Persona 3 Portable is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the PlayStation Portable. The game is an enhanced port of Persona 3 FES, released in 2007 for the PlayStation 2. The game was directed by Katsura Hashino and produced by Shinichi Suzuki.
Persona 3 Portable was released in Japan on November 1, 2009, and in North America on July 6, 2010. Upon its release, the game received generally favorable reviews from critics.
The game’s story
The game’s story revolves around the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, or SEES, a group of high-school students in Tokyo who possess Persona, are tasked with investigating the Dark Hour and pursuing the Shadows.
The Dark Hour
The Dark Hour is a mysterious period of time that exists between one day and the next, during which most people are asleep and only a handful are awake. However, during the Dark Hour monsters called Shadows appear, preying on the minds of humans. These creatures hunt people in groups called “Shadow Selves”. The game’s protagonist is a transfer student who has the power to “call forth” a Persona, an extra-dimensional being that helps him fight Shadow Selves. By becoming stronger and gaining new Personas, the protagonist learns more about his own darkness and the dangers lurking in the world around him.
The SEES
The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad, or SEES for short, is a special organisation established to investigate and combat Shadows. The twelve founding members were students of Gekkoukan High School’s Class 2-F, who were brainwashed by Kirijo into believing that they were “Orphaned” by the death of their parents in an accident at her family’s research facility many years before. When the members began to awaken from their hypnotic state, Kirijo formed SEES to prevent them from going insane and killing themselves like the other test subjects had.
Tartarus
The game’s story is based on the “Dark Hour”, a hidden time zone that exists between one day and the next, and follows a group of high school students who discover they are “Shadows”, physical manifestations of their psyche. They enroll in Gekkoukan High School to develop their Persona powers, explore the Dark Hour, and unravel the conspiracy surrounding Tartarus. The player takes the role of a male protagonist, named by default as Minato Arisato (雅人 天都, Arisato Minato), who transfers to Gekkoukan High after moving to Iwatodai with his uncle Igor. Experimental Soul Phones allow people across Japan to experience shared dreams via A.I.
The gameplay of Persona 3 is primarily based on CSS combats known as “Shadows”, in which players assume the role of characters known as “Shadow Operatives”. These characters have special abilities that allow them to enter Tartarus, a mystical tower containing Shadows. The game’s combat system revolves around locating and fighting Shadows by carefully pressing buttons on the game controller in time with an attack’s animation sequence. Each successful hit increases the characters’ chance to land subsequent hits, allowing for a potential combo attack.
Is persona 3 portable worth playing
Persona 3 Portable is a game for the Sony PSP. It was released in 2009 in Japan and 2010 in North America. The game is a port of Persona 3 FES, which was originally released on the PlayStation 2. The game is a role-playing game and features a turn-based combat system. The game also features a social simulation element, which allows the player to interact with the game’s characters.
Social Links
Social Links, also called Social Statistics, are a core gameplay element in the Persona series. They represent the protagonist’s relationships with other characters and directly impact the events of the game. Each game features a unique set of social links, and filling them is essential to unlocking the true ending.
Persona
The Persona series is a Spin-Off of the popular Shin Megami Tensei JRPG series, and as such features many similar gameplay elements. The game revolves around the “Persona”, beings that reflect aspects of a person’s personality. The player must use their Persona in combat against creatures known as “Shadows”.
In order to defeat Shadows, the player must first weaken them with an “All-Out Attack”, at which point they will be able to perform a “confidant link” – using the power of the Persona to create a bond with the enemy. Once this bond is strong enough, the player can then fully defeat the Shadow.
In addition to combat, the player must also manage various social aspects of their character’s life, such as academics, relationships and free-time activities. These social elements are represented by a number of meters which deplete as they are used – for instance, studying for exams will deplete the player’s “Academics” meter, while going on dates will deplete their “Free Time” meter.
Managing these different elements is key to success in the game, as each one provides different benefits. For instance, maintaining high grades will allow the player to access better equipment, while forming strong bonds with characters will provide access to powerful Personas.
Combat
In Persona 3, the player takes the role of a high school student who is given the responsibility of investigating the Dark Hour, a time period between one day and the next that few people are aware of. and stopping the spread of the enigmatic Shadows.
The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on-foot or by using various forms of transportation. While primarily a turn-based game, Persona 3 also incorporates elements normally found in an action RPG, such as real-time action through its touted “Shuffle Time” system; various locations in Tartarus are also explored in first-person view. Within Tartarus, battles take place in randomly generated mazes called “Floors”, with each floor representing a different day.</p><h2>The game’s reception </h2><p> Persona 3 Portable is a role-playing video game developed by Atlus for the PlayStation Portable. It is an enhanced port of Persona 3 FES, itself an enhanced version of Persona 3. The game was originally released in Japan in 2006, and was later released in North America and Europe in 2009. Persona 3 Portable received generally positive reviews from critics.
Critical reception
The game’s reception was highly positive. Persona 3 Portable was given high praise by multiple Japanese video game publications. Famitsu gave the game a score of 39 out of 40, while Dengeki PlayStation scored the game 97 out of 100. In addition, GameSpot awarded the game a score of 9.0 out of 10 and declared it “the best version of Persona 3 yet.” However, some Western publications were more critical of the game. Game Informer awarded it an 8.25 out of 10, with the reviewer praising the developers for “streamlining an already great RPG without dumbing it down or removing its heart.” However, he also criticised the cutscenes, noting that they are “excruciatingly long and often unskippable.”
Persona 3 Portable was a commercial success in Japan. Upon its release, it topped the sales charts for that week, selling 222,857 copies. In total, the game sold 773,258 copies in Japan by March 2010.
Commercial reception
Persona 3 Portable was commercially successful, selling 220,964 copies in Japan by December 2010. In North America, the game sold 49,000 copies within two weeks of its release.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the gameplay of Persona 3 Portable is more enjoyable than the original Persona 3. The changes to the combat system make grinding less of a chore, and the addition of the Female Protagonist makes socialising more interesting. The game still suffers from some of the same issues as its predecessor, namely, that the dungeon crawling can get repetitive, but overall, it is a more polished and enjoyable experience.</p>