‘Persona 3’ uses time to make an RPG about adolescence – 02/21/2024 – Illustrated

The success of “Persona 5”, a 2016 RPG that became one of the most relevant in recent years, made the Atlus studio rethink the attention it gives the franchise. This is what we see now with the remake “Persona 3 Reload”, which recovers the game released in 2006 with improvements aimed at the aesthetics and fluidity of the game, recycling mechanics that marked the series’ most recent success.

When it came out on the PlayStation 2, “Persona 3” was the first to combine traditional RPG elements with social life simulations. In the plot, a high school student is transferred to a school in a city where the population is being affected by “apathy syndrome”, a depression caused by the so-called Shadows, evil spirits that invade the world in the Dark Hour — at midnight.

At the same time, Personas appear, avatars that reflect the personality of each character, capable of combating the Shadows.

The protagonist, by chance, goes to live in a dormitory with colleagues blessed with this ability. And he has a special power — he is able to control more than one Persona, and choose them like a Pokémon trainer.

The mystery of the plot is related to the tower that appears in the location, Tartarus, where most of the action takes place, between exploration and battles.

During turn-based combat, the controls are not complex nor do they require precision and skill, but they remain stimulating. Personas have fire, ice, wind spells, among others, and hitting the enemy’s weakness entitles them to a bonus action, which guarantees dynamism.

It never ceases to be strange that all these teenagers approach their new duties of saving the world so naturally. But it’s something that runs through the franchise and is gradually justified, as the real world and the supernatural collide.

“Persona 3 Reload” is an RPG with turn-based combat with mechanics that differ from others in the genre — time. Here, following a real calendar, even with holidays, your actions consume part of the day, and you need to manage your choices well.

Choosing to go out with someone after class prevents the player from carrying out other activities during the afternoon, such as studying or going to the arcade.

This more realistic approach to time was quite an achievement for the time, improving strategies from visual novels such as “Tokimeki Memorial” and “Sakura Wars”, from the 1990s, in addition to marrying well with the “coming of age” narrative — every choice , as in life, has its consequences.

In this scenario, the social bonds that the player is able to maintain with certain characters, all represented by tarot cards, gain weight, giving the game an esoteric charm. And investing more in one or another friendship is reflected throughout the Personas system and its different categories.

It’s a very diverse cast, which makes the social simulation enjoyable. Among the more than 20 options, some mandatory, there is a classmate who falls in love with a teacher, an elderly couple who runs a used book store, a drunken monk, all full of charisma and good humor.

Also important is the attribute system — charm, intellect and courage. To increase intellect, for example, it is necessary to correctly answer questions asked during classes, study in the library or work in the cinema.

These are interactions in a realistic environment, but it doesn’t want to be ultra-realistic like in “Cyberpunk 2077” and “Starfield”, high-budget productions that have not been very well received in recent years. Restaurants, shops, train stations, alleys and passersby add color to the scenes even though they offer little in terms of interaction.

Part of this vivacity arises from one’s own understanding of the spirit of the times. The game takes place in 2009, and teenagers communicate via SMS, arrange to meet up in online games, and listen to music on MP3 players. And the internet is still sometimes elusive, sometimes magical.

The “apathy syndrome” itself, relevant to the initial development of the plot, refers to phenomena in Japanese society such as “hikikomori” — an expression for reclusive people, and evokes horror films from the 2000s such as “Pulse” and “Suicide Club” .

Basically, it is a relatively simple game that only knew how to harmonize its parts. And, for the first time in the history of the franchise, it has been translated into Brazilian Portuguese.

Like many RPGs, “Persona 3 Reload” will require a little patience, guaranteeing more than 60 hours of play. A good way to face them is to treat the game like a long novel, which gradually takes over everyday life. Just don’t forget that time passes.