Persona 3 Reload won't have a female protagonist, here's why

Persona 3 Reload won't have a female protagonist, here's why
Images via Atlus

Written by 

Ben Williams

Published 

24th Jan 2024 09:20

Fans hoping to play Persona 3 Reload as the female protagonist from Persona 3 Portable will be disappointed as the option won't be included in the remake.

Although some P3 players might be saddened they won't get the option to choose between two gendered protagonists like in the PSP version, we've now got some answers as to why that decision was made for the remake.

Why Persona 3 Reload won't have the female protagonist from P3P

Persona 3 Reload won't have the option to play as the female protagonist from P3P because it is instead a remake of the original game - not including the added content of the enhanced versions, including Persona 3 FES' "The Answer" epilogue. 

In an IGN interview with Persona 3 Reload producer and chief director, Ryota Niitsuma and Kazuhisa Wada, we got the lowdown on specifically what P3R is including as a remake. 

Key art for Persona 3 Reload, which doesn't have a female protagonist
Click to enlarge

"So first I'd like to mention that since the basic concept of the Persona 3 remake was to remake the Persona 3, we don't have the FES and Portable contents included", clarifies Niitsuma. 

Further on in his answer, he goes on to say "[they] have remade basically everything from scratch as for Persona 3 the original version", with the "newly recorded voices, we have new scenes and events", alongside "new and arranged music".

As the interview goes on, it appears P-Studio's priority was recrafting the original Persona 3 into the modern style set by Persona 5 and its enhanced version, Persona 5 Royal. 

"So the basic concept of recreating the Persona story was that we wanted to keep everything from the original version, but update everything to the modern day," says chief director Wada. 

"So at the same level of Persona 5, basically. So we have the newest graphics, we have updated the system to the newest usability… We have the voice lines in [both Japanese and English.] We also have the text available in 13 languages. So you should be able to have similar experiences to that of Persona 5."

Whilst Persona 3 Reload could follow suit with an upgraded version as well in the future - P3P female protagonist and P3 FES content included - that all remains to be seen and is mere speculation for now. 

In the meantime, we'll just have to enjoy the Persona 3 remake as it is and look toward the future.

For more on P3R, find out if Persona 3 Reload is coming to Xbox Game Pass or if it's coming to Nintendo Switch. Otherwise, check out our Persona 3 guides and new homepage right here at GGRecon. 

Ben Williams
About the author
Ben Williams
Ben is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon. Alongside his BA (Hons) in Business Management is a wealth of gaming and entertainment writing experience, having previously occupied roles as a Copywriter in e-commerce at Overclockers and Guides & SEO Writer at GameByte and FragHero. When not whipping up guides and reviews, Ben’ll be off playing the latest Pokemon games, Overwatch 2, Spider-Man, The Witcher, and Final Fantasy - all before reading manga and listening to Ice Nine Kills.
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