Highlights

  • Persona 3 Reload updates classic game elements while keeping loyal to its fanbase, offering fresh gameplay and visuals for modern players.
  • Twilight Fragments enhance exploration and reward keen-eyed players, making the grind of Tartarus more manageable and enjoyable.
  • The immersive setting of Tatsumi Port Island in Persona 3 deserves to be engaged with, offering a wealth of activities and rewards for exploration.

Persona has gone from strength to strength over the last decade, or so. The success of Persona 4 Golden on the PlayStation Vita followed by the mass anticipation of Persona 5 made the franchise popular in the West. Then, the update in the form of Persona 5 Royal only contributed to the excitement when Persona 3 Reload was revealed.

Persona 3 Reload has been a hit, with critical acclaim for the Atlus-developed game seeming like a formality. It's a faithful recreation of what existing fans love but includes new elements that drag it into the modern day, be it the visuals akin to Persona 5 or the subtle differences in gameplay. Twilight Fragments are an unassuming addition, but have a big impact, as they facilitate exploration wonderfully.

exploring Harabah in Persona 3 Reload
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Twilight Fragments Reward Eagled-Eyed Persona 3 Players

Image of the main character receiving Twilight Fragments for the Big Eater Challenge in Persona 3 Reload

Twilight Fragments are a new item for Persona 3 Reload, having not appeared in the original release. They can be obtained by collecting them from Elizabeth in the Velvet Room and by exploring Tartarus, Gekkoukan High School, and the districts of Tatsumi Port Island, and are used primarily to open rare chests in Tartarus and to use the clocks that are peppered around the dungeon, which fully restore a party's HP and SP.

Persona 3 released on the PlayStation 2 in North America in 2007, with FES a year later in 2008. A portable version launched on the PSP in 2010, which is the version that made its way to modern systems in January 2023.

They're immensely useful, and go a long way to helping the journey feel far easier and user-friendly than it was in the original game. Persona 3's core design is not unlike Persona 5, but it's undoubtedly aged, and having a new item that makes the grind feel more manageable is a welcome addition—especially as it's also an inclusion that justifies, welcomes, and rewards exploration.

Persona 3's Setting Deserves to be Seen

paulownia mall persona 3 portable

Each Persona game often lives and dies by the quality of its setting. Be it the quiet, unassuming town of Inaba in Persona 4 or the hustle and bustle of the unique districts of Tokyo, the extra-curricular activities feel far more worthwhile if they're available in a place that feels worth seeing. Tatsumi Port Island is no different. Its places, people, and overall aesthetic are so interesting, and truly deserve to be engaged with, from hanging out at the bookstore to taking on a part-time job at the Paulownia Mall's coffee shop.

For those who don't want to engage in the setting's many activities, the Twilight Fragments promote exploration by giving SEES a constructive reward for doing so that will make their time unlocking floors in Tartarus easier, and more enjoyable. It discourages fast travel and instead promotes the idea of being more in touch with the surroundings, which can only benefit the game's replay value, and make it a game that is worth its price tag.

Tartarus is Improved, but Not Perfect in Persona 3 Reload

One of the key issues with Persona 3 and its revisions was that, while the combat was engaging, trudging up floors in Tartarus could get tiresome quickly, and make the game feel like a grind. In Persona 3 Reload, the dungeon is improved and does well to stay somewhat fresh and new with collectibles, rare chests, and visual design choices that help refrain from it being too samey. It's still a ways behind the palaces of Persona 5, but the new additions, including Twilight Fragments, are a huge benefit the 2024 remake has over its predecessors.