Summary
When Atlus first announcedPersona 3 Reload, it was described as a highly faithful recreation of the first game, rather than a reimagining or some kind of complete edition, which explained why it skipped content fromPersona 3 PortableandPersona 3 FES. However, as time goes on, Atlus keeps revealing changes it’s made from the base game. Many are quality of life features and enhancements to the original, like the new version ofPersona 5’s Baton Pass, while others are changes to the story. One of the most recent trailers, for instance, spotlit the expanded story content forPersona 3’s supporting antagonists, the Persona-user group known as Strega.
The presence of Strega can be felt throughoutPersona 3, whether it’s through their meddling with Midnight Hour operations or Junpei’s complicated relationship with Chidori, but their lives are a little mysterious overall. Although Strega often grandstands and questions SEES' ideology, they don’t share much about themselves. Luckily,Persona 3 Reloadincludes new scenes that’ll flesh out their backstories and relationships. That’s great forPersona 3, but perhaps more importantly, it could start a positive trend for futurePersonaremakes. AfterPersona 3 Reload, other remakes might also put a greater focus on the histories of secondary characters, whether they’re friends or foes to the protagonists.
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EveryPersonagame works hard to establish the lives, personalities, and relationships that define its playable characters. InPersona 4andPersona 5, story arcs that often take up an entire in-game month focus on the latest party member. However, that close lens often means that there isn’t room for supporting characters to get detailed backstories.Persona 5sheds light on a few key NPCs –Sae Niijima’s lifeis very well-documented, for instance – but it leaves several other characters mysterious, and games beforeP5don’t often make time for NPCs who aren’t Social Links.
There’s plenty of examples of this aside from Strega. While Tohru Adachi explains his philosophical motives for committing the murders inPersona 4, fans don’t get a completely clear picture of the life that led him to that point, even when they complete hisSocial Link inPersona 4. Similarly, inPersona 3, Shuji Ikutsuki’s reasons to bring about the end of the world are a little murky. EvenPersona 5antagonists like Kaneshiro and Okumura only get a little bit of backstory and lack a fully fleshed-out origin story.
That’s why it’s so important thatPersona 3 Reloadis giving its antagonists a more complete story. If Atlus is so invested in these characters, it stands to reason that Atlus would feel compelled to expand on other characters in otherPersonaremakes in the future. Aremake ofPersona 4 Goldenmight overhaul Adachi’s Social Link to provide far more detail on his life, and eventually,Persona 5 Royalremakes could finally make characters who didn’t quite stick the landing such as Kaneshiro feel more compelling.
Atlus hasn’t confirmed any remake plans beyondPersona 3 Reloadyet, but it’s a logical move regardless.Personais built on nostalgia, constantly bringing back past characters and making spin-offs to extend the lifespan of beloved games. All video game remakes are similarly nostalgia-charged and inherently hope to capture the magic of past games in a modern style. Whether Atlus backtracks to remakethePersona 2duologyor moves forward toPersona 4, things are looking up for the nextPersonaremake. Not only will the franchise’s mechanics get brought up to date, but based on Strega’s facelift, key characters with untapped potential will finally get a chance to tell their full stories.
Persona 3 Portablereleases August 03, 2025 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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