The 10 BIGGEST Changes In Persona 3 Reload

10 Biggest Changes in Persona 3 Reload

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 key changes being made to “Persona 3’s” remake.

UI

Back in the old days, developers couldn’t afford to get too crazy and wild with their menus, HUD, and other UI-related assets. This was most likely due to hardware limitations and/or lack of proper funds to allocate to just making the UI stylish. And so, many JRPGs went with straightforward designs that kept everything readable, but a tad bland. Well, Atlus is giving “Persona 3” the “Persona 5” treatment. The blue tones are still being kept in, but now, your highlights, HUD, and everything will be as blitzed out as it was in “Persona 5” and its enhanced “Royal” version.

Voice Acting

Yes, we know that “Persona 3” had a plethora of voice acting across both the original version, “Portable”, and “FES”. So, what’s the change? Well, if you weren’t keeping up with the news, some of the “Persona” community was up in arms over the remake having an entirely new voice cast. No Yuri Lowenthal, no Michelle Ruff, no one from the original game is returning. To Altus’s credit, “Persona 3” is a near-twenty-year-old game. On top of that, the new cast consists of actors who have had roles in games like “Yakuza: Like a Dragon”, “Octopath Traveler II”, “Honkai Star Rail”, “Fire Emblem: Three Houses”, “Cassette Beasts”, and even “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”. Honestly, you know the performances here will be just as good as the original title.

Party Commands

In case you had never played any of the other “Persona” games outside of P5, they did not play like most other JRPGs. Or even RPGs in general. The only character you ever controlled in battle was your player character, Makoto Yuki. The rest of your party acted on their own accord. This could prove frustrating in some cases as they could wind up doing the wrong move and put the entire party at risk in dire situations. Granted, they weren’t stupid, but there were plenty of times where decisions were made and got the party wiped. The remake will thankfully abandon this design choice and allow you to control everyone just as you could in “Persona 5”.

Boss Fights

Another key aspect seeing an overhaul in “Reload” are the boss fights. In the original iterations, “Persona 3’s” bosses weren’t all that different compared to other JRPGs. They were beefy boys with a ton of HP that could deal a ton of damage. You just had to hope your party was leveled up enough and could withstand enough attacks without constantly using items. “Reload” is changing this approach and redesigning almost every boss in the game. Expect many to bear gimmicks just as P5’s bosses had.

Weapon Swapping

Despite bosses being a little more basic than we’ve come to expect from games today, “Persona 3” did have another layer that forced you to strategize a bit more. Like many other RPGs, you would have to give characters equipment, and back then, “Persona 3” allowed you to equip whatever to whoever. For “Reload”, you won’t have this music decision-making to worry about. Just like the Phantom Thieves, certain weapons and gear will be purchasable but only certain characters will be able to equip it.

Music

As expected from a remake, the beautiful and bopping soundtrack of “Persona 3” will be getting remixed. At the time of this video, Atlus has not confirmed whether the original tracks will be integrated in some way. However, there will be some new music made for the areas that are getting expanded upon. For instance, “Reload” will be getting its own battle song much like P5 did with “Last Surprise”. So, expect some new beats you’ll want on your playlists. Though, we won’t be surprised if tracks like “The Snow Queen” or “Maya’s Theme” get axed as those were remixes of songs from previous games.

The Monad Door

The Monad Door was a tricky section of the game only accessible at a very specific point towards the end of the original game. Some players even whizzed past it without ever knowing of its existence. Atlus must know how big of a problem this was as they are changing up how the Monad Door works in the remake. Rather than give players only one chance to experience it, it will now be split across multiple sections throughout the campaign. Of course, exploring the Monad Depths will remain optional, but if you want the best gear possible, you might want to consider tackling its challenging floors.

Missing Content

For as sweet of a package “Reload” is shaping up to be, there are two omissions that have some fans irked. One feature missing is the option of playing a female protagonist, which was a part of “Persona 3 Portable’s” experience. But the most glaring omission is The Answer, which was included in “Persona 3 FES”. This was an epilogue that focused a lot more on combat and saw players take control of Aigis as she explored a new dungeon, the Abyss of Time. We have a feeling this will either be sold as DLC after launch or saved for an eventual enhanced and expanded version of “Reload”. Annoying, yes, but we’ll see what Atlus does after “Reload” launches.

Fatigue

So many of us will swear by “Persona 3” until the bitter end. There is so much to love about this game that it’s ridiculous. However, the one mechanic absolutely no one liked was the “Fatigue” mechanic. In case you’re unfamiliar, “Persona 3” wanted players to swap out party members frequently. To enforce this, Atlus implemented fatigue; bring a character into too many fights and they will tire out. This could cause a variety of problems for said character such as decreased accuracy and speed, lower resistance, and lower recovery chances. Think if a D&D was consistently rolling Nat One’s. The only way to get a character to recover is to have them sit out from missions for a day or two. And yes, it gets annoying SUPER quick! What does this mean for “Reload”? Well, nothing! It is gone! It’s kaput, no more, deceased, no longer living, expired, perished, it is now ex-fatigue. Veterans, rejoice!

Link Episodes

Another minor weak point in the original iterations of “Persona 3” was the fact that not every party member had Social Links to evolve and strengthen the party with, mainly Akihiko and Junpei. This time around, almost every character of the main cast will have Social Links to build upon through the new “Link Episodes”. This way, everyone will get to have their story shared with the player and hopefully make things a little less depressing than the main story will get. Plus, you will have plenty of opportunities to hang out with your favorite characters between the dormitory and the outside world.

What’s got you excited about playing “Persona 3 Reload”? Let us know down in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!