Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 – PS2 – Review

With the
exception of a few special people, all who live in the world of Persona 3 are in
bed by midnight. At that time the “special” ones enter the Dark Hour, the part
of the day that stands outside the 24-hour cycle. Vicious creatures (known as
Shadows) come out during the Dark Hour – you can fight them by visiting a land
called Tartarus, a place where rooms are spontaneously formed like random
dungeon battles. As if that weren’t odd enough, just wait till to you hear why
normal humans aren’t aware of the Dark Hour: because they’re asleep in their
coffins.

Persona 3 might
very well be the most eyebrow-raising RPG for PlayStation 2. The general facts
are pretty typical – you play as a young man attending high school. You’ll meet
lots of new people and can try to hold onto your cool attitude by selecting the
proper response to each situation. There’s a social connection element called
Social Link, a love and friendship-based tool that does more than extend
character interactions – it also affects how strong your Personas are.

Personas are
the ally-aiding monsters that allow you to cast spells. This is where the game
moves away from what’s typical and re-enters a world that’s too weird for words.
To use a Persona’s powers, a character must fire an Evoker, a tool which is to
be pointed at a character’s head. That doesn’t sound too outrageous, but Evokers
are shaped like handguns. When you call upon the power of a Persona, the
characters grab their Evokers, point them at their heads, and pull the trigger.
It’s so eerie that one of the main characters comments on the Evoker in the
early stages of the game, saying how strange it is to use the gun-like device in
that manner.

In spite of the
weirdness (or perhaps because of it), Persona 3 is a great RPG. It’s not for
everyone, but if you like unusual things and prefer darker, more thoroughly
developed stories, read on. This is the game you’ll wish never had to end.

Time Table

Persona 3 opens
with the following message: “No one can escape time. It delivers us all to the
same end.” Those words reflect the timeline of the game, which moves forward not
only through progress but also by an artificial month/day/year cycle. Days go by
fast. The main, user-named character (let’s call him C) is automatically
transported to school when he wakes up. One of his allies and potential love
interest, Yukari, has an average of one conversation with C per day. He’ll make
other friends, some who will be special (and thus can stay up during the Dark
Hour and fight), but most are ordinary humans.

This is
important because of the Social Link with humans and the power driven to your
Personas. In many cases you will have multiple relationships to pursue, but only
one may be nurtured on any given day. Time advances on its own – if you walk
home with a friend after school, it’ll be dark out by the end of that scenario.
C will be allowed out after dark, but others cannot leave due to the Dark Hour.
Everyone seems to know it exists on some level, even though no one talks about
it.

Since these
characters’ bodies are not made to be up past midnight, you will grow tired from
fighting during the Dark Hour. When a character drops below “good” status, he or
she becomes fatigued and will no longer fight at full capacity. Attacks are not
as strong when you’re tired. Magic is less effective, and there’s a good chance
that an enemy could strike so hard that the fatigued character will be too weak
to retaliate. He or she is not unconscious in this state and still holds a
positive HP reading. You can push ahead but it’s not recommended. If you exit
Tartarus for any reason, the fatigued party member(s) will head straight to bed.

Like all RPGs,
Persona 3 is repetitive in some areas. But the time cycle and Dark Hour elements
are effectively used to keep the game moving forward. Fatigued characters might
need an extra day’s rest to recover. By deciding to stay in bed, the game
automatically advances to the next day.

However, just
because you decided to relax does not mean the game stopped moving. Unlike most
RPGs, where a night at an inn has no effect on the game’s timeframe, Persona 3
continues to move ahead. Eager for action, you might not care to lose a day or
two at the game’s onset. But once time-based missions – where you retrieve items
in exchange for something more useful – are added to your roster, every day
becomes important.

Single-Player, Single Fighter

In Persona 3,
players have complete control over the main character. You decide his actions in
and out of battle – determine when he sleeps, who he should hang out with, and
so on. Game control ends there. Most will expect to have the power to select
battle commands for each character. However, the only options available are
simple presets like “target enemy” and “heal party.” The main character is
handled like the lead fighter of any RPG, but his comrades are controlled by
influence alone.

