Even ifPersona 3 Reloaddoesn’t bring back its female protagonist, it can pay tribute to her in the story in an important way.Persona 3 Reloadshould have the opportunity to upgradePersona 3into an even better version of itself, even with the game seeing multiple remakes already. Although the game does seem to be preparing a back to basics approach, that doesn’t mean that the game shouldn’t bring any new ideas to the table. There’s one way that one of the best improvementsP3P’s female protagonist can return while helping the story in the process.
As soon as theannouncement ofPersona 3 Reloadwas first made, one of the first topics of discussion was how the game would differ fromPersona 3’s other remakes.Persona 3 FES: The Answeradded some quality of life changes as well as a new campaign that takes place after the original, the titular Answer storyline. Meanwhile,Persona 3 Portablemade even more dramatic changes, with the most notable one being a new female protagonist, complete with some unique Social Links that weren’t in the original. Considering how many formsPersona 3has taken on, it’s fair to wonder what will be special aboutReload, but paying special attention to the female protagonist would help.
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Due to therecent ports ofPersona 3 Portable, that game and its female protagonist option are likely fresh in the minds of many fans. WhilePersona 3 Portabledid sacrifice the Protagonist’s ability to use any weapon type, it had its own set of upgrades. InPersona 3, the player strangely couldn’t establish Social Links with the male party members with the male protagonist, while the female protagonist could do so with all of them. For this reason, the female protagonist’s version of the story was seen as superior by many, since it made the party members feel more important.
Even if every change isn’t reintroduced, there is one majordifference unique toPersona 3 PortablethatPersona 3 Reloadcould benefit from. The main story ofPersona 3ends with the main character on the verge of death after defeating the boss, going through their last day of school and seeing their party members and Social Links one last time. However,P3Phas the extra feature of letting the player choose which character they spend their last moments with. It could be the protagonist’s best friend, or even their lover, but the scene is heartbreaking no matter who is chosen.
This change to the story’s end was an incredible improvement on the original, and it probably wouldn’t take abig change forPersona 3 Reloadin order to add it. It’s already been shown that the game can handle this kind of choice, so there isn’t much of a reason to ignore it aside from trying to be strict to the original. Even then, there are already some changes forPersona 3 Reloadthat have been announced that will differentiate it from the game’s original form. Remakes are supposed to improve on the original, andReloadhas the perfect opportunity to do so with the story.
Persona 3’s ending is the saddest in the series, especially after such a hard final boss, butP3P’s added touch made it feel more worthwhile.Persona 3 Reload’s new gameplay detailscan add a lot to the original formula, but the little touch thatPersona 3 Portablegave to the ending deserves to make a return as well. That way, players will be sure to finish the game alongside the character they bonded with the most, adding to the ending’s sentimentality.Persona 3 Reloadwon’t bePersona 3 Portable, but it can reuse one of its best ideas.
Persona 3 Reloadwill release in 2024 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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