Review – Persona 3 Reload for Switch 2

Remakes of games can be a touchy subject. The line between preserving all that’s loved from the original and tainting its legacy is a thin one. Factor in a more contemporary hit to build off of though? Now that makes things easier, and ideally leaves us with something like Persona 3 Reload. 

Revisiting a 2006 PlayStation 2 dungeon crawling RPG would be a tough sell without a success like Persona 5’s to build off of. Thankfully, there’s plenty of love put into not just breathing new life into P3, but also maintaining everything great about the original — it passes the video game remake test with flying colors (just so long as those colors are all shades of blue). Though this Nintendo Switch 2 port is coming in a bit later than other platforms and has room for improvement, it marks another great get for the system’s library.

 

 

Odds are if you’re reading this, your first thought is towards performance. Persona 3 Reload is already playable on contemporary consoles and PCs, so how’s it run on Switch 2? First and foremost, there’s nothing “new” in this port. It doesn’t include any of its DLC, meaning this is the same game you can grab on other systems, and likely at a lower price. If you’re a Nintendo-only type and this is your only option, it’s one well worth checking out.

That said, there are some caveats to the port. Unlike PlayStation 5 and Xbox One, P3R on Switch doesn’t reach 60 fps and instead aims for 30. This puts it more on par with the PlayStation 4 version of the game. That alone wouldn’t be overly detrimental — graphically, the Switch 2 version still looks great whether handheld or docked. Unfortunately, it’s not the smoothest ride even with the anticipated differences. 

As was noted once the game’s demo arrived, Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 has some frame pacing issues. This can make the game seem like it’s running “off,” particularly if you’re used to its smoother ride elsewhere. Having spent multiple, dedicated sessions progressing through the game, I don’t quite pick up on these issues anymore. For returning fans, I’d strongly suggest trying the demo and bracing for a brief calibration period. After that, it’s on to a PS2 gem made better than ever.  

 

 

Taking Persona 3 and remaking it with more modern sensibilities is an easy sell. Its original PS2 version was always rough around the edges, and while 2009’s Persona 3 Portable did a solid job of fixing the more egregious problems it’s not reflective of the series’s current reputation. A laconic read of Reload would be “Persona 5 but it’s Persona 3,” and that’s not exactly a bad thing. If anything, the improvements in place make P3’s strengths stand out more than ever, carrying the core themes and uplifting its cast while making its dungeon crawling less daunting. 

I won’t dwell too long on Persona 3’s story, characters, and gameplay loop. You can get a sense for that in our previous Persona 3 Portable review courtesy of the impeccable Amelia Fruzzetti. All that was good about P3 is maintained in Reload, and Switch 2 owners who’ve perhaps never experienced the Dark Hour are in for a fantastic RPG that’s not afraid to challenge players. The interplay of time management between your social life and extra curricular midnight activities still hasn’t gotten old. 

That’s doubly impressive when one looks at just how tedious Tartarus used to be. That repetitious tower was the franchise’s biggest slog and still stands as more of a grind than the themed dungeons in Persona 4 or Persona 5. Divided into several blocks, each of these still has pretty much one core visual motif to it, such as the greenlit checker pattern of its earliest floors. 

 

 

The quality of life changes in place, such as easier traversal from floor to floor and the removal of fatigue, do an admirable job of course correction for Tartarus, at least. There being more to interact with as you climb floors and even the additional voice lines from the party liven things up to a certain extent. If you’re the type to try and clear a whole block of Tartarus in one go, you’re still in for a grind no matter how you cut it, but at least it’s nowhere near as exhausting as the original game thanks to tweaks to Shuffle Time, addition of powerful Theurgy techniques, and even just giving S.E.E.S. new outfits. 

Your daytime activities, where you’ll attend class and work on your Social Links, have also been given some updates. Chief among them are times where you can interact with your party members, about half of whom don’t have Social Links to give those added character moments. And how could I talk about a modern Atlus title without shouting out the impeccable UI and menu screens? While not as drop dead gorgeous as P5’s or Metaphor: ReFantazio’s, P3R’s are still a site to behold and well worth pausing for. 

Speaking of style, what Persona 3 Reload lacks compared to P5’s theatrical flair and rebellious desires, it more than makes up for with its ruminations on life, death, and living through both. I know I said I wouldn’t go too deep into previously touched-on-territory, but I can’t resist. This is a more downbeat, sometimes depressing narrative at its core and that ultimately works to the game’s benefit, even if that’s not as novel as it was in 2006. There are still plenty of lighter moments — these are high schoolers, lest their conviction to put their lives on the line makes you forget — but it’s the somber, mournful, and self-reflective beats that will stay with you well after the credits roll. 

 

 

Other elements where P3R has managed to deliver is in its music and voice acting. Both of those were already top notch in the original release, but after dozens of hours with Reload I find it hard to imagine ever going back. Its take on returning songs like “When the Moon’s Reaching Out Stars” and “Changing Seasons” are equal or greater than their originals, and new tracks like “Full Moon Full Life” and “Color Your Night” have embedded themselves into my soul. Fitting for our protagonist’s own style, headphones are highly recommended for this one if you’re playing on the go.  

As for the cast, they’ve turned in performances that honor the legacies in place here while still making them their own. Zeno Robinson in particular delivers when it comes to Junpei, whose idiosyncrasies from the original game’s script come across as perhaps the most dated and cringe-inducing. Fans of the original cast can still hear some of them in smaller roles, and Tara Platt stands out as the sole reprisal as Velvet Room attendant Elizabeth.

Despite all these improvements, I still struggle to call P3R the definitive version Persona 3. It’s certainly the best way to play, to the point I can’t see myself personally going back to any other version. The Episode Aigis DLC coming to Switch 2 bolsters that to making this a full treatment of Persona 3 FES (that’s right, there was another version!), albeit at an additional cost. Unfortunately, the female protagonist and her corresponding social links with the male party members (among other differences, such as a Catherine cameo) from Persona 3 Portable will likely never get this sort of polish, which is a shame. 

 

 

As welcome as a remixed take on those moody blues would be, Persona 3 Reload is still an exceptional reimagining and great addition to your Switch 2 library. Thanks to its performance quirks it’s not the optimal platform for the game, but if this is your only way to play (or if portability is essential) then you can rest easy knowing the remake is fantastic and this port is competent. 

More than anything, I welcome this port in particular for anyone who’s managed to still miss out on P3. Sci-fi, dark urban fantasy, psychological themes, Japanese high school life, and the nature of death blend together into azure art. Stepping into the Dark Hour and getting to know these characters holds up to this day. The series’ storytelling was at a high point in this one, willing to be more daring than its follow ups (which is saying something) in its choices. 

Hopefully the planned patches can shrink the gap between systems even further, as it’s clear the Switch 2 can deliver on those fronts. And hey, maybe these optimization efforts will lay the foundation for a Metaphor port… Please, Atlus? 

 

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