Summary
Persona 3 Reloadpromises to be an important entry in thePersonaseries, bringing its third mainline title back into the fray. With a few trailers debuted so far, the conversation surrounding whatReloadintends to keep from its source material and what it will give up has been a pertinent point of discussion. With several titles under thePersona 3name, it looks like the remake will forego a few of its predecessors' biggest features in favor of other focuses. One of these isPersona 3 FES' The Answer epilogue, which demonstrates why this is an important deal.
ThoughPersona 3 Reloadlooks to be a true-to-life renditionof its source material, some fans have been disappointed by its absence of a few key features.Persona 3 FES’epilogue, The Answer, as well as the female protagonist ofPersona 3 Portablehave been cut from the remake, as it focuses instead on Makoto Yuki and the events of the original game. While the title looks to provide a graphical overhaul among numerous quality-of-life changes, the lack of such important content means that the remake won’t be the definitive way to experience all thatPersona 3has to offer.
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Reception from fans has indicated more concern overthe FeMC’s exclusionrather than The Answer, though the latter was an important part of thePersona 3story that makes for a missed reprisal in the remake. The epilogue spanned upwards of thirty hours of content, and while much of this was devoted to combat, its narrative was an integral part of understanding the SEES Team’s grief following the events ofPersona 3 FES' The Journey. Given The Answer’s story significance and growth for one of the game’s most pivotal characters, Aigis, its absence inReloadfeels like a missed opportunity.
Many fans have noted thatPersona 3 Reloadcould have been the perfect chance to iterate on what made The Answer a frustrating experience for players. The epilogue certainly had its downfalls, stemming from its heightened focus on Tartarus and level grinding with no social link reprieve, though the remake has already shown its progress in that matter; not only will the title include controllable party members in combat, a feature that was notoriously absent inPersona 3 FES, but the changes to Tartarus, at least from first glance, suggest more compelling exploration.
These improvements could have drastically changed the presentation of The Answer’s combat while enhancing the story-significant boss battles that made its experience so worthwhile. Narratively, though the epilogue isn’t an end-all-be-all exclusion fromPersona 3 Reload, its portrayal of conflict amongthe SEES Teamand the different ways in which they demonstrate their convictions could have also been significant for those experiencing the story first through the remake.
GivenFES' lack of accessibility for modern consoles, it’s unlikely that newcomers will be able to go back and play The Answer for themselves. Because of this, its exclusivity toFESmeans thatReload, despite bringingPersona 3to modern audiences,won’t be an all-encompassing look into what its source material has to offer. Even so, the excitement surroundingReload’s release has been quite high, paving the way for speculation about Atlus' future. With a number ofnewPersonatitles presumed to be in the works, the future for the series seems more anticipated than ever.
Persona 3 Reloadis set to release in early 2024 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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