Persona 3 Reload

[Nag]

I'm glad someone asked the question (and answered) because I'd been wondering the same.

 

I've still no idea when I'll get round to it though. 

[Maf]

Maybe this is a weird thing to complain about, but it is something I always loved about Persona 3, the visual of school kids shooting them selves in the head. Reload still does it, but I find it less "graphic", and that's a bit of a shame.

 

That makes me sound like wannabe edge-lord, which I'm not at all, it's just so fucked up and there's something less pronounced about it in the new game. 

 

Another thing I've always adored is the original Persona 3 intro. I used to just watch this on repeat when I played it.

 

Reload's, while good, is a bit too textbook modern Persona. The song is still fun, movie still good, but there's been such an over exposure of Persona music, it's a little bit samey and less unique. 

 

Comparison

 

 

 

I don't mean to be one of those "The original is better in every way" purist types, there are many improvements and cool adjustments/refinements in Reload. But there's a bit of that original character missing

[HandsomeDead]

I figured out why it's less graphic.  In Reload the battle system just works a little differently by having the characters put the gun to their heads while choosing an ability, then going through with the animation once selected so the first part is slightly obscured.  Where the original just had the full thing play out after selecting an ability.  It doesn't hide the shot but not having it all play out it misses some impact.  I remember when I first played FES and they added some abilities that require two Personas and it had a new animation and I was a bit gobsmacked at it.

 

 

But I feel similarly about it.  The game isn't hitting like when I first played it but it was never going to, nor did I expect it to because you only get that once.  I like the new intro, I think it's a good anime-like opening with a fun song but the original is bizarre and unsettling and fits the game so well.  I really didn't know what I was in for back in the day.

[Maf]

Yeah, I think also because most of the time I'm either doing regular attacks or super effective hits, so the character either isn't doing it at all or they're doing this 

 

 

Which, visually stunning, the back ground and flash distracts and covers the animation and gun pop so much. Just look at how much the MC's head pops and looks like he's dying in the gif. 

 

But I think the combat in this game has some of the most powerful feeling combat in any JRPG. When talking about shooters, racing games, platformers, "game feel" is a big part of what makes it work, and something obviously menu based games don't really need of focus on as much. But Reload fucking nails it. The combination of sound effect, visual flash, music, camera angles, the timing of it all - it's so kick ass. But one of the trade-offs is the focus is pulled away from the more basic - this school kid is standing there blowing he's brains out!!

[Maf]

25 hours in, just got to floor 69 of the tower at the earliest possible point in the game. I did leg it on the final few floors, but only because HP/MP were so low. My characters are level 25 so they can handle anything they come up against. They just can't handle everything they come up against one after the other

 

There was also a special message that a visitor would be coming to the floor I was on - Sorry, bro, no thanks 😥

 

Feel like fusions are going well, social links are going well, tasks are going really well. Think I've done all of them so far. 

 

Started dying a bit more frequently, but the teleporters/save points are everywhere and even the way the game enables death/retries is really lenient. There's definitely possibility to get screwed over and lose tonnes of progress. But just save a lot and it seems fine. 

 

Also started to find bosses with no weaknesses. I don't remember if that's the same as the original, or if it's new to make use of the Theulogy...Theugoly?...limit break ability. Which is a really neat new mechanic for the series and just helps make Persona that bit easier, still. 

 

I think that's one thing I really like about this game compared to all other games in the series that I've played. It's significantly easier, but not because it's on baby mode (Well, the save system now is kind of baby mode), but mechanics haven't been dialled back, they've just put in new mechanics that fit in nicely with the strategies and enable things like getting to floor 69 in June, while still keeping the risk of death and lost progress.

 

But now I've reached the next roadblock and was in the dungeon for 4-5 hours I just carry on with social-sim elements for a bit. A certain red head will hang out with me if I can get my intelligence up to genius. I'm now living in the library and renting a room in the ramen shop 

 

[HandsomeDead]

Theurgy makes the game a lot easier, I certainly stopped dying when it became available.  Especially since Fuuka has it too.  This was when I bumped the difficulty to hard and didn't have any problems.  The original was a bit different than other Persona games because you had to be more careful knocking down enemies because they would get up if you hit them while they're down, so you had to be specific getting all the enemies down at once, careful not to use area attacks.  But I think they even removed that in vanilla Persona 4.

 

The original game had a lot of bosses with no weaknesses so it's about making use of buffs/debuffs and getting crits from physical attacks.

 

It's not like it's brainless or anything but it is a more chill game.

[Maf]

Me and the devil are now level 6. I like this guy!

[shinymcshine]

First time playing a Persona game - and it's clearly a bit weird, but after pushing through a couple of hours of talky intros etc I now feel like I'm getting somewhere - even thought it's still 21 April, but I'm 'freely' exploring the tower for the first real time (which feels a bit like Azure Dreams).

 

Not too sure quite how far I'm supposed to be going, just triggered the teleport on Lv 17, with a pending 'boss' fight - but don't seem to be having too many issues so far.

 

No real idea on fusing Personas together, and whether I've done the right thing - but I combined Angel & Silky to make a Forneus.

 

I guess it's not knowing what's a good / bad thing to do, and whether early (ill informed) choices will kick you in the ass later on, but without dipping straight into a guide, then who knows....!?!? Hopefully it'll be forgiving of a trial & error approach.

