Persona 3 Portable Reviews
Persona 3 Portable remains the definitive version of Persona 3, albeit a relic of Persona's past. Compared to the star quality of the entire Persona 5 series, I can see a world where a newer Persona player may be confused about the lack of animated cutscenes, a battle system that is focused around solely controlling the main character by default, a point-and-click-esque navigation system outside of dungeon-crawling, and a forgiving-but-still-simple Social Link system. I can also see a world where veterans may be expecting a remaster that incorporates the media from Persona 3 into the skeleton of Persona 3 Portable, breathing new life and character into a classic RPG. Looking past these quibbles, Persona 3 Portable remains a stellar JRPG, and it looks, sounds, and plays better than I remembered.
While Persona 3 Portable’s monotonous slog through Tartarus might not have aged all that well, its narrative, characters, and soundtrack most certainly have. It’s great to finally experience the roots of the Persona franchise and the birth of the Social Link on Xbox.
It was 2006's game of the year for a reason, and though this version is still missing something, it's great to have such an essential game made easily available again.
Don't just be dazzled by the golden shine of the best game in the PSP game library: our only advice is to play Persona 3 Portable before Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal, which are both superior to it by several spans. Only by doing so you can appreciate, despite some limitations too derived from the portable nature of the original output, the writing, the characters, the combat system, the longevity, the soundtrack. All these merits would come out in any case, of course, but the overflowing quality of the two subsequent titles, brought to Switch in more inviting formats for the new generations, could partially obscure what is good in this third episode, a real watershed for the franchise and the founding basis of all the Persona who will come.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Persona 3 Portable is a must-play for ALL RPG fans, and with its inclusion on Xbox Game Pass, a MUST try for all gamers.
Persona 3 Portable was a gem when it came to the PlayStation Portable nearly thirteen years ago, but it was very much meant for the hardware of its time.
Persona 3 Portable creates a compelling story and interweaves global danger with the importance of building up friendships around you. Portable brings with it some good enhancements even if it's not the 'perfect' way to play it. The Tartarus mega-dungeon however wears out its welcome quickly as you tediously climb.
Persona 3 Portable has survived well and is still as enjoyable as it has always been. Of course, Atlus could have used the chance to animate some extra cutscenes for this port, but the lack thereof doesn't take away from the overall game. For anyone new to Persona, this is a must, and for anyone wanting to relive this infamous title, welcome back!
I wouldn't be lying if I called the PC version of Persona 3 Portable "an upscaled version of the original game". But that doesn't change the fact that Persona 3 Portable is a great game and I would blindly recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
A blast from the past, Persona 3 Portable returns to the scene after thirteen years. With a few outdated quirks directly imported from the PSP rerelease, it's still a very fun game, although it might not be up to the standards of players that had Persona 5 Royal as their first foray into the series.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It packs a healthy amount of content into its lengthy runtime, and if the combination of school life sim and dungeon crawler strikes you, there's little reason not to dive right in. It's worth considering that P3P does feel a fair bit darker in tone and theme, complete with characters needing to shoot themselves in the head to summon their personas. For those who first played the game on PSP or Vita, the visuals and performance have received a noticeable boost over the original version, in addition to now being able to quick save your progress at any time. The update doesn't reinvent the wheel, but added quality of life features definitely make this the ideal way to play Persona 3 Portable.
It might sound like I'm being negative about Persona 3, but I'm not. It's a lot of fun, and it has a lot of interesting strengths. It has the misfortune of being the first game in a franchise where the sequels improved on a ton of features and were released before it on the PC. If you've never played it, it's well worth a shot. It's still a great game, but it has aged more than its sequels. Despite that, it still does some things superbly well. The addition of an entire second playable story path and a bunch of new social links also makes it a worthwhile experience for those who played the original release but not the portable version.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable is the third version of the popular title, originally released for PSP in 2009. It is now available on modern platforms as well, breaking away from the PSP's "bonds", but how well does it adapt to the current conditions? Christos Hadjisavvas... pulls the trigger and explores the re-release.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Persona 3 Portable offers a dark yet engaging story you’ll get lost in for many hours. It has a great cast of characters and is backed by an amazing set of music tracks. I would have loved if the game did manage to include some of the additional content that was found within the FES release of the game and traversing through some of the Tartarus sections does become repetitive, which is a shame because it’s the primary section of hand’s on gameplay the game offers. But those things aside, you’re still in for a very fun and rewarding experience that offers a lot of player choice. It’s great to see Persona 3 getting some love again, and hopefully it’s just the start of things to come again celebrating the Persona series from ATLUS.
This is a pair of incredibly beloved classic games available on modern consoles and PC, and available for *FREE* with Xbox Game Pass. While the graphics may show their age, the stories themselves are timeless and hold up right alongside the best modern-day video game narratives. They have moved from a relatively unknown franchise for me, to one of my fondest recent games. I have been completely swept away by the stories and captivated by the characters and gameplay and will be finishing Persona 4 Golden and moving on to finally play Persona 5 Royal after that.
Persona 3 Portable is a game that, on one hand, has themes that haven’t aged well. On the other, it makes for a compelling adventure that still holds up well today. The combat feels repetitive and sometimes it feels like you’re on an endless loop with the floors, but a core Persona experience stil manages to shine through
Many years after its original release, Persona 3 Portable is still a respectable JRPG, fully capable of immersing the player in its long, deliciously dark and thought-provoking plot. Not even its repetitive character or the omission of the improvements brought by Persona 3 FES are enough to dim the brilliance of this game that finds a home on the Switch as welcoming and natural as the PSP once was. Freed from exclusivity, it's time to discover or revisit one of Atlus' most important classics, and with its flexibility, Nintendo's console is the most appropriate way to do so. Recommended.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
A deep JRPG that marked the beginning of what today is one of the greatest role-playing sagas of today. Transparent, sicnero, imperfect and with an overwhelming psychedelic realism that touches you in the depths of the heart at the time. A work that is able to penetrate the mind of virtually anyone and feel reflected.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Persona 3 Portable presents a look into how the foundation was set for what would become one of the most influential JRPG’s of the last few years.
Although the repetitive and simplistic dungeon crawler level design and plot development left a little to be desired in terms of the potential of its concepts, Persona 3 was revolutionary for its series and remains especially interesting in atmosphere and in narrative concepts. Despite considerable visual limitations, Persona 3 Portable is the best version of the game, due to gameplay and quality of life improvements, as well as new content in the female route. The title is a must for Persona fans and, with some caveats, it is also recommended for anyone who is generally looking for a JRPG with social simulation and dark themes.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review