Persona 3 remains a genre-defining RPG, but the lack of a "definitive" edition has always hurt it. While its sequels have a clear best option, I remember taking ages deliberating over FES or Portable, eventually beating the former on PS3. I fondly remember that journey, even preferring it to Persona 4, yet I always felt like I was missing a lot. Persona 3 Reload doesn't quite deliver the all-encompassing remake many fans hoped for, yet my recent preview convinces me that Atlus is otherwise on the right path.
Going hands-on for nearly two hours, this preview build differed considerably from the Gamescom/EGX demo. I felt pleasantly nostalgic as I explored Gekkoukan High School and Tatsumi Port Island. Reload recreates the original setting with precise attention to detail. Set shortly after Fuuka joined the Specialised Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES), I had plenty of freedom and found myself getting invested in this story once again.
Soon enough, I ended up in Tartarus, a hefty dungeon that continues unlocking further floors as you advance. For the unfamiliar, think of Mementos in Persona 5 without the additional "palaces." I was concerned that Tartarus would feel lacking by comparison. However, noticeable aesthetic differences between the first and second areas reassure me that progression likely won't become boring across these shorter levels.