Sock It to Me

Posted by Amaan Bhimani

https://rpgamer.com/review/persona-3-reload-switch-2-review/

https://rpgamer.com/?post_type=review&p=178346

Taking Life Day By Day

2024’s Persona 3 Reload was one of the most requested titles for the Switch, however, given that the Switch port of Persona 5 Royal had notably lower resolution in both handheld and docked modes, Atlus’ decision to wait for the system’s successor may be understandable. Persona 3 Reload’s Switch 2 version has excellent image quality, but in exchange, it suffers from its own performance issues. Despite its imperfections, however, it remains to be as fulfilling as a game of its caliber was meant to be.

At midnight each day, the hidden twenty-fifth hour begins. During this Dark Hour, the sky turns a ghastly green, the moon takes on a golden glow, and monsters known as Shadows descend, bringing forth destruction and death onto a world unprepared for their wrath. But while most sleep, unaware of the supernatural happenings around them, a chosen few brave through the darkness. High schoolers in the day and exorcists by night, the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES) harnesses the power of spirits known as Persona to bring an end to the Shadow menace. Players take on the role of the newest member of SEES, who awakens to his powers and helps uncover the secrets of the Dark Hour, just as the Shadows begin to grow in strength.

A mystery hidden in plain sight.

As both a student of Gekkoukan High School and a member of SEES, players balance the ordinary and the otherworldly each day, attending classes one moment, and taking the fight to the enemy the next. Gekkoukan reveals its own secrets after midnight, when it morphs into Tartarus, the towering nest of the Shadows. In addition to dealing with incidents involving powerful Shadows each month, SEES ventures into the tower to try and learn more about the threat while growing stronger in preparation for what they might face next. The story progresses day by day, month by month, as new characters, powers, and revelations are drip-fed little by little. Initially, the story seems to be entirely driven by this threat, but as it evolves, a greater focus is placed on the themes and how the characters embody them.

SEES brings kindred spirits together, each with their flaws and fears that make them human, while the Shadows and Tartarus have a greater purpose of their own. Once the corrupting influence of the Shadows starts to bleed into the daytime, even the ordinary start to realize that something is wrong, leading to greater problems across the city. Through this premise, Persona 3 Reload explores ideas of life, death, and the human condition, all while asking players if they would have the heart to stand tall in the face of adversity, even when others may fall to their knees. An incredible final act takes the story to legendary status, and though uneven pacing and a handful of rushed subplots weigh it down, it is sincere and powerful enough that it’ll be remembered by players for its triumphs and not its failures.

Outside of the plot, players interact with the world and characters through the social simulation that the Persona series is known for. The Social Link system lets players build relationships with characters around the city, and by spending time with them in the day, benefits can be reaped in the battles of the night. Regrettably, the female protagonist and her unique Social Links from Persona 3 Portable are absent, but Linked Episodes have been introduced to offer something new. These pseudo-links provide much-needed development for important characters and make this the definitive way to experience the male protagonist’s story. Between the main story and their Social Links, SEES gets the lion’s share of the screentime, but the supporting characters are all compelling in their own ways, culminating in a well-rounded cast that players can grow close to without even realizing.

They won’t know what hit ’em.

Fighting Shadows comes down to exploiting weaknesses to gain more actions in a turn and deal heavy damage. Persona skills are associated with an element and are key to creating an opening, and much of the difficulty comes from either not having the right Persona on hand or facing an enemy with no weaknesses, at which point it becomes a race to see who scores a critical hit first. It’s simple and satisfying, but no summer picnic, as Shadows can exploit the weaknesses of party members and kick off a chain of attacks themselves. Even on lower difficulties, Shadows act with the same cunning that players are expected to have.

The two new mechanics in Persona 3 Reload help level the playing field, however. Shift allows players to swap the active party member after a critical hit, while Theurgy adds a special attack to each party member’s toolkit that negates elemental resistances. Of the two, Theurgy stands out for its breathtaking animations, destructive potential, and unique activation requirements that differ from character to character. All in all, it’s a solid battle system that allows players to keep laying on the hurt and look good doing it. The best thing about the combat is how stylish it is, which keeps it from ever losing its spark, unlike the dungeon-crawling, which gets dull due to repetition and a lack of charm.

Tartarus is divided into blocks of procedurally-generated floors that must be explored, with each floor having an assortment of enemies to execute and treasure to plunder. About every two blocks, the aesthetic and enemy pool changes, but otherwise, the first hour spent in Tartarus is not that different from the tenth or twentieth. Minor quality of life changes like being able to dash or send party members to scout out the next floor make it superior to the Tartarus of Persona 3 Portable, but it’s faithful to a fault. Battles help break the monotony, the loop itself is well-designed, and there’s a crowd that’ll have no problems with it, but by dragging it out and not innovating, it loses the appeal it would otherwise have. It’s especially disappointing as the concept of climbing a mysterious tower floor by floor is promising from both a story and gameplay perspective, but only the former gets the most out of Tartarus.