 

Likewise I've no idea how far I'm suppose to keep going up the tower currently, and if it's just a case of continuing until prompted to stop, or when I hit a difficulty barrier, or if I can bail out whenever.

 

I'm around 4.5 hrs so far, and there's still pop-up tutorials ever so often, so I don't know if the training wheels are ready to come off quite yet ?

 

 

[Maf]

Ayyyy love that you’re giving it a go @shinymcshine

 

I’m not a super expert that knows everything by any means. But I can definitely answer some of your questions and give you some tips and stuff like that. If you want any just say, but sounds like you’re playing it just fine to me.

[HandsomeDead]

Welcome to the club, shiny.

 

I think I'll just say regarding fusing personas is don't be afraid to just liberally fuse them.  You always have access to any you've had in your party through the compendium in the velvet room.  There is a monetary cost to doing that, sometimes it's very expensive, but that's what the decision is rather than "do I fuse this persona?", it's "do I buy this persona or go find another".

[shinymcshine]

8.5 hrs, and still at the end of April, and the tower is blocked off around Lv 22 - I assumed this is some time/event driven unlock rather than something I'm missing ?

 

Still enjoying things, been back to previous floors unlocking chests, picking up new equipment, fusing personas etc. Joined a couple of schools clubs too, and done a bit of karaoke and work in the coffee shop.

 

 

[Maf]

4 minutes ago, shinymcshine said:

8.5 hrs, and still at the end of April, and the tower is blocked off around Lv 22 - I assumed this is some time/event driven unlock rather than something I'm missing ?

You assume right 

[shinymcshine]

It all got a bit slow around Golden Week, doing social activities and not too much action, then...... boom, the monorail !

 

That was fun !

 

Spoiler

Managed to take out the end boss & stop the train in time, but the countdown timers were getting a bit close.

 

[shinymcshine]

Hit Floor 42 and saw the 'Game Over' screen for the first time !

 

Spoiler

Went into the fight with the Clairvoyant Relic boss, and wasn't quite prepared for just how hard it was going to hit - or that it'd end the game as soon as my lead character was down to zero (even though the others could have revived them).

 

Oh well, it was a learning experience, and second time around I buffed and debuffed and got through it (although now there's another barrier stopping further ascent).

 

My character is now Lv 18, and all Social Skills are Lv 2, but got Exam Week coming up, so guess further fighting might take a hiatus anyway.

 

[Maf]

Right, gym, breakfast, Persona all day

 

 

[shinymcshine]

I've admit I'm struggling a bit with the pacing of this now ~20 hrs in.

 

The exploration of the tower is great, but seems like the cycle will be every full moon (4 weeks) you get an unlock and a decent event battle, and in between it's just kicking your heels a bit, doing the social stuff and revisiting tower levels - and that sort of sucks a bit, as it's all a little slow.

 

I'll be sticking with it a while more though !

[shinymcshine]

Another full moon has passed (June) and another member joined the squad.

 

Spoiler

Still sort of feels like an extended tutorial - what with the new girl and her new scanning power.

 

The Emperor & Empress were ridiculously easy to take down though, so whilst the whole ghost thing was a great build up, the climax felt a bit lame.

 

Let's see where it goes from here.

 

I'm now Lv 20, around 25 hrs played, and hopefully now due to be going beyond Floor 42 of the Tower....

 

[Maf]

I’ve been playing this game quite well, I think. Every Elizabeth task is done*, everyone is saved from Tartarus, characters are at a really good level, I think my compendium is at 30% or over, my stats are all level 4 and not a day goes by without me levelling up a social link - and the game has just ticked over to July.

 

The only problem I have right now is SP for team mates. My MC has one Persona with invigorate 3 (7 SP per turn) and every day I copy an Invigorate 1 (3sp per turn) skill card so I can bang them on my most used Personas. So every turn I claw some SP back and so the main guy just does not give a fuck. Especially when I manage it well and pass off super effective hits to the other characters

 

The only issue is Yukari. I just swapped her light wind attack for a medium wind attack and I’m questioning the choice. She’s not really a hard hitter, she only needed light wind to knock bad guys down. And now it’s costing her double SP to do that with the medium attack. If there’s multiple bad guys then it’s light wind attack on all and that’s 8SP. 
 

But my MC is swimming in the shit and knows wind attacks as well so it’s fine

 

*I fucked around for a few nights without saving just to figure out the Wildburger task. I realised on the 5th night of trying it you just have to pick the right answers to pass. So reloaded my save 5 nights earlier and done it in one. 

[shinymcshine]

Question please - re. social links

 

When I get the notification that someone wants to hang out, but then when I select them it says something like 'hanging out with them won't improve your relationship' - does this have any negative consequences ? So if I just ignore that person for a while and go with different people / activities that improve other social links / skills will my relationship with them eventually decrease or does it just stay static ?

[Maf]

I'm sure it stays static. I've got a tonne of them that aren't moving so ignored them and focused on the ones that are. 

 

Not sure if you know or not but the best way to do social links is have a Persona on your character that's the same arcana as the social link to get maximum points and less of this "It won't improve this time" thing. It still happens occasionally. My Hermit social link is at this state despite always having a persona and reloading to make sure I get max points. But it happens less if using a Persona.

 

The thing I don't know is the most efficient way to move that social link along. You either spend time with them or go to the shrine and draw a fortune for them. Not sure which one is more effective, and both options move time along.