Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (PS2)
The Megami Tensei series, or “MegaTen” as coined by its hardcore fans, is one of several long running RPG series that has earned a respectable audience in its Japanese homeland, but has barely garnered cult status within North America. Less than half of the MegaTen titles have reached American shores, but the games that do make it over are often embraced by its hardcore fans, as each iteration weaves a paranormal tale of normal teens thrown into an abnormal situation against demons and apparitions inspired by historical mythologies and religions.
The latest in the Persona series, Persona 3, debuted in North America last year with little fanfare, and subsequently dropped out of print. However, its short shelf life was enough to make it a sleeper hit among PS2 owners starved for new content, RPG or otherwise. The brief but respectable success was enough incentive for Atlus to release the “Director’s Cut” version, called FES, to North America this year. Containing the original Persona 3 in its entirety along with additional content and new missions, FES serves as a second chance for gamers to experience this MegaTen RPG, and offers enough incentives for previous buyers to double dip once more.
Persona 3 follows the path of an unnamed protagonist (officially named Minato Arisato for those who prefer not having Japanese honorifics attached to their names) arriving at a mixed dorm on the night before his transfer to Gekkoukan High School. After a lengthy escort from Yukari, a young girl in the same dorm and grade as he, a dark secret is revealed to him; Every night at midnight, a secret hour known as the Dark Hour occurs between 12:00 am and 1:00 am. During this hour, nearly all of humankind is encased in coffins, unconsciously aware of the transmogrification of the world around them. The select few humans who remain conscious during the Dark Hour are hunted by Shadows, dark specters that wear expressionless masks and possess dangerous powers. Yet there are also humans who are conscious but also possess an ability known as “Persona”, a corporeal representation of their inner souls that can be used to defend against the Shadows.
But our hero is unique in that he can call forth an infinite number of Personas to do his bidding, which makes him a valuable member of SEES, the anti-Shadow group that recruits any human (or even non-human) to live in what was disguised as a typical high school dorm. With the help of his classmates, as well as a few otherworldly allies that only he can interact with, players will guide the young student through the course of one full year, strengthening the bond between his Personas, classmates, and the many residents around town as he uncovers the truth of the Dark Hour and the Shadows, and how closely it ties with his pre-written destiny.
Unlike previous RPG protagonists, our hero is still an everyday student, and must regularly attend Gekkoukan High during the day, taking part in various classes and after school activities. If the premise of a virtual school sounds unappealing, know that these events last mere minutes, and usually consist of a brief lecture, or are skipped ahead right to the end of class.
It is this moment after school where players resume control of the character. In this brief reprieve, our hero can engage in several activities, or spend time with one of several classmates or city residents. Alternatively, players can merely return to the dorm, which will automatically advance the clock to the evening, and the inevitable Dark Hour.
It is very beneficial, however, to take part in these events, as the results will yield in increased powers and possibilities for the protagonist. The Social Link system, which makes up a significant portion of this game, revolve around players meeting and socializing with these characters, each containing their own story within their day to day activities. The first available Social Link, for instance, involves a student that the hero can spend a day or two eating out together. After a few round trips to the ramen shop, the student will eventually open up to the protagonist about his feelings for a particular girl, and will frequently ask for advice. Through a list of prepared choices, players will have to answer positively in order to strengthen their relationship with the lovesick student, which will increase with each successful interaction through an RPG-like Level system. Each level up through the Social Links will increase the abilities of any Persona corresponding to the Link; the aforementioned Social Link, for example, will increase the power and progress of any Persona under the Magician Arcana.
Thus, it becomes essential to socialize with as many NPCs as possible, using the correct choices to help them overcome their respective issues; Help a young school athlete overcome his physical handicap to succeed in the big tourney; Become a surrogate son to an old couple running a local bookstore; Spend time with a lonely girl in the park who must deal with a family about to be separated. Every one of these interactions will increase the powers of the hero’s Personas if handled correctly, and repeated visits will advance their stories even further, along with the hero’s powers.