It’s the little things that go a long way.

Party members and their Personas gain levels through combat, but the protagonist has his own set of stats that can be leveled up outside of battle. Courage, Charm, and Academics are the three social stats that determine compatibility with characters, and they can be increased through activities in the city such as working a part-time job or heading out for karaoke. Certain Social Links are off-limits until the protagonist maxes out his stats, but each character also has their own schedule they follow, meaning that there are a limited number of days that players can interact with each character. Social Links and stat-building activities both progress the time of day as well, making time management another strategic component of the game.

Aside from a few time slots and one infamous stretch of the calendar, there is almost always something productive to do in an in-game day. Side quests range from summoning Personas in the mysterious Velvet Room to rescuing lost souls that wander into Tartarus, and they give substantial rewards while asking little, which encourages players to stay busy instead of rushing through the story. Between the battles, Social Links, and side content, the minute-to-minute gameplay is bite-sized and easily digested, held back only by needing to explore Tartarus every month. But when paired with spotless graphics and a stylish soundtrack, that routine becomes all the more addictive, and players may find it easy to get lost in the sights, sounds, and stories of the night and day.

Only a few are blessed with the power of Persona, and even fewer can use that power to chart their own path.

Character models, portraits, backgrounds, and animations are sharp throughout, though the phenomenal art direction pulls a lot of weight. Dynamic lighting makes it all look even better, but there’s a strong blur effect while dashing that takes away from the immersion a little. Sadly, while resolution is consistent, the frame rate is anything but. When climbing stairs or turning the camera quickly or even when walking slowly through a busy street, it can be jittery and rough. It’s noticeable as soon as players first take control of the protagonist, though the silver lining is that the rough patches are dispersed and dependent on what’s on screen instead of plaguing the entire game. It becomes less and less noticeable as the game progresses, and there are some straightaways when it runs as it should, at a smooth, if standard, thirty frames per second.

Persona 3 Reload features a redone soundtrack with a new female vocalist taking center stage, but the Switch 2 release coincided with an update that added songs from previous releases. Players can choose the versions they prefer or mix it up as desired, but the remixed soundtrack has higher production quality, which may give it the edge for players who haven’t heard the original. There are also a handful of new songs, and these stand out for demonstrating the new vocalist’s capabilities and Atlus’ commitment to making Persona 3 Reload feel fresh. What makes the soundtrack special as a whole is its cohesion and consistency, as it delivers hit after hit, yet it never strays from the style it aims for. Motifs are present throughout, and the lyrics of many songs reference the story and its themes, adding depth to a soundtrack that would have still been excellent without it.

The English cast is also new, and opinions will differ on whether the old or new is superior. Unlike the soundtrack, however, there’s no way to bring the old voices back. This is only an issue for those who associate the old cast with these characters, as the new voices deliver good performances, on top of keeping the general vibe that the characters are meant to have. Given that all Social Links are now fully voiced in a first for the series, and that even optional scenes with characters get full voicework, there’s not much to complain about.

Set aside your fear and cut through the darkness to discover the truth.

In handheld mode, the Switch 2’s battery life lasts around three hours, which is more than enough to get through a block of Tartarus or a month of the calendar when on the go. A rushed playthrough can take forty hours, while a more relaxed one can go beyond sixty, eighty, and even past one hundred for the most dedicated. It’s up to players to decide if they want to make the most of each day or focus on the main threat, but compared to the notoriously long Persona 5 Royal, this one can be less intimidating and time-consuming. As mentioned earlier, battles can’t be brute-forced, but the dungeon-crawling and social simulation don’t punish players for failure too often, and there are strategies for making both elements of the game considerably easier anyway.

Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 is functionally the same game found everywhere else, and though the remaster of Persona 3 Portable is playable on the system, this is a more refined way of experiencing one of the most memorable stories in gaming and a seminal title for the RPG genre. The inconsistent frame rate will be unnoticeable to some and inexcusable to others, but the added perk of portability may be enough to make up for its graphical shortcomings. Moreover, it wouldn’t be right for a game that aims for excellence to be shot down for the few targets it missed, just as how a life of many highs shouldn’t be defined by the times it stumbled and struggled. Persona 3 Reload is a beautiful game, and it being on the Switch 2, imperfect as it may be, means that more people will get to see that beauty for themselves and come away from it with a greater love for what games can really be.

Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.

BATTLE SYSTEM

    

INTERACTION

    

ORIGINALITY

    

STORY

    

MUSIC & SOUND

    

VISUALS

    

nsw2

40-60 HOURS

MODERATE

Meaningful story that isn't afraid to ask tough questions about life
Battles feel good and look even better
The minute to minute gameplay is addictive
Classy soundtrack that fits in perfectly and compliments the entire experience

Dungeon-crawling is repetitive and rarely excites
Performance issues are disappointing

The post Persona 3 Reload Switch 2 Review appeared first on RPGamer.

https://rpgamer.com/review/persona-3-reload-switch-2-review/

https://rpgamer.com/?post_type=review&p=178346