Why Persona 3 Reload Should Be Your First JRPG

These past couple weeks I’ve submitted myself once again to the incredible story of the Persona franchise. It’s not uncommon for me to enjoy the refined taste of a Japanese Role Playing Game (JRPG); the stories they weave and the worlds they build outshine any Western take on the genre (I will die on this hill). From Fire Emblem to Xenoblade, there exists a diverse range of incredible storytelling to be devoured.

While the genre is gaining popularity among Western cultures, there’s a myriad of reasons why JRPGs struggle to take off the way Assassin’s Creed or Zelda games have. From complex battle logistics to layers upon layers of game mechanics, it’s no surprise they can be hard to sink your teeth into. As if that wasn’t a big enough barrier, it can be nearly impossible for the average gamer to consume a video game that is longer than 10-20 hours, maybe 30 at a stretch for something truly special. JRPGs at their core are so complex and detailed that simply completing the main story (not even to 100% completion) will often take over 100 hours.

Although I praise JRPGs so highly, it is a fairly recent development in my life. It took me quite a while to dive headlong into my first one; Fire Emblem: Three Houses. While Three Houses was a great first step for me, it was made easier because my best friend at the time adored the game herself. If I was left to my own devices, however, I could see myself bouncing right off of it and entering an alternate timeline where I never fell in love with JRPGs.

If you don’t have a best friend to drag you kicking and screaming into the world of JRPGs as I did, and you’ve been considering giving them a go but don’t know where to start, I can not recommend Persona 3 Reload enough.

*He could be talking about Ramen or JRPGs and it would still be an accurate statement either way.*

M-m-m-my Persona

Persona 3 Reload is not my first Persona game. That crown goes to Persona 5; a truly phenomenal story with a fantastic cast of characters. While I adore Persona 5, I must confess I have never actually finished it.

The biggest issue I find is struggling to remember so many mechanics… I have to make sure I go to the bathhouse every Monday or else I won’t earn those extra points of ‘rizz, but I also have to remember to study so many nights per week or else I’ll fail my exams — and then I also have to find time in the schedule to play an impossible batting-cage minigame to boost my proficiency stat- AHHHH.

That’s not even the tip of the Persona 5 iceberg. I feel overwhelmed just writing about it.

Persona 3 Reload is a remaster of the original Persona 3 for PlayStation 2. Unlike modern Persona titles, there aren’t 5000 mechanics to learn and remember. It’s not a title that has to compete with the overbearing nature of modern gaming, therefore it doesn’t feel oppressive to step into. Persona 3 Reload has the DNA of the Persona franchise without all the extras; it’s more stripped back, paired with modern looks and quality-of-life niceties.

Gameplay Never Felt So Good

The modern looks and niceties are key to this recommendation, as a clean and easy-to-navigate UI and ray tracing will appeal to any modern gamer. Graphically rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4, the game boasts a crisp anime aesthetic that really shines. Additionally, if you’re familiar with the interfacing of other modern games, Persona 3 Reload becomes very easy to navigate.

READ MORE: Preview | Children of the Sun (PC)

The game mechanics are also very forgiving. One such example is keeping track of type advantages and disadvantages in battle. Much like a Pokémon game, going into a turn-based battle with your Personas on hand requires some strategy on which types to use. Learning the type match-ups is trial and error, much like in Pokémon, but once successful the game remembers the enemy’s types and disadvantages. When battling the same enemy again, the game will remind you which move is more effective. There’s no need to keep a real-life journal to document all your findings, or to rip your hair out at the difficulty – Persona 3 Reload has you covered.

*If you know, you know. Literally. The game won’t let you forget.*

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A Story After Midnight

The story is engaging enough to keep players wanting to come back for more without being abstruse. From the start, players are thrust into the concept of the Dark Hour: a time in between days in which time is frozen and monsters roam the world. Select few people remain unaffected during this hour, and these people are known as Persona users. One such prodigy is you, and you must save the world from the Dark Hour’s chaos. There are so many mysteries to unravel with this narrative, and the pacing of the discoveries will easily keep you coming back for more answers.

There are a few more handy-dandy features that make Persona 3 Reload a great first JRPG.

For starters, the game has a “rewind” function that acts much like an advanced version of autosave. While various points in the game will autosave or let you manually save, and you can reload these saves at any time, the rewind function allows you to take smaller steps back in between these larger chunks.

For gamers who may not have a lot of time to devote to a 100+ hour JRPG, Persona 3 Reload has your back. From the menu players can access two incredible features: the tutorial and the dictionary. The tutorial keeps track of game mechanics that you have already been taught, and selecting a specific mechanic from the menu will re-school you on everything you need to know. The dictionary gives you the lowdown on people, monsters, and locations you’ve already discovered, which is incredibly handy for when you inevitably forget. These two features combined are great for people who can’t always remember what’s going on or where they were up to, and especially fantastic for the myriad of us gamers who are time-poor.

The game is still fairly lengthy, but the ease of which you can dive right back into it makes Persona 3 Reload a perfect first JRPG for the busy gamer.

Take On Me (And My Disabilities): Important Accessibility Note

If any of the following trigger you, this is not the game for you:

Suicide
Bullying
Depictions of violence
Flashing lights

I can not stress enough how involved these themes are in the minute-to-minute gameplay.

Aside from this, the game lacks any real accessibility options outside of toggling subtitles on and off. Having subtitles is a bare minimum, but there isn’t even an option to increase their size. This is quite a letdown.

Persona 3 Reload’s saving grace in accessibility is its compatibility with the PlayStation Access controller. A seamless integration, the format works quite well with the slower pace of turn-based combat and daily life in the game. I encountered no issues when using the PlayStation Access controller, or when switching between that and the DualSense from day to day depending on the pain in my fingers (from Rheumatoid Arthritis).

*Is there a Persona that lets me play games uninhibited? Asking for a friend.*

I Love Rock & Role Playing Games

Persona 3 Reload is the perfect JRPG for a beginner to the genre. A modern take on a classic game, updated with gorgeous graphics and interfacing, and made complete with a compelling narrative; this is a perfect first step for any gamer looking to dip their toe into the world of JRPGs.

Whether you’re a JRPG noob, or you’re looking for recommendations for a JRPG noob in your life, I can not recommend Persona 3 Reload enough.