Unleashing Your True Power: Unraveling the Perfect Balance of Physical Skills in Persona 3 Reload

Highlights

Persona 3 Reload should rework its unbalanced Physical skill distribution among party members to make combat more diverse and improve the flow of gameplay.

The remake is anticipated to include enhancements such as upgraded Social Link mechanics and the ability to control party members. However, the specific magnitude of these changes remains unknown. Reorganizing Physical skills by either redistributing them or consolidating them into a single category, similar to Persona 5 Royal, would bring a contemporary touch to the game while preserving its distinct elements and ensuring that fans are not left feeling disconnected.

Persona 3 Reload aims to enhance combat compared to the original game and align it with contemporary titles. This necessitates a reassessment of certain aspects concerning skills. It is crucial to rework Physical skills, as their distribution among party members in the original Persona 3 is unbalanced, resulting in some characters being ineffective and others lacking in Physical damage potential.

Atlus has indicated that Persona 3 Reload will remain a faithful remake of the original game. However, there appear to be some quality-of-life changes in the remake, such as enhanced Social Link mechanics and the ability to directly control party members. While the extent of these alterations from the original game remains uncertain, Persona 3 Reload should seize this opportunity to revamp some of its less balanced combat mechanics, including the distribution of Physical skills. This would not only allow players to diversify their party but also enhance the overall flow of combat and make navigating Tartarus a more seamless experience.

Persona 3 Reload Should Redistribute its Party Members' Physical Skills

In Persona 3, Physical skills are categorized into three types: Slash, Strike, and Pierce, each corresponding to a specific weapon type. Unlike Persona 5 Royal, which groups all Physical skills together, Persona 3's distribution of Physical skills means that different enemies have specific weaknesses to different types of Physical attacks. This adds another layer of strategy to combat, but it can also render party members with access to only one type of Physical attack ineffective in certain situations.

A major issue with Physical skills in Persona 3 is how they are allocated among party members. Characters like Junpei and Shinjiro have a disproportionate number of Physical skills compared to Magic skills. This makes them ill-suited for facing enemies who can repel or absorb Physical attacks, limiting their versatility compared to other party members. While Junpei does have access to Agi and Agilao, he is ultimately outperformed by other party members. Shinjiro, on the other hand, possesses some of the most powerful Physical skills in the game but his limited time with the party hinders his usefulness.

Akihiko, a renowned boxer at Gekkoukan High, disappointingly lacks in Physical skills in Persona 3. With only Sonic Punch as his sole Physical skill, it is peculiar considering his background. Most of his skills revolve around Zio-based Electricity skills. This skill distribution is illogical for his character and could be remedied by granting Akihiko some of Junpei or Shinjiro's Physical skills. This not only balances his move set but also allows the other characters to acquire more Magic skills.

Persona 3 Reload has two potential approaches to improving Physical skills from the original game. Firstly, it could adopt Persona 5 Royal's method by consolidating all Physical skills into one category. Alternatively, it could redistribute the skills so that party members have access to various types, providing more options for party composition. These changes, although significant for a faithful remake, would upgrade the overall experience of the game without compromising its core features and risking the loss of the original Persona 3 fans.

Persona 3 Reload is set to release in early 2024 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.