Persona 3

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Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3
Persona 3 US Cover
Developer(s)Atlus
Publisher(s)Atlus (Japan/Asia and North America)
Koei (Europe)
THQ (Germany)
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
ReleasePersona 3
Persona 3: FES
Genre(s)Role-playing game
Mode(s)Single player

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (ペルソナ3, Perusona 3) is the third video game in the Persona console RPG series. The game was developed and published by Atlus for the Sony PlayStation 2 console system. Persona 3 was released in Japan on July 13, 2006, was set to be released in North America on July 24, 2007, but was delayed to August 14, 2007 (due to a manufacturing error with the Persona 3 art book),[1] and was released in Europe and Australia on February 29, 2008. An add-on chapter and enhanced original game, entitled Persona 3: FES was released in Japan on April 19, 2007, and in North America on April 22, 2008.

The game has the player take the role of a male high-school student who joins up with other members of SEES—the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad—to attack Shadows and other beings that emerge during the "Dark Hour", a time period between each day which only few humans are aware of. The player uses weapons and magical abilities gained by the use of "Personas" to defeat foes in a turn-based combat system. An iconic feature of the game is the method by which the members of SEES release their Personas: by firing an Evoker, a gun-like object, at their head. In addition to typical RPG elements, the game includes elements of dating simulation games as the player character progresses day by day through a school year, making friends and relationships that improve the strength of his Personas in battle.

The game was well-received by critics and earned several gaming awards for 2007.

The North American version of Persona 3 contains the aforementioned art book, along with a soundtrack CD.[3]

Plot

Setting

In the main game, entitled "The Journey", the story takes place in a modern Japanese city, built and funded by the Kirijo Corporation. Due to events in the past, there is a "Dark Hour", a period of time that exists at midnight between one day and the next that only few people are aware of and remain conscious for; those that aren't appear as coffins, frozen. The Dark Hour bends reality; Gekkoukan High School, where most of the characters attend school during the day, becomes a huge labyrinthine tower called "Tartarus", and beasts called Shadows roam the area, preying on the minds of those still conscious during that time, leaving their victims in near catatonic states outside of the Dark Hour. To learn about these aspects, a group called the "Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad" (SEES) was created, its members both having awareness of the Dark Hour and possessing the ability to call forth a Persona to assist them in battling Shadows. In order to call their Persona, each member aims and fires a gun-like object called an "Evoker" at their head, which does no physical damage but causes significant emotional stress to bring forth their Persona.

In the director's cut version of Persona 3, entitled Persona 3 FES, there is an extra story called "The Answer", which takes place almost a month after the events of "The Journey". It takes place in the students' dorm building, and within an area called the Abyss of Time which has opened up beneath the dorm floor.

Characters

Main article: Characters of Persona 3

Persona 3 focuses around the day to day life of the Main Character. The player is given the opportunity to name the character; there is no default name. In the official manga release he is called Minato Arisato. He is a teenage boy, returning to the city he grew up in ten years after leaving it as an orphan, to finish out his schooling. He joins with the original members of SEES and fellow classmates: Yukari Takeba, a popular but inquisitive and cautious girl, Akihiko Sanada, a calm and collected boy that leads the school's boxing team, and Mitsuru Kirijo, daughter of the head of the Kirijo group who supports the group during their explorations. Along the way, SEES expands with new members, including Junpei Iori, the school's class clown and best friend of the Main Character, Fuuka Yamagishi, a shy girl that has gifted Persona abilities, Aigis, a female robot designed by the Kirijo group to fight Shadows, Ken Amada, an elementary schoolboy who shows promising Persona abilities, and Koromaru, a dog loyal to his long-dead master and who also is able to fight Shadows.

Story

Persona 3 - The Journey

Persona 3 begins with the Main Character returning to the city after ten years. He is quickly brought into SEES when his awareness of the Dark Hour is revealed and that he can summon multiple Personas into battle. With their help, SEES is able to explore Tartarus further and defeat Greater Shadows that appear every full moon, believing that by killing all twelve of them, they will be able to end the appearance of the Dark Hour. However, SEES learns they have been misled; by destroying the Greater Shadows, they have freed parts of a being called Nyx who will bring about the end of the world if it is fully restored. It is revealed that the Kirijo Corporation was attempting to do this ten years ago, but Nyx was released prematurely in a laboratory accident that also created the Dark Hour and Tartarus. Aigis, a robot designed to fight Nyx, battled the being but was unable to fully defeat it, instead dispersing parts of it into the Greater Shadows, and installing the last part into that of a young boy nearby, revealed to be the Main Character.

