It was an annoying mechanic that broke the original game’s pacing by forcing players to stay away from Tartarus and waste their evenings doing nothing to recover.

As stated by developer Atlus, Persona 3 Reload is intended to be a remake of its original version, which means the post-game campaign called "The Answer" from Persona 3 FES is not included. That’s disappointing considering the important story context it provided. It also means the optional female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable isn’t included either, which is also a shame since I consider her the best lead in the series thanks to her fun and distinct personality.

By registering Personas, you can recall them at any time for a price. You must re-register as the Persona levels up and gains more Skills to keep what it has learned, but doing so increases the price.

You can take your party members on individual activities, too, like gardening or cooking together to get new health items, which also lets them open up to you in ways they hadn't before. Watching a scary movie with my cheerful bestie Yukari or reviewing boxing matches with my gym bro Akihiko don’t just offer social stat points, they give a bit of insight into their personalities.

Persona 3 Reload shows there's still a novelty to balancing normal life and relationships with the duties of defeating shadows in the Dark Hour – a mysterious 25th hour where time stops as monstrous forces come out, humans turn into coffins, and your school transforms into a deranged 250-floor tower.

Chasing the truth behind the Dark Hour, the existence of personas, and the rising cases of Apathy Syndrome that’s overtaken the world like a widespread pandemic creates an unmistakable existential dread that lingers over this world.

A stellar visual overhaul and countless small changes and additions beyond it leave a significant impact, making Persona 3 Reload a more fully realized version of a beloved RPG. Although still dated in some respects, quality of life improvements and new features refresh its exciting turn-based combat and add depth to its touching story moments.

That said, much of the dialogue and many of the Social Links were significantly overhauled for the female lead in Portable, so it would’ve been a tall task either way.

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Rush: persona 3 reload gameplay Speeds up battle. Party Members will use melee attacks and focus on a single enemy until they are defeated. Party Members will then focus on a different enemy and continue their assault until every enemy is defeated. Enemies will still act as normal. Can be canceled at any time.

A second-year who transferred to Gekkoukan High School in the spring, returning to the island he used to live on as a child.

New gameplay additions to the social simulation and role-playing portions of the game were introduced in Reload. The Iwatodai Dorm where the main party resides outside classes has been expanded upon with multiple activities to perform beyond the original game. The protagonist is now able to strike individual conversations with every dorm resident, cook food with resuscitative abilities in the dorm's kitchen, garden and tend plants on the dorm's roof by feeding them nutrients periodically, rent out films to watch using a DVD player, as well as borrow and read books provided to the dorm by the school.

Plus, the desktop computer that sits in the lobby is also usable to juice personality stats. Yamaguchi and Niitsuma acknowledged that the dorm was always a special environment for these games, and the effort they put into creating a home-y, social space gives the S.E.E.S. HQ a welcome warmth against the game's largely bleak main narrative.

While unapproachable at first glance, beneath the gruff exterior is a gentle heart and a knack for cooking. He even has a soft spot for animals, doting on Koromaru when no one is looking.