Persona games are always chonky. Even if you’re not going for a 100 percent run, you’ll still be pumping in over 60-80 hours to see the story through to its conclusion, and it’s for this reason that I leave years-long gaps before replaying them. Having played the Persona 3 Portable remaster this time last year, I didn’t think I’d be so eager to step back into the game so soon, yet here I am excited to venture deep into the mystery of the Dark Hour once again.

I may already know the story and mechanics, but the Persona 3 Reload preview made me realise that this is not the game I know and love, it’s something much, much more. We were given free rein in a section about five hours into the game, just after Fuuka moves into the dormitory. Even for those of us who have played FES, which allowed for more detailed exploration than the static point-and-click screens of Portable, we’ve never explored the Persona 3 world like this before.

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While you might think you know all the old haunts like the Persimmon tree and the book store, they’re nothing like you remember. Each has been given a new lease of life in Reload. Running around the halls of the school hits so much differently in modern, deliciously sleek 3D graphics that you can roam properly, looking into nooks and crannies and seeing the level of detail of objects in the environment.

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Reload reshapes the game in many ways, addressing old issues such as ditching the tiresome Fatigue system, fixing broken social links, and even trying to address the tedious slog of Tartarus. As well as getting a much-needed visual glow-up, the team has added new elements to make dungeons more exciting. These are small additions, such as breakable objects and additional conversations with teammates, and now you collect Twilight Fragments to open chests.

Changes to the battle system make combat in this gruelling dungeon more interesting than ever. Shifting, similar to the Baton Pass of recent Persona titles, allows you to squeeze in an extra attack after you hit an enemy’s weakness. During the preview, we also checked out the new Theurgy mechanic, which allows party members to unleash a special attack once their gauge is full, with no cost to HP or SP.

Theurgy is tied to characters’ emotions narratively, but mechanically works in that each party member has their own requirements for filling their gauges, such as Yukari’s filling when she heals or Mitsuru’s filling when she inflicts status ailments. In true Persona style, this new feature has also ramped up the style factor and delivered memorable moments, such as Mitsuru clicking her fingers for her ice-based attack, likely paying homage to Final Fantasy’s Shiva.

We also got to see first-hand the scene where the SEES team receive their new battle gear, which was showcased in a trailer last year. It was great to see their new threads, though pour one out for the Persona 3 cosplayers who need to update their outfits. This scene symbolises what Reload has to offer: familiar faces in a familiar place, but repping a new look that works to make its own mark rather than just faithfully recreate the original exactly as it was.

Though the graphical overhaul draws your attention straight away, and rightfully so, it doesn’t take long to realise that the countless seemingly small tweaks and new combat mechanics and features, as well as the depth of detail that the team has explored here, create a fascinating new way to play Persona 3. I’m hopeful that we may even get a few more surprises regarding the plot or characters at launch, but whether you’ve played any of the earlier iterations of Persona 3 or not, you’ve never played it like this before.

Persona 3 Reload launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on February 2, 2024.

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