SEES encounters Ryoji, a teenage boy who tells him he is Death incarnate and that if they do not kill him by January 31, he unwilling will usher in Nyx and the end of the world. The player is given the option to kill Ryoji at this point; if taken, the game explains that members of SEES lose memories of the last year, and show them leading normal lives until inevitably the end of the world occurs. If Ryoji is spared, then the game continues, and on January 31, SEES climbs to the top of Tartarus to face Ryoji, now in his true form of the avatar of Nyx. Though they defeat it, the avatar is able to still call forth Nyx; the moon splits open revealing a strange device that begins to kill people across the Earth. The Main Character uses all of his Social Links gained from SEES and other friends to create a seal to lock Nyx away forever, though sacrificing himself to do so.

The world returns to normal, though the memories of the past year are lost to the SEES members. As they finish school, they come to realize that they each promised to gather on the school's roof should they make it to graduation day. There, they find the Main Character lying in Aigis' lap, smiling at the brief reunion with the other SEES members before he slips into a coma.

Persona 3: FES - The Answer

An additional chapter of the story is available through the game's expansion Persona 3: FES. The events in The Answer take place on March 31, shortly after the end of the original game; the Main Character has died in his coma, and with the end of school, the SEES dorm is to be closed down. However, they find that while midnight has past, the rest of the world still believes it to be March 31. Resigned to determine the reason later, the group departs to bed, but they are awakened when Metis appears in the dorm and attacks Aigis. Aigis fights back, her Persona becoming that of Orpheus, the Main Character's original Persona. Aigis is able to subdue Metis, and SEES learns that she is trying to end the time skip by killing all the SEES members save for Aigis, who she claims is her sister. Metis reveals that below the dorm is the Abyss of Time, at the bottom which exist doors that can lead to the past, present, or future. SEES work their way through the Abyss, reaching the doors, and though there is some internal strife as to which door to open, they ultimately select the past to learn why the Main Character fell into a coma and died.

They confront Metis on this, and she reveals that the seal created by the Main Character was not to seal Nyx from humanity, but to prevent humanity from calling out to Nyx. However, due to the buildup over humanity's history, the wishes of humans that want to end their life has manifested in the being Erebus, who has been able to break through the seal, thus causing the time skip. SEES is able to fight and defeat Erebus, and return to the doors at the bottom of the Abyss to return everything to normal. They learn that Metis is actually Aigis' desire to be human, and with the threat over, the two fuse together, rendering Aigis into a brief unconscious state as had occurred to the Main Character. However, she shortly recovers, and with the rest of SEES, leave the dorm one last time as they begin to go on with their normal lives.

Gameplay

An example of everyday activity in Persona 3 in which the player gains academic skills by studying.

Persona 3 combines elements of standard console role-playing games and dating sims. The game takes place over the course of a Japanese school year.[4] Each day goes by broken up into several periods such as "Morning", "Afternoon" and "Evening", with the Main Character going to school and then participating in selected activities during free time. The player may opt to use the free time activities to buy equipment and items at stores, talk to other non-playable characters, or spend the remainder of the free time either to build a Social Link or to improve the Main Character's attributes, such as by gaining courage by singing karaoke.[5] Thus, the player must manage which activities or Social Links to improve in order to build up the Main Character for the exploration of the Tartarus. Certain in-game events will occur on prescribed days; Major Shadows will appear on full moons, there will be midterm and final exams within school, and school holidays give the player more time to work on other activities.

At night, the player may opt to enter Tartarus, or otherwise allow the characters to rest and recover. Tartarus is 250-floor tower which the player must eventually climb by the end of the game. Tartarus is broken into several "blocks", and various blocks are inaccessible until the Major Shadows are defeated on each full moon, thus limiting the progress through the tower. Most floors of Tartarus are randomly generated in a roguelike manner, with a random distribution of treasure and wandering Shadows, but each includes a stairway to the next floor and many also include a one-way only teleport point that allows them to escape to the first floor. Other levels contain mini-bosses that must be defeated in order to progress; these levels also feature a fixed teleport point that allows the player to travel to any other similar teleport point that has been previously accessed, thus allowing the player to skip blocks when returning to Tartarus. The player may opt to keep the party together or have each member explore the level, recovering any treasure found and fighting monsters individually. As the party explores, their health will worsen, and a member that ends up "tired" or "sick" will perform poorly in battle and may drop out before battle is complete; the only way to recover from these states is spend one or more nights without exploring Tartarus.

File:Persona3 battlescreen.jpg
A typical battle in Persona 3 wherein only the Main Character can be controlled directly.

