When RPGs were established as a genre in video games, they took their board and tabletop game counterparts’ quirks with them. With some notable exceptions, such as the Pokemon series, RPG video games tend to take a long time to beat. This happens regardless of the gameplay being turn-based or real-time, and the game being made in Japan or in the west. The Persona series, now one of the biggest JRPG franchises in the industry, is no exception.
Since its first game came out in 1996, the Persona series has always struggled with length, which is likely why it was originally a cult classic at best. However, this changed when Persona 3 established the series’ modern formula and identity, slowly separating it from Shin Megami Tensei. Despite the modernity, Persona 5 is just as long as its predecessors, if not longer. With ports of updated rereleases such as Persona 3 Portable and Persona 5 Royal having been announced, fans should be interested in each games' length to know what fits their time best.
Persona 3 Portable’s Length Compared to Persona 5 Royal
Persona 3 Portable is not short by any means, but it might be easier for newcomers to digest than other Persona games like Persona 5 Royal. Portable is actually not the first updated re-release of Persona 3, as it followed up Persona 3 FES. According to HowLongToBeat, FES is actually longer than Portable, with the average playthrough lasting around 80 hours rather than 65. While this might seem confusing due to FES having less content, it makes sense when acknowledging the limits of the PSP and how Atlus played around them when developing Portable.
Portable has more social links due to the newfound availability of the male party members. It also has additional scenes that can alter certain story events. At first, it being shorter than FES seems weird, but the game got rid of the 3D environments outside of Tartarus, so the “real” world is a visual novel in practice. Due to the lack of temptation to explore Tatsumi Port Island, there is no incentive to mess around in Portable despite the extra features. This is unlike Persona 5 Royal, which did not retool the format to accommodate new additions, but simply prolonged the original with extra content.
Although the game was lauded for polishing both the traditional series mechanics and some of the original game’s mistakes, one thing Persona 5 Royal did not fix is its length. The direction it took is the exact opposite of Persona 3 Portable’s decision. While Portable made the experience shorter despite the extra content, Royal used its new additions as a justification for being even longer than its original counterpart.
Similar to Portable, Royal added new Confidants, which were important because the postgame is inaccessible without these Confidants’ storylines. Even without a third semester, Persona 5 Royal is around 105 hours long - 40 hours longer than an average playthrough of Persona 3 Portable. The extra content, including the postgame, adds 20 more hours.
Overall, it seems like Persona 3 Portable playthroughs will be on average between the 60-to-80 hour range, whereas a typical Persona 5 Royal playthrough will last around 105 to 120. While Royal arguably has the best quality of life improvements in the series, Portable’s shorter length makes it just as accessible. If a newcomer to the series were to pick between the two, it would depend on whether they have loads of free time, or if they want more modernized mechanics out of their Persona experience.