So, I recently got into Persona 3 having never played it before or knew anything about it. It managed to become my favorite one story and characterwise.
I've been trying to figure out why it's my fav and I think I understand. Persona 4 and 5... great games, but the main character truly is like... the MAIN character. Everyone revolves around them (Ren and Yu) feels like. No one truly seems to grow and change without them?
Of course this happens a bit in Persona 3 as well, but honestly, even though Minato/Makoto is literally the messiah, I feel like most of the characters, especially the main characters, are living out their own stories without his help. There's no scene that represents this better than Fuuka's second awakening. Everyone arrives on the roof after all is said and done and she's rambling about her personal growth and everyone is like "Uh... you ok? What are you talking about?" That's right, this is Fuuka's story, not the MC, he doesn't need to know everything or be involved.
All of them have their second awakening on their own terms for the most part. Whether MC was there or not or if the MC existed at all, these developments probably would've happened anyway.
Between main storyline awakenings and social link awakenings, I prefer the former. It doesn't make social links irrelevant. After all, they still allow you to get to know those characters better and have a better insight on what's going on with them. That's an area where Persona 3 is lacking actually (other than forcing you to date girls to reach level 10)
I also like how when Minato meets everyone, they aren't all immediately pals, you know? Sometimes they're a bit snarky with one another or just plain old rude. Junpei is a great example of this, but you know what? Junpei is a true bro and would do anything for the MC despite the occasional jealously and all that.
They really feel like a bunch of randos dragged into this big developing plot that manage to work things out between them and become true friends. Like a family. It also helps that like, 5? of the cast are orphans with little to no family. They are each other's family now. Unlike P4 and P5, once all is said and done, they don't technically have normal/families lives to return to. They are each other's support system. There's no one to go home to other than each other.
I am a sucker for family feels and found family tropes, and Persona 3 nails it for me.
I DO want a remake, but there are some things I don't want them to change and some things I do. I observed this stuff from watching streamers play through the game blind.
I don't want a Persona 3 Portable situation where some characters are able to live. The people who died in the original game (Chidori... maybe, Shinjiro, and Minato/Makoto) should stay dead. Minato/Makoto specifically. His "death" seems kind of important to the plot moving forward even though Persona 3 is finished. It's important enough to be referenced in Persona 4 and Persona 4 Arena, so yeah. That has to stay the same imo.
I'd like for them to add the social links for the male characters into the main game. That outta flush things out a lot more.
When you return to the dorm each day, you're kinda supposed to go talk to all your buddies sitting around for new dialogue and subplots. They should make these moments unskippable. Make them in game cutscene conversations. As the game progresses, make them more and more familiar and friendly with each other during these afterschool chill sessions.
And obviously, the battle system needs an update. It's a bit old skool and could use the benefit of what P4 and P5 improved over the years.
A lot of people complain about pacing, but I haven't really thought about how to fix that, if they even can. The game has to take place over the course of a year. Maybe they can add more plot to do with Strega earlier on? Shinjiro too. That outta work.
Oh, and The Answer... seems like a mixed bag... I think it's important they include the information about Minato/Makoto's soul being a seal that keeps Erebus from reaching Nyx to bring on the destruction of the world. But uh, a lot of the rest of it seems kinda irrelevant. I dunno. Maybe most of that stuff (the flashbacks), should be put in the main game. Like Aki and Mitsuru meeting when they were younger. Maybe Metis can still be included somehow, but... hm... I dunno. I dunno I'll leave that to smarter people to think about.
They've already got some cute updated 3D models for that silly dancing game. Some background environments too. I'd really like to see a remake. For P4 lovers too.
Also, something that annoys me with Persona games, I wish they'd just... pick canon names. I know it's supposed to be "YOU are the main character", but I'm really not. I guess that's just personal preference, I relate to characters obviously, but I not THEM. For the first time recently, I've seen people actually fighting over what the canon names are. Who freakin' cares.
Ok, my rambling is over. Had nowhere else to vomit my thoughts onto.
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