There has been much speculation about what changes a rumored Persona 3 Remake might make in regard to its presentation, and how it might adopt from the source material found in Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable. One such improvement could be demonstrated through a better integration of the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable within its narrative, spotlighting the use of animated cutscenes. Persona 3 Portable was first released in 2009 for the PSP, offering a handheld take on the PS2 original.
The game sought to relay Persona 3's story in a more accessible form for its console, settling on a visual-novel style that held both pros and cons. On the one hand, the title's focus on its 2D character art was fitting for its Social Link format, emphasizing the cast's expressive profiles during dialogue sequences. On the other, its lack of animated cutscenes for the newly-introduced female protagonist left fans feeling a notable absence. The ability for Persona 3 FES to intersperse both The Journey and The Answer with the use of animated FMVs helped to hone in on the game's primary conflicts and characters, a treatment that Persona 3 Portable sadly wasn't able to receive.
A Persona 3 Remake Could Better Integrate the Female Protagonist Within Its Story Beats
Naturally, the constraints on Persona 3 Portable as a PSP title made it so that animated cutscenes weren't entirely feasible. Because of these limitations, however, the symmetry between the male protagonist and the FeMC felt unbalanced in the transition between Persona 3 FES and Portable. Much of the story beats throughout FES' narrative were strengthened through its full-motion video; though used sparingly, the cutscenes served to amplify the weight and ambiance of the story's most pivotal moments.
This was most apparent through Makoto's Persona awakening in FES, showcasing Thanatos emerging from Orpheus in a way that felt visceral and impactful. Minako's awakening in P3P had to rely on a more constrained approach through a few visual effects and blocky 3D models, which fell short of evoking the same atmosphere.
Given the popularity of Minako across the Persona fanbase, a Persona 3 Remake may work to integrate her more closely within its narrative beats by giving her the same animated treatment as Makoto. This could help to quell the imbalance seen across the two characters with respect to Persona 3's supplementary material.
The Persona 3 animated film series focused on the male protagonist as its central role, as did the spinoff title Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, which failed to include the FeMC among its cast despite Theodore, her Velvet Room attendant, making an appearance in its DLC. The foundations set by Persona 3 Portable means that Minako's integration in a Persona 3 Remake wouldn't be as grand of a task as creating a new storyline and character from scratch.
With that said, a reimagining of Persona 3 FES and Portable's story beats could allow for more divergences in its narrative, paving the way for interesting new cutscenes that help to accompany her characterization. Given that Minako is one of just two female player characters in the Persona series, using animated cutscenes as a way to differentiate her from Makoto could be beneficial to its storytelling, making her feel like her own person rather than a female alternative.
With Minako being featured alongside Makoto during the series' 25th-anniversary promotional material, her return in a Persona 3 remake feels like it would be an integral component to successful reception among fans. Given the heightened graphical fidelity that a remake could offer, Persona 3 Portable's FeMC could be shown in a brand-new spotlight. Not only could this aid in Minako's personality being further exemplified, but also in furthering the sense of urgency and dread apparent from the full-motion videos of Persona 3 FES.
Persona 3 Portable is available now for the Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PSP, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