Players can also choose to partake in several singular activities, such as singing at a karaoke bar, catching the latest movie marathon, or eat at one of many fast food restaurants. These small pleasures will also benefit the protagonist in different ways by increasing one of his available stats. Watching a horror movie, for instance, will increase his Courage, while answering a question correctly in class will increase his Charm among the other students. It is also recommended to study as often as possible every night, as Academics is naturally the hardest stat to level up, and doing well on midterms and finals will only benefit players further. Increasing each of these stats will open up further Social Links, giving players even more opportunities to strengthen their Personas. To put it simply, there is not a single thing players can do in this game that do not serve some sort of benefit. Every conversation or gesture will result in a more powerful main character. Keep in mind, however, that players can only engage in one activity per day, as the hero will automatically be sent back to his dorm once the event is over. Thus, balancing the hero’s time spent with each NPC is ideal, even if it means turning down a character’s request to spend more time with them over the weekend.
Most Social Links become unavailable once players return to the dorm, as that is when they are given the chance to go Shadow hunting in Tartarus, a multi-level tower that stretches beyond the clouds and only materializes during the Dark Hour. Upon entering Tartarus, players can assemble their party with whichever SEES members are available, managing their equipment as well as the hero’s before moving into the Shadow-infested floors.
It is here where most of the game’s fighting will take place. The randomly generated floors of Tartarus serve not only as the primary location for the SEES members to explore, but also as invaluable training. Shadows of varying strength and difficulty roam the halls of Tartarus, and if the player manages to get the drop on them via a single strike, then they will be allowed to make the first move when the battle begins.
The battle system of Persona 3 follows a typical turn based RPG system, with standard commands such as Attack, Skills, Escape, etc. The notable difference is that players can only control the main hero, while the remaining party members will act on their own once his turn ends. The AI controlled party members’ primary focus is to attack the enemies with their respective abilities, and heal any critically wounded characters. While the auto pilot nature works well for standard battles, players can issue commands that the AI characters will follow via the Tactics submenu. Through here, each party member can be assigned a specific tactic that they will continue to follow unless the instructions are changed. For example, one AI character can focus solely on casting healing and support spells while another will relentlessly attack the enemy without pause. Mixing and matching the tactics of the protagonist’s companions becomes a valuable asset during several encounters with more powerful foes, especially bosses.
Speaking of bosses, as the SEES members make their way up Tartarus, they will have to contend with a Guardian enemy located in key floors, and cannot traverse any further without defeating them. As difficult as these encounters may prove, they also allow a moment’s reprieve; In the same floor as the Guardian, a Way Point becomes available, which allows players to return to the first floor to save their progress, heal their wounds, manage their equipment, or call it a night and return to the dorm once characters grow too fatigued to continue.
The difficulty factor may prove daunting for gamers used to more forgiving RPGs such as the Final Fantasy series. Persona 3 celebrates its oldschool roots quite closely, punishing casual players who do not take the time to safeguard themselves from powerful attacks or status ailments. There may be more than one occasion where the battle will begin with the enemy being allowed to make the first move, and that first move ends up being a wide area instant kill spell that can wipe out the entire party, or just the main character. Even if the former is unscathed, the latter’s demise will result in an instant Game Over.
The key to avoid such a catastrophe is the managing of the hero’s Persona. Since Personas can only be switched once per turn, it is essential to always pick the right Persona for the job. Every enemy faced contains a weakness of some kind. After scanning the enemy, the SEES support member will inform the player what weakness or weaknesses the enemy possesses. With this knowledge, players can use a Persona with the highlighted ability to strike the enemy; If an enemy is weak to Ice, use a Persona that has the Bufu skill, or Agi if it is weak to Fire, and so forth.
Striking the enemy’s weak point will not only cause additional damage, but render it immobile. If all enemies onscreen are rendered unconscious, the hero will be able to perform an All Out Attack with his allies, causing further damage. Casting the same spells in succession may grow repetitive after several hours, but it is also the safest path to victory.
