Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Persona 3. Proceed at your own risk.Following the massive success ofPersona 5, Atlus has been giving the series the love it deserves with modern ports ofPersona 3 PortableandPersona 4 Golden, as well as the upcoming remakePersona 3 Reload. With the series becoming more accessible to new fans, many players might be experiencing the story ofPersona 3for the first time withPersona 3 Reload. As such, Atlus should consider taking a careful approach with how it handles the game’s ending in order to ensure the implications present in the original game are clear for new players.
Persona 3 Reloadis already set to deviate from theoriginalPersona 3with a new voice cast, improved social links, and modernized combat mechanics. With these tweaks coming to the game, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for some of the story beats to be altered to better convey the game’s ending in a more direct manner.Persona 3is one of the darkest games in the series, and it would be a disservice to new players if the game’s ending didn’t have the profound impact it should if left too ambiguous.
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As a game whose major themes center around the concept of life and death,Persona 3carries a somewhat heavy ending that sees the protagonist die after saving humanity fromPersona 3’s final boss Nyx, the embodiment of Death. This can come as somewhat of a shock for players experiencing the game for the first time as the reasoning for this ending is not explained in great detail by the game. While there are subtle hints and foreshadowing scattered throughout the game that might clue players in on what fate will ultimately befall the protagonist,Persona 3 Reloadhas the opportunity to make these details a bit clearer.
With the threat of Nyx bringing about the Fall of humanity, the protagonist utilizes the power of the Universe Arcana to become the Great Seal, an act that essentially sacrifices themself to seal away Nyx and prevent the end of the world. Despite seeming like Nyx has been defeated and the protagonist has survived, they start to become noticeably more weary in the days leading up to graduation from Gekkoukan High where they meet up with the rest ofPersona 3’s SEES caston the rooftop for a final farewell before falling asleep for the last time with their head in Aigis' lap.
This is a powerful, emotional ending, but it is left somewhat ambiguous as to why the protagonist dies and how they were actually able to defeat Nyx using Great Seal.Persona 3 FESprovides a better explanation for this ending with the addition of The Answer epilogue that details how the Great Seal is not meant to keep Nyx out of this world, but really intended to keep Erebus, the collective negative feelings of humanity, from reaching Nyx and initiating the Fall. The protagonist used Great Seal to sacrifice themself to create the barrier that would prevent this from happening, and their body can be seen being used as the Seal in The Answer.
Unfortunately,Persona 3 Reloadwill be missing contentfromPersona 3 FESandPersona 3 Portable, including The Answer. to more clearly portray the effects of the Great Seal and why the protagonist must sacrifice themselves to use it,Persona 3 Reloadcould include the scenes of their body as the Great Seal from The Answer in short dreams or premonitions to forewarn players of what’s to come without the context to completely spoil the ending. This approach would still keep the game’s ending somewhat of a twist while also allowing for an explanation as to what really happens to the protagonist.
Persona 3 Reloadreleases in 2024 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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