Summary
Persona 3 Reloadis one of the upcoming games in thePersonafranchise, arriving in February 2024.P3Ris something of a departure for the series.Personais no stranger to re-releases, but this is its first remake.P4 GoldenandP5 Royalare the definitive versions of their respective entries and are widely available on modern systems,butP3 Portablehas some big catches. This version of the game was made for the PSP. As a result, it adopts a visual novel format outside of combat alongside other compromises, meaning that the most readily available version of the game is a limited one.Persona 3 Reloadseeks to solve this by delivering a modern take on the game. Some of its biggest additions could also set the stage forPersona 6.
One of the big changesPersona 3’s remake is implementing to modernize its source material is its voice acting.Persona 3 Reloadwill feature a new voice cast, and reports have indicated that it will also contain more voice acting than other games in the series. Voice acting inPersonagames is something of an uphill battle. A leisurelyPersona 5 Royalplaythrough will take upwards of 150 hours.P5Rmay be the longest game in the series, but other entries still sit around the 100-hour mark. With the massive amount of dialogue in each game, fully voicing them would be extremely expensive and time-consuming.
Persona 3 Reloadwill have fully voiced social link rank-ups. This decision is a wise one.P3Rwon’t be fully voice-acted, but most of its significant events will be.Reloadis the perfect game to make this change.P5was massively popular and launched the once-niche franchise into the limelight. The team behind this new entry will have more resources available to them as a result, and voicing more of the game’s dialogue is an obvious way to add to the experience.Persona 3 Reloadis also a lower-stakes release thanPersona 6will be, so experimenting with changes now makes sense.
The voice cast forP3Ris stacked with some of the biggest names in anime and video game voice acting. Some fans will surely miss the original cast ofPersona 3, but it’s hard to deny the pedigree of those in the remake. As morevoice actors for social linkshave been announced, the roster only grows more impressive.
Could Persona 6 Be Fully Voice Acted?
Persona 3 Reloadshows that Atlus is serious about upping the presentation quality found in the franchise. Between a roster of well-respected voice actors and the decision to fully voice social links, it is primed to be the series' most immersive entry yet. These additions accompany other changes like fleshing out the activities available in theIwatodai Dormto give players more to do. It would make sense forPersona 6to follow suit in presenting a wide variety of content in the most engaging way it can. Not much has been said aboutP6, but the series has a long history of one-upping itself with every entry. This means that a fully-voicedPersona 6is well within the realm of possibility.
A Fully Voiced Persona 6 Could Create a Dilemma With Its Protagonist
IfPersona 6is fully voiced, Atlus may face struggles with its player character.Metaphor: ReFantaziowill have a voiced protagonist, and it’s possible that Atlus will choose to extend that decision toP6too. Previous main characters in the series have been somewhat undefined so that players can self-insert. Changing this could impact the variety of dialogue choices available and make it harder for players to step into their shoes and feel immersed. While a fully voice-actedPersonagame could require some trade-offs, Atlus’s penchant for one-upping past games with each new entry makes it seem like the next step afterPersona 3 Reload.
