Overview
I recall... my old buddy Weru used to love P3P. Was it P3P he was fond of, or was it just the song “Burn My Dread” from the game that he introduced to me?
Either way, influenced by this, Midori-san started playing P3P on the PSP... but couldn’t continue and left it unfinished, which remained a regret.
I cleared that old regret by achieving a complete success in the remake, Persona 3 Reload.
Completion Time: About 60 Hours
It was quite a volume to get through...
Initially, I started on the LUNATIC difficulty, but it was tough, and I had to lower the difficulty around the second boss. After all, my goal was just to clear the game.
Story Summary
- Kirijo Group's chairman, Kouei Kirijo, in his research on Shadows, attempts to create Death to summon Nyx.
- Nyx: The concept of death itself. Almost like a god. Referred to by the Shadows as "the Mother."
- Shadows: Hence, I think Shadows are the desires for death that exist in human hearts.
- Death: The entity that summons Nyx.
- Researcher Eiichiro Gakuha tries to prevent this. The incomplete Death scatters, ending up randomly in the protagonist who just happens to be there.
- Ten years pass, and the protagonist returns to the city by chance. This triggers the fragments of Death to start gathering.
- The protagonists, using the Shadows within them as "Personas," fend them off. However, they don’t disappear but fuse with the main body of Death inside the protagonist.
- Eventually, Death revives, bringing Nyx forward. Being a concept, it was impossible to defeat.
- The protagonist, by understanding "the meaning of life," acquires the power of "the Universe." With this power, they seal Nyx at the cost of their own life.
Thoughts
- Although I achieved the platinum trophy, there are still some unclear points.
- The function of "Death" is unclear. Why the presence of Death awakens Nyx is not well explained.
- The logic behind the protagonist acquiring "the Universe" is confusing. But, I suppose, it’s about becoming like a god, and it’s right that it's incomprehensible. If it were comprehensible, sealing Nyx would be possible.
- While the story and characters remain the same, UI and systems have evolved to be more playable, making it a good remake. Especially when I played on the PSP back in the day, it felt hard to enjoy, so these improvements were welcome.
- Graphics evolved: I wasn't a fan of the puppet-like graphics of the original P3, so the realistic proportions of P3R graphics were more relatable.
- Exploration (Tartarus) phase evolved: Graphic improvements, object additions, feature enhancements, chat system added... it seems the feeling of boredom has been reduced. I fell asleep several times playing Tartarus in P3P, so this improvement is appreciated.
- Daily phase communication breakdowns removed: In the original, progressing or neglecting communications with multiple female characters could lead to breakdowns, but that has been removed. It's much easier to play now.
- My main team was Yukari-chan, Amano-kun, and Koromaru. The selection criterion was the ease of raising the Theurgy Gauge.
- Watching the protagonist handle school, human parameter polishing, community expansion, and interactions both during the day and night made me feel like studying or going out myself, which is nice.
- I also managed to defeat Elizabeth.
- My favorite heroine is Fuka-san. The so-called "correct choices" were close to my natural selections. Her love for mechanics is also great.
- My favorite male character is Koromaru.
- Special mention for Y-ko-san. The epilogue is just too interesting!
