Vee’s Persona 3 Reload Review After 110+ Hours!

If someone had told me that 2024 would be the year I discover one of my favorite games of all time, and that this particular one would be from a franchise previously unknown to me, I don’t know if I would have believed them. Yet here we are, more than two weeks after I’ve finished Persona 3 Reload for the first time, and nothing I’m currently up to seems to even creep up to its level. On that note, I present to you my trying-not-to-be-biased-but-failing-miserably review, with no story spoilers, to try and tempt you into playing this game. Huge thanks to Atlus for gifting me a review copy at launch, and congratulations, as they’ve successfully thrown me down a massive rabbit hole!

Story

First, I’d like to talk about the things about this game that I enjoyed the most, and one of them is the story. I’m a big fan of dark, gritty games with a gloomy plot, and Persona 3 is the very definition of it. I’m not going to offer any story spoilers, but what I can say is that this game doesn’t take your precious 10, 20 or 30 hours to start getting good. Its spectacular writing has an immediate effect on you, and if you’re like me, you’ll be left wanting more even after your first session. 

It’s not just about the main plot, either – each one of the Social Links will hurt you, make you laugh or cry in its own way. The stories are raw, representing the real-life issues we’re all trying to escape from when we play games, yet in this game, we’re left wanting more after each Social Link rank-up. The payoff for doing these Social Links is massive, as not only you get to fuse the high-end Personas when you max them out, the final resolution of each and every one of them is bound to tug at the heart strings in some way. Some will completely annihilate you, and you’ll somehow still love it! Oh and, if you’d like to see a spoiler-free guide on all the Social Links that will help you maximize your progress on your first playthrough!

Character development is another story-related aspect of the game I was absolutely astounded by. There are some characters that I couldn’t imagine liking, finding sympathy for, or being excited about the story, but the impressive writing made me find joy in every moment of their growth. Sadly, my preferences did affect what I ended up doing when it comes to my main party composition, so I admit I could’ve done better with that, but I don’t regret any of my choices and I know there was a purpose behind everything that everyone has done, which is more than I can say for some of the longer games I’ve played with far less payoff.

Music

I’m on the fast track of learning that music is one of the best things about Persona games in general, and I am not disappointed with Persona 3 Reload in any way. The songs are addicting, they set the mood for each situation perfectly, and will have you dance away while questing. Even when it comes to combat music, it’s kept me going through Tartarus without once feeling annoyed, overwhelmed by battles, or impatient in general. If great soundtrack is what you’re looking for in your super long JRPGs to keep you going, then this is the game for you!

Art Style

Art style is one of the first things you’ll notice when you look at Persona 3 Reload, and if you’ve played the original Persona 3, you will be able to appreciate the improvements much more than I did at the start. To me, it was just a beautiful game in the art style I immediately have taken a liking to. However, after looking at some of the Persona 3 original footage, as I’ve never played it, I understood just how much love has been put into this remake. The game is gorgeous, and it’s a perfect representation of a remake created in a modern way, that’s kept everything good from the previous installment. (Except having a playable female character, but who’s keeping tabs, right?)

Combat & Systems

A game would not be a game without its actual systems and combat – which have kept me engaged more than any other JRPG I’ve played in a very long time. Fusing Personas, completing the Compendium, grinding Tartarus, crafting the best gear, and doing the things I normally wouldn’t do if I was just trying to finish the game – they’ve all kept me playing longer than I ever thought I would. With over 110 hours in the game, I finished it on Normal with more than 90% of the compendium, all of the end-game fusions, some really sweet gear pieces and a party I knew inside and out. In other words, I was obsessed. The game creates a perfect balance between the social aspect, which directly rewards you for completing it, through combat, as well as great storytelling. 

However…

I’ve given this game a lot of well deserved praise, but there is something I’d like to comment on. Persona 3 Reload is a very long game, and in this day and age, it is very difficult to commit to multiple playthroughs just to see all aspects of it. The fact that it takes mad organizational skills to complete all Social Links on the first playthrough is something that had me miss out on a little bit of it, but I also did far more than I could have thanks to my chat, which is why I decided to make the Social Links guide in the first place. I wish the game would give us a little bit more time to complete the Social Links, as they are a crucial part of the experience. However, if you do have these skills, or you don’t mind playing the game more than once, there’s nothing that can stop you from enjoying it to the fullest.

Is Persona 3 Reload worth it?

As a general conclusion, this game is very much worth playing. If you’re wondering whether or not it’s worth paying the full price for it, I definitely think so. However, if you’re watching this video, I’m going to assume you already have a backlog to work through, and there’s nothing wrong with waiting for a seasonal or publisher sale. You can also play the game through Xbox game pass without buying it if that’s your thing!

When it comes to my trying-not-to-be-too-biased review, that’s pretty much it. If you’ve already played it, do share your thoughts on it in the comments, as more opinions will help the potential Persona 3 Reload players make their decisions. Also, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more awesome guides! If you would like to join my supporters via YouTube memberships or Patreon, it would go a great deal towards continuing to make great content! Until next time!