Astonishing Remake Revelation: Persona 3 Reload's Treatment of Strega Predicts a Promising Future!
Persona 3 Reload's treatment of Strega in the game's new story content sets a promising example for future remakes This inclusion hints at a potential focus on supporting characters in upcoming Persona game remakes
Highlights
In Persona 3 Reload, Atlus is unveiling fresh updates, one of which involves additional narrative elements for Strega, the secondary antagonists. This augurs well for forthcoming Persona remakes, as they signify an emphasis on delving into the stories of supporting characters.
Most Persona games primarily emphasize the stories of the main playable characters, leaving limited opportunities for supporting characters to have fully developed backgrounds. However, Persona 3 Reload endeavors to rectify this issue by offering a more comprehensive narrative for its antagonists.
Considering Atlus' commitment to enriching the experiences of these characters, it is probable that they will follow the same approach in future Persona remakes. This has the potential to add greater depth and engrossing storylines to characters such as Adachi in Persona 4 Golden and Kaneshiro in Persona 5 Royal.
When Atlus initially announced Persona 3 Reload, the intention was to create a faithful recreation of the original game rather than a reimagining or a complete edition. This decision resulted in the exclusion of content from Persona 3 Portable and Persona 3 FES. However, over time, Atlus has revealed various changes that have been made to the base game. These changes include quality of life improvements and enhancements to the original, such as the inclusion of Persona 5's updated Baton Pass mechanics. Additionally, there have been modifications to the story, with one of the recent trailers highlighting expanded content regarding Persona 3's supporting antagonists, Strega.
Throughout Persona 3, the presence of Strega is evident through their interference with Midnight Hour operations and the complex dynamic between Junpei and Chidori. However, not much is known about their lives as they tend to prioritize grandstanding and challenging SEES' ideology rather than sharing personal details. Fortunately, Persona 3 Reload introduces new scenes that delve into their backgrounds and relationships, providing a deeper understanding of their characters. This is not only beneficial for Persona 3 but also sets a positive precedent for future Persona remakes. Following Persona 3 Reload, other remakes may also place a greater emphasis on exploring the histories of secondary characters, regardless of whether they are allies or adversaries to the main protagonists.
Remakes After Persona 3 Reload May Emphasize Supporting Characters
Every Persona game strives to intricately develop the lives, personalities, and relationships of its playable characters. In Persona 4 and Persona 5, there are extensive story arcs dedicated to the latest party member, spanning an entire in-game month. However, this narrow focus often means that supporting characters are unable to receive detailed backstories. Persona 5 does shed some light on a few crucial non-playable characters, providing a well-documented account of Sae Niijima's life, for example. However, there are still numerous other characters whose backgrounds remain shrouded in mystery. Previous Persona games, prior to Persona 5, rarely dedicate time to exploring the lives of non-playable characters who are not Social Links.
Apart from the Strega example, there are several other instances that highlight this pattern. For instance, while Tohru Adachi explains his philosophical motives for committing murders in Persona 4, fans do not receive a complete understanding of the life events that led him to that point, even when completing his Social Link in Persona 4. Similarly, in Persona 3, Shuji Ikutsuki's reasons for wanting to bring about the end of the world are somewhat unclear. Even the antagonists in Persona 5, such as Kaneshiro and Okumura, only receive a glimpse of backstory and lack a fully developed origin story.
That's why it's crucial for Persona 3 Reload to offer a more comprehensive narrative for its antagonists. With Atlus's evident investment in these characters, it's only logical for them to further explore other character storylines in future Persona remakes. A potential remake of Persona 4 Golden could revamp Adachi's Social Link, delving deeper into his background, while Persona 5 Royal remakes have the potential to make previously less impactful characters like Kaneshiro more compelling.
Though Atlus hasn't officially announced any remake plans beyond Persona 3 Reload, it makes sense to pursue this path. Persona thrives on nostalgia, frequently revisiting past characters and creating spin-offs to extend the popularity of beloved games. Similarly, video game remakes also capitalize on nostalgia, aiming to capture the magic of past games in a modern style. Whether Atlus chooses to remake the Persona 2 duology or moves forward to Persona 4, the future looks promising for the next Persona remake. Not only will the franchise's mechanics be updated, but significant characters with untapped potential, like those receiving a facelift from Strega, will finally have the opportunity to share their complete stories.
Persona 3 Portable releases February 2, 2024 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
