Persona 3 Portable review: a messy, lovable RPG comes to next gen

It is the success of Persona 5 Millions upon millions of Persona fans have been attracted to the tales of teens using their powers to combat injustice and save lives as they know. Persona 3 Portable’s re-release on Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox platforms, and Nintendo Switch means many of those newcomers can get a history lesson — warts and all — on the franchise’s roots, and enjoy strengthening their bonds with a different group of teenagers who have been thrust into danger.

It will truly be an unforgettable experience, as it is a blast from past. Persona 3’s port largely optimizes the 2009 PlayStation Portable release, itself an improvement on the PlayStation 2 original, released in 2007 in America. There aren’t vast leaps forward from the PSP version here; it’s simply the same game available to a much wider (and activated) audience. It’s also especially important considering the obsolescence of stores on Sony’s older platforms.

Persona 3 Portable’s option to choose a female protagonist is a welcome change after two silent men. The dialog she uses is much more entertaining, as is the ability to date men. However, same-sex pairings in this port are not allowed. I ignore the warnings at the beginning that the female protagonist should be played twice, but I continue to play.

Persona 3 Portable This is the most dark story of the Persona series. Yes, Persona 4 There is a murder mystery to follow, but it has plenty of humor and levity. Persona 3, however, Every turn is met with death. Every student has a terribly tragic past – many are orphans, or have rocky relationships with their parents, if they are alive. Many of my social connections that I make in the afternoons or evenings involve people who are suffering from depression.

The game’s supernatural event, The Dark Hour that follows midnight, turns all non-participating humans into glowing coffins while Persona users run amok. Party members use their Persona powers to summon this dark and macabre event. They do so by holding a fake gun in their hands and pulling the trigger. While these guns, the Evokers, aren’t real or loaded, they symbolize the required sacrifice for wielding a Persona in this universe. It may seem a bit sloppy to some.

Image by Atlus

Speaking of, here’s a content warning for folks considering playing for the first time: I saw a party member pretend to shoot themselves in the head every single time I activated their Persona in battle.

Persona 3’s turn-based combat portion largely takes place in an infinite-dungeon tower called Tartarus, which only appears during the Dark Hour. Scaling Tartarus’ myriad floors is critical in gaining experience before larger boss battles, which happen once a month at the full moon. You will spend hours grinding on randomly-generated floors, which are rarely consistent in color scheme, while sneaking up and targeting shadow enemies.

It is very similar to the menus and combat. Persona 4 GoldHowever, it does not include the many dungeons. Persona 5 Its palaces had unique gameplay ideas that elevated the Dungeon Experience. The result for players who have been playing in reverse chronological order of the series will be a very severe regression. While it’s possible I overprepared for each boss fight by running through each new section of floors more than once, it felt necessary, at the time, to ensure that my characters were strong enough. Although the grind can feel comfortable with its paces, it sometimes needs a podcast to ease the monotony.

Image by Atlus

Tartarus and boss fights are the only instances when I’m allowed to freely move my character. In the daytime overworld map section, I’m limited to a fixed overhead view and a cursor. This feels a bit out-of-body, and while I’m not wasting time locomoting around the labyrinth of Gekkoukan High, it also means the social elements are fleeting – small palate-cleansers before I take another plunge into Tartarus. Persona added many more activities to this slice-of life, calendar-based aspect of the game. Comparatively, Persona 3 PortableIt is very simple. In the beginning, there was little I could do in the evenings except to study or go to a cafe with one of my social links, which I soon exhausted. It was possible that I had missed something important.

Simplicity is something I value. I have three social stats that you need to handle, rather than five: courage, academics and charm. That streamlines some of my activity choices, and I don’t have to stress about raising my kindness. Some social networks are restricted to those with the highest stats. I haven’t completed the game, but I don’t think I’ll ever become genius enough to hang out with intimidatingly icy Mitsuru, our team founder who is also student council president and rides a motorcycle, no less. Mitsuru is cool but not for 100 hours. new game plus cool.)

Image by Atlus

The journey to the meat takes much longer. Persona 3’s story, compared to later entries, and there are long stretches of time between significant story beats. The game begins in April at the start of the school year. In July I met my enemies. They are able to benefit from Dark Hour and will try to stop me trying to end it. The plot really kicks off in September, though, after I’ve met the full cast and have a swarm of characters I can drag along dungeon crawling. After more than 60 hours, October and November are when I really grasp the importance of what is at stake. I think this story is one every new Persona convert should experience, but it’s a big ask without the variety (both in slice-of-life activities and dungeons) of the newer games. While this port is a lovely up-rezzed version of an aging classic, I’m surprised there wasn’t much added beyond the ability to quick-save in Tartarus or other places and return to the title screen.

After being completely sucked in, however Persona 52017 was the year I fully planned to play. Persona 3 It was my favorite entry after being mentioned by so many. While the systems don’t hold up when stacked against the newer titles, I found its bleaker tone more endearing and lovable. Although it takes a lot of work to reach the final, the complex, confusing, and bizarre story is well worth the effort.

Persona 3 Portable The game will be rereleased Jan. 19, on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Windows PC), Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass, as well as on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 (PS4), PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox One, Xbox Series X) Atlus provided a prerelease code for Steam. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. They do not affect editorial content. However, Vox Media might earn commissions for products bought via affiliate links. Here are some links to help you find. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.]