Updated on February 5, 12:55 p.m. (GMT+8): Improved relevancy.
Persona 3 Reload isn’t just a rehashed story retold — it’s added several quality-of-life changes, and features even more stories packed into the Tatsumi Port Island.
ONE Esports had the opportunity to access the game early — and here are three Persona 3 Reload features that we’d love to have in future Persona games.
These Persona 3 Reload features are simply remarkable
No Social Links with your favorite characters in Persona 3 Reload? Link Episodes come to the rescue
Social Links remain a big part of Persona 3 Reload. It’s a core mechanic that directly determines how strong your Personas become through fusion. Maxing links also give you access to otherwise powerful Personas.
But that also means much of the story’s social interactions are locked behind characters with Social Links. Without Link Episodes, your dorm mates like Koromaru, Junpei, and Akihiko would have simply received less story content.
Instead, these Link Episodes give you the chance to spend time with characters that are otherwise inaccessible, who stand around and simply wait for the next opportunity to go to Tartarus with you.
It makes the world feel much more alive, and yes, that Social Link level up is still important — but that can wait while the Protagonist watches Akihiko smash apart a watermelon with his bare hands.
You don’t have to be alone at night: Hang out with your Iwatodai Dorm mates
As the ever-popular Protagonist, many people in Tatsumi Port Island want to spend time with you during the day. At night, those requests tend to dry up — but there’s always the option to wind down with friends at Iwatodai Dorm.
These hangouts aren’t time-gated and are instead indicated by a smiley face icon for any participant willing to spend their nights with you. These activities include cooking together, sharing a cup of tea, watching TV, reading books, and so on.
Through these hangouts, aside from learning more from your favorite SEES members, there are quite tangible benefits as well. If the person you are spending time with has an established Social Link, you get points towards that.
Tending to vegetables together instead of alone will give an increased yield, or even make their effects stronger. Cooking together more often means your companion’s skill in the kitchen improves, and the food you receive becomes more powerful.
If you hang out together enough, your comrades can even gain new abilities in battles!
Theurgy and personality traits are a great way to further individualize your party members
If you’re spending half your time in P3R trying to get as much social contact in as possible, the other half is pretty much spent trawling through Tartarus. Enter Theurgy, powerful skills that are highly personalized, and always helpful in the toughest battles.
Theurgy is great for instant bursts on tough enemies since most of them ignore weaknesses and resistances. On a turn, when your chosen character just might feel at a loss of what to do, Theurgy swoops in for a beautiful break in the flow of battle.
It might seem similar to Persona 5 Royal’s showtime attacks, but Theurgy is easier to access. Every character has their specialized skill, so instead of needing specific party pairs, it gives you another tool to mix and match your parties with.
Having different characters’ Theurgy grow differently based on their personality is a great storytelling touch. Yukari’s gauge fills up much quicker when she’s healing rather than attacking, while Junpei’s one grows faster when he lands a critical hit.
It’s another small glimpse into the characters’ mindset through battle, especially for latecomers to SEES whom you haven’t spent much time with yet.
You can go to the official website of ATLUS or SEGA for more information about Persona 3 Reload.
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