Persona 3 Reload shoots out next February with effortless style
Come see the S.E.E.S.
Persona 3 Reload gives the classic 2006 RPG the remake treatment, hopefully making it seem as effortlessly stylish as the fantastic Persona 5 Royal. Developer Atlus dropped another gorgeous trailer that gives us a wee peek at its new anime cutscenes, fan favourite cast, and… wait a second. There aren’t any cool menus in this trailer and my day is ruined. But the trailer also confirms that the game is due to launch on February 2nd, 2024, so we can gawk at the level-up screens soon.
Persona 3 Reload — Meet the S.E.E.S. Trailer | Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC
The Persona formula is screwed on pretty tight by now, and Persona 3 Reload doesn’t mess with it too much. We’re following superpowered high-schoolers who live normal lives during the day and then descend into an alternate realm to bash demons by night. Normal Scooby Doo shenanigans. Persona 3 Reload’s version of The Phantom Thieves have a much sillier name: S.E.E.S. (aka Special Extracurricular Execution Squad, though I doubt you could slap that on a university application).
Persona 3 Reload tells the same story as the original, but there are a number of notable changes between Reload and past versions, aside from the obvious visual touch-ups. Reload is replacing the English voice cast from the original PS2 release and is disappointingly leaving out the playable female protagonist, Kotone Shiomi, who was introduced in the PSP edition.
That’s a pretty blatant omission since Shiomi is still fresh in the fandom’s shared consciousness (imagine her face plastered across the Metaverse), since Persona 3 Portable was ported to PC earlier this year. Our Ed checked out that edition and was delighted that it didn’t feel as outdated as you imagine a 14-year-old RPG might: "Not only does it stand on its own as a fun high school mystery with an alarmingly dark undertone, it almost acts as a fun history lesson too," he said. So you can always just play that one instead.
Otherwise, Persona 3 Reload comes out on February 2nd on PC (via Steam), Xboxes, PlayStations and Game Pass. That’s not too long after Persona 5 Tactica, the series’ XCOM-style spin-off, comes out on November 17th.
For more of the latest news and previews from Gamescom 2023, head to our Gamescom 2023 hub. You can also find everything announced at Opening Night Live right here.