Persona 3 FES

06 Nov 2008 at 10:50:17 by Spanner Spencer
Systems used to review this title: (PS2)

If there’s one area of entertainment that modern games can be accused of consistently failing to address, it’s the quality of the script writing. Not Java scripts or what have you – the story and dialogue. Despite millions of pounds being poured into each and every development, game studios generally feel that a few hundred quid spent on hiring a seasoned screenwriter (or even just an editor and qualified translator) is an extravagance their games do not need.

But Atlus can’t easily be accused of this systemic industry fault. Persona 3 – a natively Japanese game – has a powerful and expertly written storyline beating at its heart, and the richness of its gameplay has been celebrated accordingly. And regardless of the effort and success Persona 3 saw on the aging PlayStation 2 console last year, it’s still something of a surprise to see it return, triumphantly, to Sony’s maturing system.

Beginning with a few points of interest for the already salivating fan base, we’ll take a look at precisely how this return to the Shin Megami Tensei sequel justifies itself, which leads us directly to the most prominent question: Is this Persona 3 rebooted?

It is, yes. Persona 3 FES could reasonably be summarised as a director’s cut, or extended edition DVD (ROM). But this term generally carries with it negative, or at least profiteering, connotations. FES gives generously, however, even to those who’ve worn their thumbprints smooth battling the Shadows through more Dark Hours than they care to remember. So now we’ve done our best to whip the Persona stalwarts up into the prerequisite RPG frenzy, we’re free to introduce those few PlayStation 2 gamers out there who’ve not yet had the pleasure.

During the midnight hour (known in Persona 3 as the Dark Hour), a savage and terrifying race of monsters known as the Shadows prowl the night to feed on humans – who fall under an immobilising spell during this ominous interlude. All except a group of high school students who are not only immune to the affliction the rest of humanity suffers from, but are equipped with the power to summon manifestations of their psyches, known as Personas, to fight the Shadows. This provides the crux of the gameplay, but only the inciting incident of the game’s elaborate and wonderful story.We’re not going to delve into that any further, however, as spoiling even the smaller RPG plot point would do new gamers an injustice – suffice to say it’s a significant part of the game’s appeal, and most current gen console developers could learn a hell of a lot from the quality of its production.

Most immediately noticeable in this revamped edition is the separated gameplay options – The Journey and The Answer. This is a new addition to Persona 3, and will be of significant interest to those who’ve played before. The Journey is essentially what you saw in last year’s game, only with 12 months of refinement and growth to make its replay value substantially higher than most RPG’s original costs. The number of Personas is now topping 170 (previously there were around 150 mental creatures to call to your cause), and the wildly imaginative nature of their existence definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Any previous work crafting psychic warriors, fusing Personas, gathering items or boosting social interaction experience can be carried over into this re-launched version, which will be very good news for the experts. That said, it’s worth pointing out that Persona 3 FES is a standalone game – you don’t need last year’s version to play (something that not been made especially clear in the run up to the game’s launch). The majority of other tweaks made to the gameplay are seemingly minor, but quickly conspire to fill gaps in the previous game that you never realised were there.

The movement and actions of computer-controlled characters suddenly seems more real. Previously, the same characters appeared to hang around in the same places day and night, but FES grants each of them a pseudo-persistent existence. So looking to build relations with a specific NPC now means taking to the corridors of the school and the darkened streets for some genuine role playing exploration. There’s also a much wider range of equipment, weapons and clothing to enhance your character, and the added psychic creatures means that working on your Persona fusions (used to create friendly monsters with specific abilities) is a whole new experience.

The Answer stage of play is a coda to the original, if overhauled, game. Following the events that happen a short while after Persona 3 finishes, it provides an excellent conclusion for those hungry to know how the saga ends, but is so thumb-achingly difficult and hardcore that it’s not easy to wring much light entertainment from this particular RPG stone.

The social elements of The Journey are dropped in favour of expert levels of role playing dungeon crawling. The extremity of this difficult task makes The Answer something of a gift for the elite, though the rest of us will struggle to persevere through the continuous reloading after failed battles, the lack of victory-based ability points and the rather inexplicable removal of basic information. Presumably Atlus expects players to have reached a level of proficiency such that they no longer need advice on fusing Personas, but if such an aptitude exists, it’s likely to be better spent on another go through The Journey.

After wasting Personas by mistakenly fusing incompatible creatures together, or unwittingly sacrificing a completely unsuitable one in battle, the severity of The Answer’s level-grinding robs it of much of the original game’s charm. Oh there’ll be role players out there who revel in the intense challenges, and will most definitely be rewarded for their efforts, but this final gift from the Persona franchise doesn’t quite pan out as perhaps it was intended. Should we see Persona 3: “The Answer” FES one day, it’ll undoubtedly be fantastic.

But this is simply a rich, alcoholic cherry on top of the FES cake, and it’s hard to chastise the developer for including it when The Journey is reason enough to revisit the series alone. Considering the age of the PlayStation 2, there’s a strong temptation here to suggest Persona 3 FES is the finest and best-looking RPG Sony’s old console will ever see. And that’s exactly what we’ll say to sign off.

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