Amazingly, this
doesn’t kill the game’s battle engine. I’m not content with my comrades’ item
choices (they use healing powders that I’d rather save for later), but their
attacks are more than acceptable – they’re often able to take down the enemy.
Battles are frequent but avoidable with Shadows appearing before combat. You
know the drill: the attack advantage is given to the one who strikes before
combat is initiated.

Since 2/3 of
your party run on auto-pilot, the game offers a rush feature that allows
you to battle without ever touching the controller. Press the triangle button to
start the process, which automates and speeds up attacks from all characters,
including the one you typically control. This is great for leveling and general
exploration, but is not a feature that should be used to take on new enemies.

 
Yukari

When Two
Personas Love Each Other Very Much…

Battles do not
reward your party with money or health items. Instead, players are treated to a
card shuffle. At least two cards appear on screen, showing their value. Cards
come in a variety of types: money, weapons, stat increase, Persona, etc. Once
you’ve examined the cards, press the X button to start the shuffle. They’ll flip
over and shuffle around before control is given back to the player, who must
then select a card.

When you get a
money card, expect a hefty cash reward. Weapon cards add new swords, bows, and
other deadly objects to your arsenal. Persona cards are the best – snatch one
and the pictured Persona is yours. Only one of each Persona may be obtained,
which is likely to frustrate players who lose a card right after receiving it.
But there’s a reason for the frequent encounters with old Personas: merging.
Players can merge Personas to form newer and more powerful monsters.

If your social
link is strong with the Persona you wish to create, the resulting monster may
offer the same moves as the two Personas you chose to merge. It’s a simple,
point-and-click system that anyone can learn, but the growth potential is very
expansive. Experimentation is the order of the day, as the game will tell you.
And if you screw up, that’s where the old Persona cards become useful. When you
merge, you sacrifice the Personas used in the process. But since many of them
can be obtained a second time, there isn’t too much risk involved in the
process.

 
A
Persona

These elements
come together for what could be labeled the most unusual RPG on PlayStation 2.
If you like the unknown, the uncharted – the places that few developers are
willing to visit – Persona 3 is another chance to explore these things. The
game’s backbone is its story, which as you can tell by my intro, is as
outrageous as possible without being blatant or gratuitous. The story is also
very entertaining and features a solid soundtrack, top-notch voice acting, and
great anime sequences.

Gameplay: 7.7
Battles are quick
and entertaining but lack full party controls. The Persona system, both in
battle (using them to fight) and out of battle (merging and Social Link
development) is pretty cool. If you break it down, the system isn’t much more
than a name and/or aesthetic change from other RPGs that offer monster summoning
and merging. But you’ll enjoy it just the same.

Graphics:
7.5
The washed-out
backgrounds and stiff battle animations are barely worth mentioning. The brief
anime sequences, however, demonstrate one of the few moments in a game where you
should walk away from the controller. These scenes are not something you’ll want
to skip.

Sound: 8.1
Persona 3’s music is
pleasurable, but the voice acting is this game’s best feature. The dialogue is
entertaining and believable – you’ll begin to care about these characters within
the first hour.

Difficulty: Medium
Easy if you stay on
course and level up frequently – painful if you dare to venture into unknown
territory before your characters are ready.

Concept: 8.0
Persona 3 is one of
the strangest games you will ever see on PlayStation 2. Its gameplay is by all
accounts typical, but the story, Evoker device, and the overall presentation are
as much of a turn-on as they are a turn-off. How a game can be both, I don’t
know, you’d have to ask the developers that question.

Overall: 7.9
This is not an RPG
for the younger crowd, though it’s unlikely that kids will want to play it. If
you like games that step outside the bounds of normality – games that defy
reality and present the strangest imagery imaginable – Persona 3 is your RPG.
But if you prefer the lighter Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy style of games,
stick with those. Persona 3 was not made for that audience.