Highlights

  • Persona 3 Reload is a highly anticipated remake that aims to provide a definitive version of Persona 3, with modernized gameplay and aesthetics similar to Persona 5.
  • Persona 4, being closely tied to Persona 3, deserves a remake to bring it up to the same level of polish as the other games in the trilogy.
  • Persona 3 Reload could potentially tease or hint at a remake of Persona 4, serving as a unique way to bridge the gap between Persona 6 and the following mainline entry.

Persona 3 Reload is the upcoming remake of the third game in the series. For a long time now, Persona 3 has lacked a definitive version, and many of its various releases have either been hard to access or compromised in some way. Now, P3R seeks to remedy this. It lacks some of the content found in P3 FES and P3P but will provide a modernized take on the entry, bringing it in line with the technical and stylistic achievements of P5. Persona 3 Reload will be the first remake that the franchise has offered to fans, but already, many are hoping for the fourth entry in the series to get a remake as well.

The third, fourth, and fifth Persona games form something of a trilogy. Persona 1 and Persona 2 were radically different from the games that followed them. P3 re-invented the series, infusing it with more social simulator mechanics and a greater focus on day-to-day student life. Persona 4 built on this foundation by expanding the social mechanics even further and leaning more into slice-of-life anime trends that were popular at the time. P5 pushed all of these elements to the extreme and truly feels like a culmination of the lessons learned from previous games. Therefore, Persona 3 Reload is tantalizing because it will elevate P3 to have modern gameplay mechanics and the exceptional aesthetic cohesion that sets P5 apart.

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One SEES Member in Persona 3 Reload Needs a Far Greater Story Role Than Before

With Persona 3 Reload introducing expanded social interactions for its major characters, a certain SEES member deserves additional story attention.

Persona 3 and Persona 4 Are Tightly Connected

Persona fans have grown accustomed to long waits between releases, but that wasn't always the case. Persona 3 and Persona 4 came out roughly two years apart and are built on the same engine. The result is that the two games are tightly connected, both on a technical level and in the eyes of many fans. This is heightened by the way the games reference one another. Persona 3 Portable, an enhanced re-release, came out a year after P4 and features a cameo from a young Yukiko Amagi. Persona 4 likewise features a trip to Tatsumi Port Island and Gekkoukan High School, the setting of P3.

While visiting Gekkoukan High School in P4, the player's party encounters Chihiro Fushimi, one of the social links from Persona 3. This encounter places Persona 4 roughly a year after the events of those of P3. Yukari Takeba from the third game is revealed to be a college student during the events of P5 during an in-game TV program. Persona games referencing one another is how Atlus has crafted the series timeline and created a larger Persona universe. Because of the particularly close ties between P3 and P4, Reload could be the perfect venue to tease a Persona 4 remake.

Persona 4 Deserves a Remake

Official art of Persona 4 Golden's party members standing in profile

Persona 4 Golden is still great, but with P3 Reload bringing the third entry up to the level of polish of Persona 5, it's hard not to feel like P4 is being left behind if it doesn't get its own remake. Bringing the whole trilogy of modern Persona titles up to the same standard would be a great way to honor their legacy.

Since P3 and P4 are so closely connected, a teaser, Easter egg, or reference of some kind in Reload would be the perfect way to hint at a remake of the fourth game. P3R could either rework the Yukiko scene in some way or include some other nods to P4. Providing clues to players about a future Persona 4 remake in Reload would be a unique way to tease content and a great homage to the interconnected history of the titles.

P3 Reload Should Tease a Remake of Persona 4

If Atlus intends to remake Persona 4—a move that would make a lot of sense—there would be no better venue to hint at or confirm it than inside of Persona 3 Reload. Persona 6 leaks have suggested that the game could still be a number of years away, and a remake of P4 would be a great way to fill some of that time. Alternatively, a remake of Persona 4 could serve to bridge the gap between Persona 6 and the following mainline entry, just as Persona 3 Reload is doing for P5 and its numbered follow-up.