Combat is a turn-based affair. Each character can person a standard melee attack with their weapon, summon their Persona to unleash an attack or spell, or use recovery and battle items. The player only directly controls the actions of the Main Character.[6] The other members of the party can be guided through specific tactics assigned to each of them, such as maintaining the health of the party, or going all out with Persona attacks. Each foe has strengths and weaknesses; by striking a foe with an attack it is weak against, it will cause the foe to be knocked down, and the attacker will gain one more immediate attack; this can lead to a chain of attacks against each foe if the attacks are selected appropriately.[5] If all remaining foes are knocked down, the player can opt for an "All Out" attack, with the remaining members entering a cartoon-like fight cloud, inflicting higher damage on each foe.[5]

Social Links

Social Links represent various friendships that the Main Character has with fellow SEES members, classmates, and other persons around the city. Each Social Link in the game represents one of the Arcanas for Personas, and building these Links are necessary to obtaining more powerful Personas from that Arcana.[5] Social Links can grow by having the Main Character spend a period of time with the appropriate person. This action does not always guarantee an increase in the Link. In some cases, it is necessary to spend two or more periods before the Link can be raised. At other times, the player may be asked to respond to a question from the friend; an improper response may cause the Link to stay stagnant, or even to drop a level. Several of the Links are with fellow teenage girls that can lead to romantic interests; these Links can be improved by giving the girl a gift as well, but can also drop if the Main Character spends too much time with another girl.

Personas

Each member of SEES has a Persona that they can summon with their Evoker which can perform special attacks and offensive and healing spells. Each Persona belongs to a specific Arcana and has set strengths and weaknesses against certain types of attacks. Personas level up with the characters as the result of successful battles, gaining new spells and abilities. The Personas of the characters (excluding the Main Character) can also change to a new, more powerful Persona after certain key events regarding that character in the game. The Main Character is unique in that he is able to summon multiple Personas, even changing these during battle. The player can select up to a maximum of twelve Personas to use within battle.

Within the Velvet Room, the player is able store Personas, including their current experience and skills, and later recall them for a price. The player can also fuse from two to six Personas into a more powerful one. The result of a fuse will include selected abilities of all Personas used and will gain an experience bonus equivalent to the strength of the Social Link the Main Character has with the new Persona's Arcana. Fusing is limited by the strength of the Main Character and his Social Links; the most advanced fusing of four to six Personas can only occur once the player has maximized the Main Character's Social Link in that Arcana.

Persona 3: FES

The expansion to the game, in addition to adding a great deal of content (both game play and storyline-related) to the main game, includes a continuation of the story entitled The Answer, totaling for an extra thirty hours of game time.[4] When starting a new game, the player is prompted to select The Journey (known as "Episode Yourself" in the Japanese version) or the aforementioned The Answer ("Episode Aegis" in the Japanese version). The Journey is the original game with added quests and events, whereas The Answer can be considered a sequel, featuring Aigis as the main character, and the complete ending. The core gameplay in the extra content is similar to the base Persona 3 game, though days do not pass normally, and the characters explore the Abyss of Time rather than Tartarus. FES also contains extra costumes and a new weapon synthesis system, twenty-three more Persona, and a "hard" difficulty setting (the original Persona 3 came available with only Easy and Normal modes).

Development

Hints of a new Persona game were given at an event meant to hype up the release of Devil Summoner in March 2006.[7] A few days later in an issue of Famitsu details of Persona 3 were presented in a short three page article containing basic character and battle information. In the article, it was also mentioned that Shigenori Soejima would be in charge of character design and art direction rather than the series' usual artist and director, Kazuma Kaneko. The article also included the game's slogan: tempus neminem manet, or "Time does not wait."[8]

The North American release of the game was originally scheduled for July 24, 2007, however, Atlus claimed that they had problems with the publication of the art book,[9] opting to delay the release until August 14, 2007 in order to provide the corrected art book to fans of the game's series.[10] In bringing the game to English-speaking countries, some of the original humor in Japanese was replaced with similar jokes in English, according to Project Leda Yu Namba.[11]

Persona 3 FES

File:BOX.png
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES North American box art

On April 19, 2007, Atlus Japan released an add-on disk for Persona 3 called Persona 3 FES (ペルソナ3フェス, Perusona 3 Fesu). A "director's cut" version, which included both Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES, was released on the same date. According to the game's director, Katsura Hashino, the subtitle of "FES" is said to come from the word "festival".[12]

