Recent reviews by Lyrian

It's finally here. I've been waiting for this game for a decade at this point, and I lost hope at times, but I can say that the wait has been worth it. So far, the new story is very interesting (and wonderfully animated), the gameplay is really solid and the game is packed full of content, with free expansions on the horizon. 10/10

SHAW!

Très Bien

Fantasy lives on...

My favorite game of all time, but even better.

Persona 3 has inspired me over the years. It made me reflect on my life during a period where I wasn't sure what to do with it. It has made me cry, and laugh, and feel all sorts of things.

I am aware this remake isn't perfect. Nothing is, as they say. The Answer being DLC isn't the best, and Kotone being entirely missing is tragic. Even aside from that, there are changes that you might not prefer over what the original offered, in terms of combat mechanics, difficulty, atmosphere, voice acting, or even the writing of the new scenes. I fully respect all criticism of the remake and I know it comes from a place of genuine love for the original game that I share.

Still, for me, this is... Maybe not the definitive, but the best version of Persona 3 out there right now. I love everything about it, including all the changes, and every criticism I have of it is a nitpick I won't bother sharing. I think the respect the developers of this remake have for the original game shines through spectacularly, because they've truly managed to retain the essence of the experience while modernizing it and making tasteful additions where they saw it as appropriate. The new Linked Episodes, allowing you to get to know the guys in SEES a bit better, are a really welcome addition, given the absence of Social Links with them in the original. It's a beautiful game in every regard, filled with soul and oozing with style, and on top of everything it's extremely polished.

Quick tangent, but the PC version, for me, runs amazingly well. I have a laptop, one with decent specs but nowhere near top of the line, and I've had no problem playing it at 1440p and above 60 fps. Also, it amazes me how they managed to pack all this into like 23GBs. I was thinking about getting the Collector's Edition for PS5, but I'm glad I went with this version, even if my decision was ultimately motivated by not having enough cash for it...

In any case, back to topic, this remake has blown my expectations out of the water, and it's not like I was expecting it to be bad. Persona 3 was, and is, a great game, but it was also a difficult one to recommend, frankly. Tartarus had always been a bit of a slog, and it's a game that takes a while to get going. While 80-to-100-hour-long RPGs are always going to be a no-go for some people, this is at least a much friendlier experience. I'm so glad it's selling well... I think Persona 3 is a story that should be experienced by as many people as possible.

Well, I suppose that's it from me. If my impassioned recommendation wasn't enough to convince to play this game, nothing I say will be, I think.