Persona 3 Reloadhas been officially announced, giving fans the opportunity to dive into an iconic entry in thePersonaseries once more. With the title serving as a refresh of its source material, somePersona 3features have been droppedfor quality of life reasons while others are set to return. One notable element of the original game’s bond system, Social Link reversal, has been confirmed forPersona 3 Reload, which could help to inspirePersona 6’s approach to its social-sim gameplay.
Persona 3added a level of nuance to its Social Links through reversals, which made player’s actions have possible negative consequences when interacting with a friend. This made it so that those who neglected Makoto’s relationships with the supporting cast, whether that be through poor dialogue choices, dismissing their time, or overbooking dates, could face repercussions. Reversals could be repaired with some effort from the player, though failure to reconcile Social Links had the chance for them to break entirely. While such drastic outcomes won’t be seen inPersona 3 Reload, the return of reversals could help to informPersona 6’s bond system, making its Social Links feel more healthy.
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Persona 6 Could Reintroduce Social Link Reversals
The Social Link systems demonstrated inPersona 3throughPersona 5have seen their protagonists revered by their supporting casts, working as a way for characters to build respect for the player while in turn revealing more of their backstories. Though this helps to hone in on the games' combat loop, as certain skills and benefits can be unlocked only through bonding with other characters, the system could stand to benefit from a resurgence ofPersona 3’s reversal element to make its portrayals more realistic.
As in real life, relationships can have many ups and downs; whilePersonaprotagonists like Jokercan be seen as infallible in how they come across through the social stat system, a more realistic depiction would keep in mind how players choose to present the character. Having consequences for certain actions or dialogue decisions inPersona 6would not only allow players' choices to feel more impactful, but also help to make its supporting cast feel more lifelike in how they respond. Reversals could promote a sense of agency in such characters, making their friendships with the protagonist more natural.
Just like how Ryuji and Morgana had differences inPersona 5that put a strain on the group dynamic, highlighting disagreements withinPersona 6’s castcould provide conflict in its narrative while showing a more realistic side to friendship and forgiveness. MakingPersona 6’s protagonist capable of mistakes while being able to face consequences and work to apologize could make the character feel more level to their peers. Given how much the series emphasizes the importance of bonds when facing hardship, a system with repercussions could make its gameplay more challenging while demonstrating the significance of each character’s contributions.
With the bond system being such an integral part of thePersonaseries' gameplay,Persona 6has the opportunity to iterate on how it is presented to allow for a return in Social Link reversals. The feature’s inclusion inPersona 3 Reloadcould get newer fans of the series better acquainted with how the mechanic operates, while giving Atlus the chance to gauge how well it ends up being received. Though it’s unclear justhow muchPersona 6will shake up the formulaseen in the series' past, retaining reversals could be a way to make its bonds feel more realistic.
Persona 3 Reloadis set to release in early 2024 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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