Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the classic 2006 RPG, is due to release on February 2. Between 2013 and 2016, AIC ASTA and A-1 Pictures released four animated films on Persona 3. The question is: are they worth watching before Reload's release?

For many, myself included, seeing your favorite franchises adapted into a new form is thrilling. So when I heard there were four full-length animated films based on Persona 3, I knew I had to watch them. It's too good to be true! Well, in a way, it kind of is.

Spoiler alert for Persona 3 and the films.

What are the Persona 3 movies?

Let's give a bit of context here. The Persona 3 films, under the banner Persona 3: The Movie, were mostly made by A-1 Pictures (with AIC ASTA doing #1). A-1 also tackled the animated scenes in Persona 4, so they've worked with Atlus in the past.

The films came out over four years, starting in 2013 and ending in 2016. They launched theatrically in Japan, and while they never made it to the West in terms of dubbing, you can buy them subtitled off Amazon Prime for around $5 each.

In honor of Persona 3: Reload's release, I decided to watch all four films and collect my findings here for you all to see. I'll talk about how the films adapt the source material and make it better, or in some cases worse.

For Better

As someone who played Persona 3 Portable, which had no animated cutscenes, the movies made up for that. Seeing the events of Persona 3 done justice through the great animation by AIC ASTA and A-1 Pictures is satisfying. The style is consistent with the original game and outmatched the animated cutscenes in-game, in my opinion. The fight scenes are also given a one-up, feeling just as snappy and rewarding.

The films also give Makoto Yuki, the once-silent protagonist, a full voice and lines. This helps speed things up story-wise and gives him more of a personality and arc. His character development throughout the four films is pretty good and goes deep into the themes of life and death. Furthermore, Yuki's humanization in Persona 3: The Movie #3. Falling Down with Ryoji creates some great moments of friendship the game never had, if I remember correctly.

From the start, you can tell the films were made by Persona 3 fans. Throughout the four films, you'll see cameos from Social Links like Akinari and Chihiro, as well as Makoto using fan-favorite Personas like Jack Frost and Thoth.

The S.E.E.S members also have their moments in the spotlight and translate well onto the screen. Junpei is still that lovable goofball, and Akihiko punches anything and everything near him. We even get an "I've been waiting for this", which is a must for any Persona 3 title.

For Worse

The story of Persona 3 is a long one. I mean, the game takes at least 88 hours to beat, and that's just sticking to the narrative. While the base story remains, small character moments and events are shaved to their bare bones or cut entirely. Even still, it hurts characters that didn't get much time in the original, like Shinji and Jin.

While what it adds is good, it doesn't elevate things as much as they could've. For example, the concept of Personas turning on their users is glanced over, being resolved the same way for both afflicted characters.

Another thing that felt off was the unchanged ending. I know some people didn't like the pacing of the ending and the events that transpire. And, while I was confused and surprised, it felt right. Persona 3: The Movie #4: Winter of Rebirth didn't change that, and it's a missed opportunity.

On that note, the pacing was quick and went too fast. This problem came up a lot, as events happen and end within minutes and get pushed to the side. The game had this issue, and to see that adapted doesn't suit the films well.

I do want to point out that each film has a different director. While the visions for them didn't change much from each version, it feels like there wasn't a lot of wiggle room to explore. For example, Persona 3: The Movie #1. Spring of Birth covered the beginning up to Fuuka's entrance, while Persona 3: The Movie #2. Midsummer Knight's Dream gave us the rest of the S.E.E.S squad and villains.

Each film was an hour and a half, give or take. I'm unsure if the plan was always four films, but deep down, I feel like adding a bit more time to each would help smooth the pacing and make them unique.

Consensus

The Persona 3 films are solid showings of the game's narrative. They stay true to the source material and add small yet welcoming changes. That said, condensing the story and translating its pacing problems to the screen hurt the films, especially the last two. As a fan of Persona 3 and its characters, it's great to see them as lively as they were in the game.

So, it begs the question: should you watch Persona 3: The Movie and its sequels before Persona 3 Reload? Personally, I would steer clear of them if Reload is your first. The game looks to correct some of the original's errors and the story flows much better with gameplay. If you're a returning Persona 3 player, the films would help refresh your memory of the story and characters. Plus, it gives some fun moments that fans will enjoy.

Overall, they act as mementos of the original. Whether they'll age well come Persona 3 Reload's release remains to be seen. 

The post The Persona 3 films adapt everything, for better or worse appeared first on Destructoid.

It's really going down now. The Japanese channel for Atlus, atlustube, released a taste of the 'reloaded' versions of classic Persona 3 songs alongside some new music tracks for Persona 3 Reload.

Released to promote the Limited Edition of Persona 3 Reload, Atlus previews some of its two-disc soundtrack. The video showcases returning classics like Mass Destruction, When the Moon's Reaching Out Stars, and Living with Determination.

Meanwhile, samples for new songs exclusive to Persona 3 Reload are also heard, including It's Going Down Now and Color Your Night. Both sound phenomenal and fit right into the themes of the game.

Changing Seasons

As many have noticed, the original singer for Persona 3, Yumi Kawamura, is absent. Instead, promising newcomer Azumi Takahashi is taking over. Returning to rap is Lotus Juice to put some fresh and familiar spins on the title's already fantastic soundtrack.

