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Monday 14 January, 2008
GAMEPLAY
The story just keeps getting juicier as I further delve into the world of Persona 3. The protagonist and all his friends that use personas have just been informed that regardless of the shadows they've defeated, the world will soon end. Yikes! They can either fight Nexus, the ultimate shadow of Death, or they can have their memories erased. This news of hopelessness affected the game, and I wasn't able to take my party to Tartarus for the following week - everyone was too depressed.
I was a bit frustrated that I had no control over not being able to level up my characters in Tartarus, but the terrible realization also saddened me. I've grown attached to this game and I would hate to see it end with the world dying. I have decided that when the choice comes, my character will not have his memory erased, but continue to battle the shadows!
That is one of the most enjoyable features about this game - the dual nature of its gameplay. Either mindlessly level up your party(which is therapeutic and an awesome sleep aide), strengthen social links outside of Tartarus, or sit back and watch the elaborate story unfold. I'm stoked to see how my character will save the world - i'm just sure he will.
DESIGN
The random shadow battles is one of the greatest elements of Persona 3's fighting design. It is a classic turn-based RPG where you can use items and assign your party members certain tactics. You also have the option of using a melee attack and hitting the shadow with whatever weapon you choose or find. However, the innovation of personas as key "weapons" creates a multi-faceted fight. Each persona has strengths, weaknesses, and different elemental attacks that change with levelling up. For example, one persona may have strong fire skills, while another is more lightning-based. By having a choice of which persona to use, you can choose the one best fit for the shadow you're fighting. But first, you must discover the shadow's weakness.
Once you find the shadow's weakness, however, fights get boring and repetitive if a floor in Tartarus has a lot of the same shadow on it, which happens frequently. Since you know its weakness, the challenge is gone and that's when it becomes mindless work. Still, the pros outweigh the cons - not to mention the personas have very pretty attacks.
After you defeat a shadow, the reward structure is also unique and, in a way, its own mini game. After a battle, you are given five cards at random that either have a new persona, extra experience points, health points, money, or new weapons on them. The cards flip over and then shuffle very quickly, so you have to keep a close eye on a card if you specifically want it. Little quirks like this add to the freshness of a game's design by keeping it random. It adds replay value.
The tone of the Persona world is unusual and dark. Its macabre themes make it great to play late at night and adds a gothic appeal. However, its darkness is offset by the light-hearted day work of hanging out with friends and paying attention in class at Gekkoukan High. Such contrasts are refreshing because it keeps the game safe from falling into monotony. It also keeps you as the player safe from boredom. Way to go, Atlus!
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