Atlus has crafted some of the most interesting JRPGs in the industry. They are beloved by many, but have never truly broken into the mainstream outside of heavy-hitters likePersona 4 and 5. Most of their peak era lies within the PlayStation 2 and the handheld Nintendo DS era, where other games, like Kingdom Hearts 2 and JRPG ports like Chrono Trigger, overshadowed these hidden gems.
For that reason, an almost cult following of fans has petitioned Atlus to bring some of these compelling experiences into modern consoles, and even fix some of the glaring issues that have gatekept these games from the public.
Say what you will about Redux, but it brought an excellent and underappreciated game to a ton of players. Strange Journey is arguably one of the best stories that has been told in the Shin Megami Tensei series, and it’s not even a mainline title.
Redux added a ton of quality of life features to the game, like free healing in the main hub, difficulty settings, and improved UI elements, but even all of that won’t take away players’ sour taste when encountering Alex.
If Persona 3 Reload is an excellent example of a remake that stays true to the original, then Portable is the best way tochange it up. The game gets a ton of flak for removing the 3D environment in exchange for a visual novel-like storytelling, but it’s still that good thanks to its characters and story.
P3P is still a great way to experience the Persona 3 story, and if you’re not looking to spend hundreds of hours and want to get the story hand-fed to you, this is a great way to dust off your PSP.
8Soul Hackers
The Persona Kids Learned Hacking Skills
Before remasters and remakes were popularized in the gaming industry, Atlus began porting a ton of their old and beloved titles to consoles that were popular during the time. Soul Hackers is not necessarily a remake or remaster, but all of the new content that was added to the Nintendo 3DS version constitutes it as such.
The original writers came back to write some of the new content in the game, and the newest Atlus all-star, Masayuki Doi, designed some of the new demons and characters. This port is especially important as the game never received a proper English release until the 3DS
Quality of life is one of the best things that a remaster can add to a game. Etrian Odyssey is agrindy gamewhere you’ll spend countless hours stuck in a dungeon, not because of its difficulty, but rather because your cartography skills are not up to snuff.
While not much has changed from the original, outside of being able to use the Nintendo DS touch screen, the remaster improves on textures and battle speed, making your journey far more palatable.
Even though Persona 3 Reload added The Answer as part of their DLC Expansion Pass, the epilogue was already included in the FES version of the game. For the longest time, before Reload was released, FES was the definitive way to play Persona 3. The game included a ton of bonus content that was not in the original release.
Not only was this one of the best ways to enjoy the story, but you are now able to take the best boy, Koromaru, out on walks, and that alone takes this experience to another level.
Although it is marketed as a remaster, Raidou offers so much more than that. The game includes a ton of extras not found in the original game. From the much-needed quality-of-life improvements to major changes in the plot that will keep you on your toes, especially if you fondly remember the original, this version of Raidou is the one to play if you want to get acquainted with the Devil Summoner.
The changes are not a bad thing at all, either, as the new plot lines fix some of the holes and inconsistencies that the original had, while staying on the true path that fans of the series know and love.
Persona 4 has received numerous spin-offs. From explosive fighting games to fantastic rhythm games, if you want to hang with the Inaba crowd a bit more in other games, you can, but the game hasn’t gotten manyremakes or remastersoutside of Golden.
At first, it may seem like it hasn’t received them because of its popularity, but in reality, it’s because Golden is such a well-rounded port of an even better story. The game includes a new social link and Persona to fuse, like most remakes in this vein, but it stays true to the original without skipping a beat.
A departure from the Persona and the Shin Megami Tensei series, Catherine was a sleeper PlayStation 3 hit. The game revolves around Vincent, a problematic engineer who gets roped into a love triangle with two similarly named women and must escape it through nightmarish puzzle platforming.
Full Body takes the essence of the game and turns up the erotica. The game adds a new Catherine into the mix, the pianist, Rin, just to make Vincent’s life even harder. Catherine is almost considered a Shin Megami Tensei game due to how each route is seen as an alignment, and although high-stakes and fantastical, it still remains grounded.
This is the best Persona game, and I won’t hear any arguments against it. This is the definitive way to play Persona 3. There are plenty of other ways if you’re looking to remain true to the original, but some of the original mechanics don’t hold up well.
With upgraded visuals, new content, and a remixed soundtrack, this is one of the must-play games if you’re even remotely interested in the series. This game will leave you in shambles when you finish it, so ensure to have the tissues ready.
Even though this is the best way to experience Persona 3, you will have to pay for the Expansion Pass to experience The Answer epilogue.
There are plenty of reasons why Persona 5 is the game with the most spin-offs. The game is a masterpiece, and Royal takes it to another level. The base game already gives you at least 100 hours of gameplay, but Royal locks you in for another 30 hours.
This remake/remaster is one of the biggest that Atlus has done, adding a handful of new Social Links, plus another leg in the school year waiting for you to explore. Unlike most remakes with added content, Royal’s content feels like an integral part of the game, rather than fluff to make the game longer.
