Atlus has released a new trailer for Persona 3 Reload that focuses on the role that the villainous Strega faction plays in the story, along with some of the side activities in the game. This Persona 3 remake is becoming one of the JRPG developer’s most anticipated titles, with Atlus providing plenty of information about the game since its reveal earlier in 2023. The game is a complete ground-up remake of the PS2 original, with quality-of-life changes and additions that will make Persona 3 Reload more in line with Atlus’ modern output.
The story and presentation of the remake have also been overhauled, with plenty of in-game cutscenes reanimated to fit those seen in games like Persona 5 and its spin-offs. The main story remains the same, though with some additions from previous Persona 3 re-releases, like incorporating various social activities and events for its main party members. More elements of the story have been revealed by Atlus, specifically the villainous Strega faction.
The “Conflicting Fates” trailer for Persona 3 Reload opens with two members of Strega, Takaya Sakaki and Jin Shirato, discussing recent events happening in Tartarus. The viewer then hears Akihiko and Mitsuru informing the SEES members about Strega’s involvement in the Dark Hour, where the villainous cult is killing those unfortunate enough to end up in the strange phenomenon. These three Strega are also Persona users and are in direct opposition with SEES’ mission to stop the Dark Hour.
The trailer also goes over some out-of-context cutscenes involving Strega. Jin and Takaya are seen discussing the possibility of losing their abilities when the Dark Hour disappears, along with some glimpses of important scenes between Chidori Yashino and Junpei Iori that longtime fans of Persona 3 were able to recognize. Other fans noted that there were also some possibly some new scenes added to expand on Strega’s characters as well.
The trailer also focuses on some of the activities the player can do, such as playing the claw machines, cooking with Akihiko to make stacks of delicious pancakes, and dungeon crawling in Tartarus. This footage touches on the social link with Velvet Room attendant Elizabeth as well, showing off reanimated date events previously seen in Persona 3 FES and Portable. This includes Elizabeth doing things like dropping tons of yen into a fountain or running up a downward moving escalator, which showed the character’s whimsical side in the original. The end of the trailer has her playing the piano and singing “The Long Nose Song,” which some longtime fans will recognize from past entries.
With the upcoming release of Persona 3 Reload, fans can look forward to experiencing the enhanced narrative and updated animations, all while revisiting the intriguing world of Persona.