But the Shadows are not the only entities to possess weaknesses; the Personas of the hero and his allies also possess weaknesses, and may also fall from consciousness if stricken. Again, managing the correct Persona is the key to victory; If a Persona contains abilities that will not harm the Shadow, but is also invulnerable from the Shadow’s most powerful attacks, then the choice of defense over offense becomes definitive. Subsequently, it would also serve to bring a party member that will not be affected by that same enemy, or one that can exploit its weakness.
As with the Social Links, the exploration of Tartarus is purely optional, and can be avoided entirely, but doing so would be ill advised; Every month in the game’s calender, a full moon occurs, and a powerful Shadow will appear outside of Tartarus to wreck havoc to the city. These full moon events are detrimental to the story and cannot be skipped over, and always end with a climactic boss battle. What’s more, there is no saving permitted during these events, forcing players to play through the entire night without fail. If the characters are not at a sufficient level to defeat the full moon Shadows, the game will end. Restarting from a save point before the full moon event will still require players to play through all the dialog and cutscenes before trying their luck once more.
The full moon battles are where the training of Tartarus and the raising of Social Links come into play. The success of these story missions depend entirely on how committed players are to balance the hero’s school life, social life, and dungeon grinding together in order to reap the rewards. As daunting and repetitive as that may sound, Persona 3’s socializing system is every bit as feature filled and fun as its battle system. The cast of characters, both SEES and NPCs, are all charming and well written to the point that players may end up socializing with them purely out of interest, forgetting that they will benefit physically from the conversations. As the year rolls on, the characters will engage in several activities such a midterm break at the beach, a summertime festival, a trip to the hot springs, and other locations beyond the city. During these events, the protagonist will develop further bonds and revelations with his fellow SEED dorm mates, as well as clues leading to the origin of the Shadows and the Dark Hour. The overall plot plays out like a typical season of Japanese Anime, but whether that qualifies as a positive or negative critique will depend on the gamers’ preference. The inclusion of several mature elements, such as occult references, steamy high school romances, frequent swearing, and the blatantly controversial method of evoking one’s Persona adds a bit of spice to the somewhat cliched storyline.
As far as presentation goes, Persona 3’s graphics will not astound, especially in the era of next-gen consoles, but fancy graphics are not a requirement, either. The superdeformed character models and static portraits carry enough charm for gamers to overlook their simplicity, and the music, a bizarre fusion of j-pop and hip hop, brings a refreshing and catchy alternative to the typical RPG soundtrack. The voice work is also plentiful and aptly performed, with many of the actors having starred in several anime series prior, including Fullmetal Alchemist’s Vic Mignogna as the lovable and often hilarious Junpei, Bleach’s Michelle Ruff as popular yet troubled teen Yukari, and Naruto’s Yuri Lowenthal serving the grunts and groans of the otherwise silent main character. To further complement the japanimation influence, several brief but serviceable animated footage appears in key moments throughout the game.
For the FES portion of Persona 3, several new additions have been added to the already stuffed original. Aside from additional cutscenes and dialog that further develop the cast, there are also new Personas to unlock, new requests to fulfill for the enigmatic but comical Elizabeth, and an entirely new quest spanning up to thirty hours that can be played immediately, following the events after the original game’s ending and centering mainly around Aigis, the cybernetic femme fatale created to combat the Shadows. As an added bonus, players can transfer their data from the original Persona 3 and carry over their stats, fused Personas, and any Persona registered in Elizabeth’s compendium.
In conclusion, Persona 3 FES offers an oldschool look and challenge for RPG fans and curious onlookers alike with a newschool presentation and charm. At $30 for both an out of print game and an added assortment of additional content, there is little reason to avoid this fantastically valued and fun filled adventure that will have everyone playing well past the Dark Hour.
Primotech Rating: 
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Glad to see you reviewed this. I’m not much of a JRPG fan, but I’ve been thinking about maybe picking this up.
[...] Original post by BleachAnime.org » Bleach 169 » Bleach -103 » Bleach 321 &Acir… [...]
really great game.Game for thank atlus.
[...] reviewed Persona 3 back in [...]