Summary
Persona 3 Reloadhas been a point of massive discussion among thePersonafanbase, with newer and antiquated fans alike excited to experience its adaptation. Throughout the glimpses shown of the game so far, from its preview footage to gameplay trailers, it has been evident that much ofPersona 5’s influenceshave taken shape through the handling of the remake; from visual to mechanical changes, bringingPersona 3to a modern audience has been heavily affected by the fifth mainline entry’s success.
Most notably,Persona 5’s visual identity has translated to the SEES Team and their surroundings, with stylistic updates to their character models, battle transitions, and UI. This is evident inPersona 3 Reload’s rendition of All-Out Attack screens, among other alterations to the title’s combat HUD and menu screens. Taking these cosmetic references a step further, however, isReload’s DLC pack, which has been a bit more contentious among prospective buyers of the game; cementing itself as a divisive Atlus staple, the game will feature exciting add-on content at an additional cost.
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The tradition of referential material inAtlus’Personagamesis one that has celebrated past entries in the series, with recent years seeing a rise in DLC homages. This was evident inPersona 5and itsRoyalcounterpart, featuring outfits and music tracks from pastPersonaandShin Megami Tenseititles among other games likeCatherine.Persona 3 Reloadcarries in this pattern with its DLC, though its influences skew more towardPersona 5than anything else; the add-on content for its Digital Premium Edition and Aigis Edition includes not only a Shujin Academy set, but the Phantom Thieves' costume set as well as the party’s Personas.
Based on the information available through Xbox’s game store, the add-on content will include not only the Phantom Thieves' initial Personas, but their Awakened ones as well, extending toward the entire cast (Kasumi and Akechi included). Though material fromPersona’s fourth mainline entry will also be available, it looks as though it is relegated only to Yasogami High outfits and Yu, Adachi, and Marie’s Personas, marking a stark contrast to thePersona 5offerings. No DLC references toPersona 1orPersona2’sInnocent SinandEternal Punishmentseem to be present either, though there’s hope that music like Maya’s theme fromFESwill be available inReload’s base game.
Such treatment shows just how pervasivePersona 5has become among Atlus' approach to the IP, though this has had some conflicting reception among fans. While it’s clear thatPersona 3 Reloadis keeping intact what made its original depiction so special, the influences fromPersona 5seem to set it as a series standard going forward. Based on how popular the entry was in igniting the interest of fans and newcomers across the globe, it certainly makes sense to keep it relevant among the IP’s newer games, though some have noted that the company might be capitalizing on its popularity a bit too much.
ThePersona 3 ReloadDLC Pack appears to be locked behind theDigital Premium and Aigis Editions, at least for the time being, with the former costing $99.99 and the latter $199.99. Strangely, even the Digital Deluxe edition of the game seems to omit the DLC pack, as does its standard version, with prices tags of $79.99 and $69.99 respectively. It’s unclear whether the DLC Pack will be available to purchase separately at a later date, though it’s evident that thePersona 5material inPersona 3 Reloadwill be costly regardless.
Persona 3 Reloadis set to release on February 2nd, 2024, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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