On October 19, 2007, a reference to a "Persona 3 Expansion Pack" was posted on the website of professional voice actor Derek Stephen Prince (who voiced Takaya in the NA version of Persona 3) under the heading "GAMES TO WATCH OUT FOR", suggesting that English localization of Persona 3 FES was indeed underway with Prince revealing the name of his role in the game: "Takeharu, Vice Police Detective." Shortly after the "leak" was publicized on online gaming forum NeoGAF, the reference was removed. In addition, the website of voice actor Liam O’Brien (who voiced Akihiko in the English localization of Persona 3) was updated to include Persona 3: FES -- and similar to Steve Prince's resume, this was removed shortly after the story broke. However, in the February 2008 issue of EGM, it was mentioned that the add-on Persona 3 FES was coming to North America.[13]

On February 18, 2008, Atlus placed a countdown timer on their official site that held an extremely similar resemblance to the one in the opening of Persona 3. Ads also surfaced which displayed the same countdown as seen on the Atlus official site with the Atlus logo as well as an image of an arm holding an evoker. This was speculated to be a countdown to an official FES announcement.[14]

On February 25, 2008, Atlus officially announced that Persona 3: FES would be released in North America on April 22, 2008.[15]

On July 23, 2008, Koei officially announced that Persona 3: FES would be released in Europe on October 17, 2008.[16]

Media releases

Persona 3 has had a wide range of related media released.

Audio CD

  • Persona 3 Original Soundtrack (SVWC-7380~81) (July 19, 2006)
  • Persona 3 Drama CD Vol. 1 - Daylight (FCCT-0050) (March 21, 2007)
  • Burn My Dread - Reincarnation: Persona 3 (SVWC-7460) (April 18, 2007)
  • Persona 3 Drama CD: A Certain Day of Summer (LACA-5635) (April 25, 2007)
  • Persona 3 Fes Original Soundtrack (SVWC-7464) (May 2, 2007)
  • Persona 3 Drama CD Vol. 2 - Moonlight (FCCT-51) (May 25, 2007)
  • Persona 3 Characters Drama CD Vol.1 - Main Character and Ryoji Mochizuki (February 28, 2008)
  • Persona 3 Characters Drama CD Vol.2 - Junpei Iori and Chidori (March 27, 2008)
  • Persona 3 Characters Drama CD Vol.3 - Aigis, Ken Amada, and Fuuka Yamagishi (April 23, 2008)
  • Persona 3 Characters Drama CD Vol.4 - Yukari Takeba and Mitsuru Kirijo (May 21, 2008)
  • Persona 3 Characters Drama CD Vol.5 - Akihiko Sanada and Shinjiro Aragaki (June 25, 2008)

All music was composed by Shoji Meguro. The Persona 3 Original Soundtrack CD does not contain three unused tracks in the game, which are Burn My Dread (Karaoke Version), Unused Fanfare, and the town version of Memories of School.

Novels

  • Persona 3 Owari no Kakera
  • Persona 3 Shadow Cry
  • P3 PERSONA3 Novel Anthology (June 25, 2007)

Manga

A manga adaptation of Persona 3 by Shūji Sogabe has been published monthly in Dengeki Maoh since April 4 2007.

Figurines

Several figurines of the characters have been produced by Kotobukiya, a Japanese company that produces toy collectibles. These include:

  • The Main Character (Evoker and tarot cards) (released in December 2007)[17]
  • Aegis (Multiple weapon parts) (released in August 2007)[18]
  • Mitsuru (Evoker and sword) (released in July 2007)[19]
  • Akihiko (Evoker and gloves) (released in January 2008)[20]

Mitsuru and Aigis are 1:7 scale, and the Main Character and Akihiko are 1:10 scale. The male characters will also come with a bonus mini CD containing a drama series. These CDs are unique to the figurine collections. The figurines have bases on which they stand in the form of a circle with the school's crest for Aigis and Mitsuru and a mirror for the Main Character and Akihiko. The figurines have interchangeable parts, which can be stored in the base.

Alter, another Japanese company that specializes in collectibles, has also come out with an Aigis figurine showing her mid-action.[21] This figurine is 1:8 scale and is more detailed than the one put out by Kotobukiya. Alter also plans to release a 1:8 figurine of Mitsuru in June 2008.[22]

Headphones

The headphones the protagonist wears throughout the game, available in a special edition release of Persona 3 FES in Japan, are the Aluminum Ear-Fit Headphones ATH-EM700 SV (Silver edition) by Audio-Technica. The headphones included in the Konamistyle Limited Edition, which shipped with Persona 3 FES, a strap, and a poster, had "P3" placed directly onto the headphones. Also included is a protective pouch that has the protagonist's school emblem on it.

