Given the series' 20th anniversary this year, the popularity ofPersonais at an all time high. Many in the west spent last year playing their first entry in the franchise withPersona 5 Royaland/orPersona 4 Golden, experiencing the definitive version of both of those games. ThePersonaseries definitely wasn’t a cult-hit before 2020, but it certainly wasn’t as mainstream as it has become this year, breakingPersonaseries sales records and seeing more widespread appreciation from mainstream JRPG fans. However, after the reinvigoration of the Phantom Thieves' and Investigation Team’s adventures, the S.E.E.S. team fromPersona 3deserves the same treatment.
That could come true in time, as the same source that leaked thePersona 4 Arena Ultimaxannouncement from the Game Awards also made a surprise reveal as well. On their blog, leaker Zippo stated that “Persona 3 Portableis getting a remaster. Multiplatform,” but that may not be entirely true. Based on a more recent rumor fromPersonadataminer “RegularPanties,” rather than remastering one version over the other, they stated that the rumoredPersona 3remaster would be a combination ofPersona 3 FESandPersona 3 Portable’s content into one release.Persona 3’s release history is complex, but if this rumors is true, fans may get the best of both worlds next year.
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The Problem with a Persona 3 Remaster
Ever since the idea was floated around ofa possiblePersona 3remake or remaster, fans have always argued over an enduring problem for the third entry:Persona 3 FES, orPersona 3 Portable? Frankly players can’t go wrong playing either version of the game, but there are some pretty distinct differences in design between both that make aPersona 3"remaster" not as straightforward as it seems.
Persona 3 FESis essentially the definitive PS2/3D version of the game, expanding the original game with new content in The Journey (base game), along with an additional epilogue chapter titled “The Answer.“Persona 3 Portablewas the PSP-exclusive version of the title, which came with new content such as the female protagonist journey and a non-AI controllable party, but also made significant changes to fit the specifications of the original PSP. Many of the 3D environments were replaced with 2D pre-rendered backgrounds, along with an entire scenario redesign that adapted the originalPersona 3story into a visual novel-style presentation.
This, in turn, isthe reason why aPersona 3"remaster” ends up being so nebulouson its own. It poses the question of which version of the third entry truly is the definitive version of the game, as well as leaving fans wondering if they missed anything by playing one version over the other. Fans have likely advocated for aPersona 3remake for this exact reason; that way there’s a definitive version ofPersona 3that fans can, ideally, universally recommend. Obviously that kind of project would require way more resources than a remaster, but the distinct differences in design between both versions is what led meany to believe aPersona 3remaster would be one version or the other.
A Hybrid Remaster of P3 FES/P3P Is The Best of Both Worlds
However, if Atlus has determined a method to merge both versions intoa cohesive version ofPersona 3, that’d easily be the best of both worlds for fans. Combining the content ofPersona 3 FESandPersona 3 Portablewould theoretically solve the problem facing a remaster of the third game, but it’s hard to envision how that would work. Theoretically that would require an overhaul ofPersona 3 FESwith all of the new content based onPersona 3 Portable. That means all of the new dialogue, new social links, new scenes, and other additional content would need to be adapted intoPersona 3proper, which is a problem forPersona 3 Portable.
Given that a majority ofPersona 3 Portablewas converted into a 2D framework to account for the limited power of the PSP, reverse-adapting that content back into the originalPersona 3gameplay design seems like a significant amount of work. Conversely, overhaulingPersona 3 FESto allow for additional content is similarly a significant amount of work as well.Making a unifiedPersona 3experience is a tough ask, but assuming Atlus is willing to make that investment, that could be exactly what fans want. Outside of a total remake, assuming content fromPersona 3Portableisn’t missing, this rumoredPersona 3remake would be the definitive version.
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A Definitive Version of Persona 3
At the end of the day, this is all based on the assumption thatthese leaks and rumors of aPersona 3remake are true. Atlus could simply remaster one version ofPersona 3and leave it at that, which would be disappointing for existingPersona 3fans, but it would at least provide a modern re-release for new fans to play. However, one port of over the other (regardless of which version ofPersona 3is remastered) would inevitably disappoint fans of thePersona 3version that’s left behind.Persona 3 FESoffers a content-filled version of the classic game, with all of its quirks and poorly aged mechanics, whereasPersona 3 Portablemodernizes the gameplay with some downsides.
A hybrid remaster would be ideal because there areaspects ofPersona 3that haven’t aged well. SincePersona 3 Portableadded some gameplay modernizations that improved the experience, bringing those improvements toPersona 3proper would improve the gameplay immensely. Things like controllable party members, skill cards, adjusted fusion spell changes, new personas, and more additional content would improve thePersona 3experience.Persona 3could definitely use some degree of modernization, but if a hybrid remaster ofPersona 3 FESandPersona 3 Portablecan accomplish that instead of a remake, fans could be in for a treat next year.
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