Persona 3 Reload2024

Right after falling in love with Persona 5 Royal, I jumped straight into Persona 3 Reload. And somehow I fell in love all over again. The story is easily the best part, and reason enough on its own to play this game. It tackles what might be the most important question there is, the meaning of life and what actually makes life worth living, and it genuinely gets to you. There's a quote from Victor Hugo, "Melancholy is the happiness of being sad," that took on a whole new meaning for me after this story. The combat was already insanely good in Persona 5, but here it feels even more polished and refined, and it ended up giving me even more fun. The equipment system improved too, and instead of only finding or buying gear like in P5, you can craft it here as well. There were also a lot more bosses this time, and the rewards felt way more satisfying, but I still preferred the bosses themselves, and the overall gameplay variety, in Persona 5. I also missed the little puzzle segments, though I'm probably alone on that one. Persona is obviously known for its great music, and Persona 3 is no exception, the soundtrack here is unbelievable and elevates pretty much everything happening on screen. Persona soundtracks are easily some of the best I've ever heard in games, and my soundtrack playlist has grown yet again because of this one. Where the game falls a bit short for me is the social side. The side characters you build bonds with felt weaker, and both their designs and their personalities felt a lot less varied, the cast in Persona 5 felt a lot more diverse and distinct from one another. The interactions with and between characters were still good, just not quite on the same level. Romance interactions and events were also fewer and weaker, there were fewer places to visit, fewer shops overall, and fewer free time activities to do in general. Socializing was simply a bigger and better experience there. Both games are incredible, just in different ways, and I can only recommend both. Go with Persona 3 if you want an emotional, deep story with a slightly better combat system, at the cost of weaker social interactions. Go with Persona 5 if you want more social interaction, alongside a great story, combat system, and music. The ending stuck with me for days after finishing it, and it's one of those endings I don't think I'll ever forget. It taught me so much. "Follow your heart. Fight for what you can change; and accept the things you can't." One of many quotes in the game about what it means to live, and one of the most poignant, beautifully haunting set of words I've ever heard. I'll carry it with me for the rest of my life.