Persona 3 Reload was officially revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase. The title looks like the original game in the style of Persona 5, with updated voice work, graphics, and gameplay. However, the reveal of Persona 3 Reload did not show off the playable female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable, nor the expanded story from Persona 3 FES — that is because Atlus has confirmed neither upgraded version is being incorporated into the remake.
Speaking to IGN, Persona 3 Reload producer Ryota Niitsuma stated, “So first I’d like to mention that since the basic concept of the Persona 3 remake was to remake the Persona 3, we don’t have the FES and Portable contents included. We wanted to really genuinely work on recreating the Persona 3 experience.” Though the female protagonist from Portable does not make an appearance, Atlus is including the ability to directly control party members other than the main character, something lifted directly from that version of the game.
However, this may not be enough to satiate the masses who will be disappointed by the removal of the aforementioned content from the various Persona 3 ports. Many gamers, myself included, were hoping Persona 3 Reload was going to be the definitive version of the RPG, including all the content from FES and Portable. Knowing Atlus, it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe Persona 3 Reload will get an epilogue or the additional female character as DLC. Or, more likely, as an upgraded separate release.
Expect Persona 3 Reload to launch in early 2024 on at least Xbox One, Xbox Series S | X, and PC. Store listings suggest a launch on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch is also coming and may be announced soon.
