If you have enjoyed many of the recent Persona installments but haven’t yet experienced Persona 3, you will soon get another major opportunity to do just that. At today’s Xbox showcase, Atlus put out a trailer unveiling a brand-new remake of Persona 3, dubbed Persona 3 Reload. As fans of the series probably would have expected, Persona 3 Reload reinterprets the original game’s locations and characters using an altered version of the visual style from Persona 5. Considering that Persona 5 received hefty praise for its stylized aesthetic, this seems like a no-brainer direction for a Persona 3 remake to go in.
The official web page for Persona 3 Reload briefly goes over the story and key features of this remake. Like in the original, players assume the role of a transfer student who has to deal with a phenomenon called the “Dark Hour,” referring to “the hour ‘hidden’ between one day and the next.” Throughout the protagonist’s adventure, he will make use of mysterious new powers as he unravels the Dark Hour’s secrets and connects with the friends he fights for.
Building upon the familiar
Persona 3 Reload promises to offer a faithful experience boasting “cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features, and signature stylish UI.” However, striving for that faithfulness did not prevent the developers from taking some creative liberties. In fact, Persona 3 Reload implements some extra scenes, voiceover work, and character interactions not found in the original game. So even if you already played Persona 3 several times over, you still have some incentive to try out this new version.
The end of the Persona 3 Reload trailer displays an early 2024 release window, so Persona fans will still need to wait a good while before they can experience what this new remake brings to the table. At the very least, we know that Xbox and PC Game Pass users will gain access to the game on day one.
