golden. Both games saw the introduction of new characters and content post-release. Therefore, it’s very much possible that the devs at ATLUS have a similar path planned for Persona 3 Reload.
What’s New In Persona 3 Reload?
Persona 3 Reload, while being an upgrade to the original Persona 3, brings a number of new features and improvements. Here are some of the key updates confirmed by the developers:
- Upgraded visuals and sound. Persona 3 Reload promises to step up your experience with improved graphics and sound design. The character designs and map aesthetics can also be expected to exceed the visual quality of Persona 5.
- Improved gameplay mechanics. The gameplay mechanics have been completely overhauled, with the most notable improvement being the added ability for players to command their teammates directly. This feature, first seen in Persona 4, offers players more strategic depth during battles.
- Updated user interface. Persona 3’s UI has finally gotten the much needed upgrade, now featuring a minimap and moon phases to help the players better keep track of their in-game objectives.
- Expanded story and character interactions. The game will include additional scenes and character interactions that were not present in the original Persona 3.
- Modern comfort features. Akin to those in Persona 5, Reload will incorporate modern comfort features including a sprint function and more streamlined controls for dungeon exploration.
- Multilingual subtitles. For JRPG fans, having their most beloved game gain the recognition that it deserves worldwide is a dream come true. Persona 3 Reload will take you one step closer to this dream by offering localization in 13 different languages through subtitles.
- New voice cast for the English version. The remake will feature a stellar lineup of English voice actors. Here are some of the confirmed voice actors and their roles in the game:
- Aleks Le (Protagonist)
- Heather Gonzalez (Yukari Takeba)
- Zeno Robinson (Junpei Iori)
- Alejandro Saab (Akihiko Sanada)
- Allegra Clark (Mitsuru Kirijo)
- Suzie Yeung (Fuuka Yamagishi)
- Dawn M. Bennett (Aigis)
- Shinya Takahashi (Koromaru)
- Justine Lee (Ken Amada)
- Justice Slocum (Shinjiro Aragaki)
Final Thoughts
The legacy of Persona 3 is spread out among three different games, leading fans to anticipate that Persona 3 Reload would amalgamate the best elements from all. Although this isn’t the case, the hope for future updates incorporating the missing features remains alive among the fanbase. Could ATLUS really have plans for on their to-do lists? Let us know what you think in the comments below!