Screenshot by Bonus Action
The original Persona 3 was released on the PlayStation 2 back in 2006, and quickly won over gamers thanks to its mix of monster taming and Japanese high school simulation. I myself am pretty late to the Persona series, having only been introduced by playing Persona 5 a few years ago.
Luckily for me, Persona 3: Reloaded was recently ported to the Nintendo Switch 2 back in October 2025, allowing new fans like myself to jump into this polished remake of the classic JRPG with new features and story content. Reloaded was released for PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows systems in February 2024, bringing a revamped battle system and newly recorded dialogue among other upgrades.
Key Details
- Developers: Atlus, P Studio
- Publishers: Sega, SEGA of America
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X, and Series S
- Price: $59.99+
- Review Code Provided: Yes, For Nintendo Switch 2
Beware The Dark Hour
Just like the original, Persona 3: Reloaded puts players in the role of a new student at Gekkoukan High School, which just so happens to be the main site of a mysterious ailment called Apathy Syndrome. Tasked with investigating this strange phenomenon is the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES), a group of students with the ability to summon powerful spirits called Personas.
The player character joins SEES as they journey through Tartarus, an ever-shifting labyrinth that only appears during the Dark Hour. The Dark Hour is a specific point in time that happens every midnight, and is when creatures called Shadows emerge to feed on human emotions. SEES has to battle these Shadows while working to uncover the mysteries behind Tartarus and the Dark Hour.
As with most JRPGs, one of Persona 3’s main draws is its cast of squadmates, which includes a range of teenage misfits like the uncertain Yukari and the brash Junpei. Persona 3: Reloaded‘s premise is pretty interesting too, though it should be noted that the story and its many subplots don’t shy away from heavy topics like abuse, suicide, and coping with the death of a loved one. The heroes summon their Persona by shooting themselves with handguns, which may be a disturbing visual for some.
Wake Up, Go To School, Build Your Links
Persona 3: Reloaded‘s story unfolds throughout the course of one year, which plays out in an in-game day/night cycle. The player goes to school, then performs various activities during the afternoon and evening. It is during this time that you can do sidequests to build your relationships with other characters.
These relationships, or Social Links, grant you special power bonuses for your Personas. The player can also hang out with their squadmates to understand them better and gain special bonuses, work part-time jobs for extra money that can be spent on weapons, gear, and health-granting items, or do other tasks to boost their in-game stats.
Persona 3 Reloaded‘s main stats are divided into three categories: Academics, Charm, and Courage. By building up these stats, the player can unlock new storylines and gain new Social Links. Traveling across Japan is as easy as selecting a location from the main Town Map and roaming across the hub world.
A Battle Of Personas, Weaknesses, And Strategy
Once nightfall hits, the player can choose to journey deeper into Tarantulas, where they will need to navigate their way through the dark and twisted tower and do battle against Shadows. These fights play out in classic turn-based fashion, with the player commanding each party member to attack the enemy with their personal weapon, unleash the special abilities of their Persona, or use an item to help heal damage or boost a character’s stats.
Each type of Shadow has certain elemental weaknesses, which the player can take advantage of. If a Shadow is struck with its weakness, it will be knocked down, allowing the player to either attack again with the same character or pass control over to another. Once all enemy Shadows are knocked down, the player can perform an All-Out Attack, in which the full squad attacks the Shadows in a single assault for extra damage.
Eventually, the player will gain the ability to perform Theurgys, or special attacks specific to each party member. These moves are charged by a gauge that fills up by performing a certain action, which is based on a character’s particular skills. Just like with weaknesses, building up to a Theurgy is a matter of planning out moves during the battle based on who is in the party.
Once the battle is finished, the player will gain experience points. Sometimes players will be rewarded with a Shuffle, which grants them their choice of either more money, extra EXP, or even a new Persona. While the other members of SEES can only use one Persona, the main protagonist can house more than one and mix and match their powers.
I Am Thou, Thou Art I
Early on in Persona 3: Reloaded, the main protagonist will gain access to the Velvet Room, where they can fuse Personas together to create stronger creatures. Each Persona has a Tarot type that corresponds to a certain Social Link, and can gain more experience depending on how far along you are in that character’s sidequest. You can also pass on certain attacks from the Persona you are fusing, which helps keep a wide range of elemental moves on hand.
This is all pretty satisfying to plan out once you’ve got the hang of it, and it isn’t long before you are swapping between different Personas and squadmates with ease. However, it might take a while for players to build up enough Social Links to take full advantage of the Persona-fusing mechanics.
Persona 3: Reloaded also includes some online features, but it pretty much amounts to a message board that tells you how other players spent a particular day. I barely looked at it.
I found Persona 5‘s presentation to be one of that game’s highlights, and this rings true for Persona 3: Reloaded as well. The game’s visual style includes a vibrant user interface and cell-shaded graphics, and major story beats play out through hand-drawn anime cutscenes. Persona 3: Reloaded‘s music is also great, with a fun mix of jazz, rap, and dance tracks that add atmosphere to combat and exploration.
I’m also glad to say that Persona 3: Reloaded runs smoothly on the Nintendo Switch 2 in both TV and Handheld modes. There are some frame rate trade-offs in the latter, but the ability to play the game whenever and wherever you wish is a plus in my book. TV Mode also features a targeted 60 FPS Performance Mode for an even smoother visual experience.
Final Score – 8/10
While I still find myself preferring Persona 5‘s cast of school misfits and stylish heist plot, Persona 3: Reloaded is a solid JRPG with an interesting premise and gripping gameplay. Now that it is available on Nintendo Switch 2, fans who missed out the first time can get caught up with the adventures of SEES and their perilous mission to learn the truth of the Dark Hour, either at home or on the go.
**Bonus Action was provided with a Switch 2 Code of Persona 3: Reloaded for the purpose of this review**
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