The ATH-EM700 SV headphones are still available for purchase, and are physically identical, however they don't include the logo or pouch.

Anime

An anime sequel to Persona 3 which takes place 10 years after the events of the game, entitled Persona -trinity soul-, has been airing in Japan since January 2008.[23]

Reception

Persona 3 has garnered generally positive reviews since its release in North America. In particular, it received praise for combining common RPG elements such as leveling up and dungeon exploration with social links,[29] and for its occult-themed storyline.[6]

The game has also accrued a small amount of controversy,[30] because characters in the game summon their "Persona" by shooting themselves in the head with a device called an "Evoker," which looks similar to a handgun. Evokers, however, do not replace guns in the world of Persona 3, as real firearms are wielded by several characters in-game.

GameSpot named Persona 3 the best RPG of 2007.[31] Gamespy named it the 2007 PS2 RPG Game of the Year[32] and placed it second in the 2007 PS2 Top 10 Games of the Year.[33] RPGFan gave Persona 3 the RPGFan's Best RPG of 2007 Award.[34]

Both Persona 3 and Persona 3 FES have sold well in North America. As of July 2008, Persona 3 has sold over 210,000 copies[35] and Persona 3 FES has sold over 130,000 copies.[36]

References

  1. ^ a b "Persona 3 - Slight Shipping Delay". Atlus. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
  2. ^ http://www.koei.com/community/index.php?PHPSESSID=822gr7u1t62i24m174rp52at75&topic=8930.0
  3. ^ "Atlus Confirms NA Ship Date And Contents". Retrieved 2007-08-15.
  4. ^ a b Ray Barnholt (2007-05-08). "Previews: Persona 3". 1UP.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e Jeff Haynes (2007-07-24). "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Review". IGN. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b c Kevin VanOrd (2007-07-24). "Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Review". GameSpot. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ IGN Staff (2006-03-06). "Persona 3 Set for PS2". IGN. Retrieved 2008-06-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Persona 3 Overview". Digital Devil Database. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  9. ^ Haynes, Jeff (2007-07-23). "Persona 3 Delayed". IGN. Retrieved 2008-06-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Haynes, Jeff (2007-07-24). "Persona 3 Gets New Shipping Date". Retrieved 2008-06-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Tidwell, Mike (2007-06-03). "Run to the Sun - Atlus Interview". RPG Gamer. Retrieved 2008-06-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Chris Winkler (2006-12-07). "Atlus Announces Persona 3 Director's Cut". RPGFan. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  13. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine (Feb 2008 issue} page 34
  14. ^ Dobson, Jason (2008-02-19). "Atlus countdown raises hopes for Persona FES". Joystiq. Retrieved 2008-02-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Atlus announces Persona 3 FES for PS2". Atlus. 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2008-02-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Persona 3 FES (PS2) confirmed for PAL regions". Gameplanet. 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Hero - Kotobukiya" (in Japanese). Kotobukiya. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  18. ^ "Aigis - Kotobukiya" (in Japanese). Kotobukiya. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  19. ^ "Mitsuru - Kotobukiya" (in Japanese). Kotobukiya. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  20. ^ "Akihiko - Kotobukiya" (in Japanese). Kotobukiya. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  21. ^ "Aigis - ALTER" (in Japanese). ALTER. Retrieved 2007-11-30.
  22. ^ "Mitsuru - ALTER" (in Japanese). ALTER. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  23. ^ "Persona 3 Game Adapted as Television Anime for January". Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  24. ^ "persona 3 - Famitsu Score Archive". Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  25. ^ "GameSpy: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Review". GameSpy. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  26. ^ "Gametrailers.com - Persona 3 - Review". GameTrailers. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  27. ^ "play online - PS2 : Persona 3". Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  28. ^ "Metacritic: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  29. ^ "Persona 3 Review". The Next Level. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  30. ^ "Persona 3 Atlus Interview". Digital Devil Database. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  31. ^ "GameSpot's Best of 2007: Best Role-Playing Game Genre Awards". Gamespot. Retrieved 2007-10-27.
  32. ^ "GameSpy's Game of the Year 2007: PS2 Winners Recap". Gamespy. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  33. ^ "GameSpy's Game of the Year 2007: PS2 Top 5". Gamespy. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  34. ^ "RPGFan Feature - Games of 2007". RPGFan. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  35. ^ "Persona 3 (PS2)". VG Chartz. Retrieved 2008-07-20.
  36. ^ "Persona 3 FES (PS2)". VG Chartz. Retrieved 2008-07-20.

External links

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