The Digital Foundry tech review.
And are the graphics an evolution beyond other recent Atlus efforts?
Series S looks similar but renders at just 1080p, again without obvious AA.
All three consoles target and hit a full 60fps in typical play.
The UI elements in other areas of the game are up to the same high standard.
The battle menus mix 2D seamlessly with 3D elements, with some fluid animation work.
All the various interstitial screens, cutaways, and dialogue scenes all exhibit the same high-calibre UI work.
Persona 3 Reload has some of the most inventive and confident UI work I’ve seen in video games.
Reload backs up its UI design with some very compelling animation in its 3D content as well.
The battle sequences in particular often look stunning, with great-looking attacks and special abilities.
Character models are another high point.
That means the updated character portraits blend seamlessly with the 3D art, always matching the onscreen models.
Another strong point - and a highly unexpected one - is the game’s use of ray-traced reflections.
Finally, the game’s cutscenes are worth discussion too.
They lend the game a certain characteristic Persona flair, although these do tend to be slower-paced sequences.
Unlike prior Atlus games though, these do appear to be pre-rendered and display at a fixed 30fps.
So that’s what works - so what doesn’t?
The game’s environmental lighting is probably its biggest flaw.
That said, some environments do look better than others.
Persona 3 Reload might be able to enjoy a similar graphical uplift with some extra effort.
The other key issue is that the environments tend to be quite plain, lacking geometric detail.
There are some other occasional issues that players might come across too.
As an actual remake, I think Persona 3 Reload is a very accomplished effort.
The dialogue is partially rewritten too, most notably with characters now addressing each other by their last names.
Combat enjoys the biggest changes.
The fatigue system is also gone, which I think detracted somewhat from the original game.
But for players who like this style of game already, Persona 3 Reload has a lot to offer.
There’s a lot to love here for sure.
