Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for Persona 3 ahead. Proceed at your own risk.
Persona 3 Reloadcan make one of the game’s harder-to-find scenes easier to unlock by making the prerequisites clearer to players. While players should be able to expect a lot of the same dramatic moments from the original in the remake,Persona 3 Reloadhas the ability to improve on the story, especially with over a decade’s worth of hindsight. There are a few moments that many players may have never seen while playing, simply because they didn’t know how to find them. Thankfully,Persona 3 Reloadis a chance for players to experience the game all over again.
As the game that introducedPersona’s signature Social Link mechanic,Persona 3is a transformative entry for the franchise. The later games would build on its high school setting and gameplay loop while adding additions and tweaks of their own. It’s little surprise thatPersona 3is receiving a proper remake after the influence that it has had on the rest of the series.Persona 3 Reloadis looking to add a fresh coat of paint over the classic, with new visuals applied to the game’s storyline. Of course, as for how the plot will be affected, fans can only wait and see.
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Arguably, one of the most impactful moments inPersona 3’s lengthy storyis Chidori’s revival. Chidori was a member of the villainous group Strega, and Junpei falls in love with her during the game. She reciprocates his feelings, and ends up choosing him over her allies, sacrificing her life to save Junpei when Strega tries to kill him. However, starting withPersona 3 FES, if the player encouraged Junpei to visit Chidori in the hospital on four specific days, November 6, November 11, November 14, and November 22, they will unlock an event where Chidori survives her hospitalization, albeit without her Persona due to it merging with Junpei’s.
Although Chidori’s revival is a powerful moment, it is unfortunately easy to miss. One of theproblems withPersona 3is that it hides some details so well that players can miss them without ever knowing they were there, which can be painful in a narrative-heavy game. There isn’t a lot to indicate to players that talking to Junpei on these specific days is important, nor much of a sign that they’re making progress towards anything. Players who try to talk to everyone on every in-game day have a good chance of catching it, but other players may only get the scene by chance.
There are a few ways to combat the difficulty in reaching Chidori’s revival scene, although it may be abig change forPersona 3 Reload. One way could be to make a clearer indication that the player should talk to Junpei, such as a special notification. Another, more direct method would be for the conversation to take place automatically, like the telephone conversations that the player can receive occasionally. That way, players won’t be in danger of missing Junpei’s conversations to trigger the event flags. This would greatly ease the difficulty that players face in unlocking the scene in the first place.
Chidori’s revealed survival is one ofPersona 3’s best scenes, which makes the fact that it’s hidden kind of disappointing. Considering that the developers have promisedPersona 3 Reloadwill further develop party members, there’s hope that the scene will become more available. Chidori was an important part of Junpei’s development, to the point that he was able to evolve his Persona thanks to her. One of their most prominent scenes together shouldn’t be hidden away. HopefullyPersona 3 Reloadwill make sure that every player has a good chance to see one of the game’s best moments.
Persona 3 Reloadis set to release in 2024 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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