Persona 3 Portable

At times shocking and always intense, Persona 3 and it's re-release, Persona 3 Portable, is not a game you are likely to forget.

A PSP classic with systems that show age, but P3P's retelling remains a series best for its stylishly eerie world and intimate look at mortality.

Still, after getting fully sucked into Persona 5 in 2017, I had fully intended on playing Persona 3 after so many people had told me it was their favorite entry. While the systems don’t hold up when stacked against the newer titles, I found its bleaker tone more endearing and lovable. It takes work to get to the end, but the complicated, messy, weird story is worth it.

With its watered down presentation, Persona 3 Portable almost feels like an abridged version of the PS2 classic, but it's still well worth playing. A foreboding, ominous atmosphere sells the experience, while the gameplay loop remains as addictive as ever. If you're fairly new to Persona, or perhaps you started with Persona 5, you'll have to persist through some slightly dated design, but don't let that put you off. Persona 3 still stands as a brilliantly broody JRPG.

P3P remains an enjoyable JRPG, but we would say this is easily the most skippable of the mainline Persona games on Switch at present. An engrossing story and well-balanced gameplay loop easily justify a purchase, though things like Tartarus' repetitive floors, the visual novel presentation, and the lack of FES content hold this one back from the heights its successors reached. We'd give P3P a recommendation, though only after having played both P4G and P5R, and only if you still find yourself needing more Persona in your life. This is still a great installment for Persona fans and will be best appreciated by players who have that contextual series knowledge, but its rougher edges may put others off.

It was 2006's game of the year for a reason, and though this version is still missing something, it's great to have such an essential game made easily available again.

Persona 3 Portable was a gem when it came to the PlayStation Portable nearly thirteen years ago, but it was very much meant for the hardware of its time.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable is the third version of the popular title, originally released for PSP in 2009. It is now available on modern platforms as well, breaking away from the PSP's "bonds", but how well does it adapt to the current conditions? Christos Hadjisavvas... pulls the trigger and explores the re-release.

Persona 3 Portable has survived well and is still as enjoyable as it has always been. Of course, Atlus could have used the chance to animate some extra cutscenes for this port, but the lack thereof doesn't take away from the overall game. For anyone new to Persona, this is a must, and for anyone wanting to relive this infamous title, welcome back!

I wouldn't be lying if I called the PC version of Persona 3 Portable "an upscaled version of the original game". But that doesn't change the fact that Persona 3 Portable is a great game and I would blindly recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it.