If you want to know all of the songs Persona 3 Reload has, you're in luck! The full list of songs for the 2024 RPG remake is in the YouTube video description. Some titles are in Japanese, but once it's translated into English, we'll update them.

Many songs are the same as the original but will likely have some small changes to them. Updated vocal tracks, like Want To Be Close and Master of Shadow, now have -Reload- on them. Curiously, the opening theme for the game has a name: Full Moon Full Life. No preview has been given for it, but if it's anything like the rest, it's going to be a banger. Take a look at the list below:

【Disc１収録楽曲】

• Full Moon Full Life
• 全ての人の魂の詩
• この不思議な感覚
• Want To Be Close -Reload-
• Troubled
• Crisis
• シャドウ
• 避けられぬ戦い
• やすらぎ -Reload-
• When The Moon's Reaching Out Stars -Reload-
• 巌戸台分寮 -Reload-
• The Voice Someone Calls
• tartarus_0d01
• Mass Destruction -Reload-
• 戦いのあと
• Color Your Night
• Deep Breath Deep Breath -Reload-
• Master of Shadow -Reload-
• ポロニアンモール -Reload-
• The Meaning of Armbands
• tartarus_0d02
• 嫌な予感
• Fearful Experience
• Calamity
• 試験中…
• Everyone loves 1989
• Joy
• tartarus_0d03
• 深層心理 -Reload-
• It’s Going Down Now
• The Path is Open
• The Path Was Closed

【Disc２ 収録楽曲】

• Changing Seasons -Reload-
• Basement
• Master of Tartarus -Reload-
• これでいいんだ…
• Living With Determination
• tartarus_0d04
• 京都
• Afternoon Break
• 時価ネットたなか -Reload-
• tartarus_0d05
• 10年前の記憶 -追想-
• 10年前の記憶 -対峙-
• Mistic
• 心の力
• 街の記憶
• 学園の記憶
• Living With Determination -巌戸台分寮アレンジ-
• tartarus_0d06
• 暗闇より出でしもの
• 全ての人の魂の戦い
• Nyx
• 決意
• Burn My Dread -Last Battle Reload-
• 絆
• 私が守るから -Reload-
• キミの記憶 -Reload-
• キミの記憶 -Reload Instrumental-
• Full Moon Full Life -Opening Movie version-

Our very own Timothy Monbleau got to play Persona 3 Reload in August and called the game "faithful to its origins yet modernized." As one of my RPGs to look out for, Persona 3 Reload looks to be a force to be reckoned with. The game launches on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 2, 2024.

The post Groove along to some of Persona 3 Reload’s new music appeared first on Destructoid.

Uh oh!

Try to act surprised later this week when this gets officially announced, but apparently, the Persona 3 remake is real. It's titled Persona 3 Reload, and if you look quickly, a trailer has been disseminated around the internet.

https://twitter.com/ScrambledFaz/status/1666934712412131330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1666934712412131330%7Ctwgr%5E17a14df9fc20ca028b9e94daa02ecf1d40c0c56c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pushsquare.com%2Fnews%2F2023%2F06%2Fpersona-5-tactica-launches-17th-november-persona-3-reload-early-2024

A remake of Persona 3 has been rumored for quite a while. Some have speculated that it was partially the reason that we got Persona 3 Portable remastered for modern consoles instead of Persona 3 FES. There were even further leaks later on, but their credibility was somewhat in question. Not totally unbelievable, but not proof positive.

However, it looks like someone on Atlus' Instagram account hit post instead of schedule, and the cat got out of the bag. Not only is Persona 3 Reload on the docket, but there is also another spin-off title headed our way called Persona 5 Tactica.

Persona 3 Reload looks to be a top-to-bottom remake of the classic PS2 title. Currently, it's slated for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in early 2024. Since this looks like it was going to be part of a Microsoft stream, I wouldn't take that as the gospel. They just wouldn't advertise it being on anyone else's platform.

The post Whoops! Persona 3 Reload announcement was leaked appeared first on Destructoid.

Prep your Evoker

The hopes of the Persona fan community continued to rise as ongoing evidence suggests Atlus is prepping a remake of the much-loved 206 release, Persona 3. While there have already been whispers that said remake was in the works, a new domain purchase by the publisher adds fresh fuel to the fire.

Atlus has recently updated the domain name "P3RE", which has led fans to believe that an announcement pertaining to a Persona 3 Remake or Persona 3 Reloaded is imminent. The "Reloaded" suffix would reference the controversial "Evoker" guns used by the characters in-game to travel to Tartarus, the mysterious, demon0filled world that exists within The Dark Hour.

Given the launch of Summer Game Fest today, there are several key presentations that could see Atlus make the grand reveal, including tonight's kick-off show, hosted by Geoff Keighley, and Sunday's Xbox Games Showcase. Of course, it should be iterated that the Persona 3 remake remains nothing more but speculation at this point. But given the overwhelming success of a simple PC port of Persona 4 Golden, it's easy to assess that a returning P3: FES — offered modern visuals and mechanics — would essentially be a license to print money.

Whether "P3R" shows up or otherwise, the Summer Game Fest stream kicks off today at 12:00 PT / 15:00 ET / 20:00 BST. We will bring you all of the news from the stream right here on Destructoid.

The post Persona 3 remake rumors intensify with new domain purchase appeared first on Destructoid.