David MacDonald
Connector Staff

Will You Fear the Reaper?

Persona 3 FES is an updated release of Persona 3, the fourth main game in the Shin Megami Tensei Persona series. The plot of the game is that you are a transfer student who has just moved to the fictional Japanese city of Iwatodai.

Not long after arriving there, you discover that there is a hidden hour that occurs after midnight called the Dark Hour, where most people are sealed into coffins and do not remember it after it has ended and the local high school transforms into a massive tower called Tartarus from which monsters called Shadows emerge to roam freely, attacking those not in coffins. You discover that you posses the power of the Persona, the ability to conjure a spirit that is a manifestation of your inner self, and band together with other Persona users and assist them in their mission of destroying the Dark Hour.

Persona 3 FES is split between two different types of gameplay: turn based combat fighting Shadows inside Tartarus as you climb it, and interacting with your friends and passively raising your stats during the day. Interacting with friends advances Social Links, a system that will grant your Personas large experience boosts upon being fused the more powerful the Social Link is. Fusion is a unique ability you posses, along with the ability to control multiple Personas. Added to the experience is how interesting the development between you and your friends are, with all of them being very well written, constantly bringing you back for more.

The combat is fairly complex, with Shadows having weaknesses and strengths that will require you to build a strong varied team of Personas to combat. It can be hard as well, with Persona being a series well known for its difficulty, and started off on easy mode is recommended. Despite this difficulty, the well structure combat flows nicely and will always result in a satisfying feeling upon victory.

A game with a heavy focus on story, the plot of Persona 3 FES is very complex, and also very absorbing. It is marinating in symbolism. Every main character’s Persona reflects their character arc heavily, to the point where looking up who their Persona is will most likely result in spoilers. The plot also carries heavy themes of death and how humans should react to it, and at times it can be a very bleak tale, with one of the Social Links even being a terminally ill teenager. It is, thankfully, balanced out by the interactions during the day, moments of comic relief, and an underlying form of optimism.

Persona 3 FES is not without its flaws. Some of the Social Links can come off as awkward when the best way to advance is to encourage your friend’s questionable behavior, gameplay can be frustrating when you encounter some of the harder enemies and possibly lose profess when you lose, and one main character’s voice actor seems permanently stuck between “I am mildly surprised” and “nothing.” Despite that, it is quite an immersive experience that will suck you in as you try to desperately balance out meeting with little girls, immoral business men and bitter alcoholic monks because you want to make better Personas.
Oh and pack a bag, it’s 70+ hours.

Persona 3 FES is available on PlayStation Network.