Why I Love Persona 3

I thought I already had a post on this, but that was merely a snippet in this post. And yes, there will be heavy spoilers for the ending.

This whole post came about as I completed my recent playthrough of Reload, a remake which excels in most areas, but kinda lags in others. Nothing major if you're new to the series or only played the later Persona games, but us P3 fans? We know.

While live posting my reaction on Mastodon, I joked about the final boss reminding me of G Gundam, when Rain and Domo perform the ultimate Burning Finger: the Sekiha Love Love Tenkyoken! I still get chills every time I see that scene...which mirrors the misty eyes I get when Makoto (the P3 protag) is strengthened by the bonds of his friends. Each expending their energy to help him fight and seal Nyx. Might be why I have such a high standard for friendships...if you ain't performing on the spot choreography or sending me a spirit bomb to defeat the ultimate evil, are we truly friends? But I digress.

I'm tearing up just thinking about it. That final battle was everything. They fucking ate when they sent Makoto alone to 1v1 Nyx and have his friends willing to give up their lives if it meant saving the world. I gotta move on from this, but the tears won't stop flowing.

After it's all said and done, life goes on as usual, until it's finally the end of the year. Everyone has forgotten about that battle. Everyone but Aigis, as we come to find out as we say our final goodbyes to our friends and classmates. And this...was one of the hardest parts of the game for me. Recognizing that the long journey was coming to an end, and that I would be bereft of dopamine. And you know...that lasting bittersweet ending.

Most people comment on your (Makoto's) appearance, polite saying you look like shit. "I'm just tired," you say. This is a very good time to mention the main theme of Persona 3: Death. In FES, there's a secondary video that plays in the menu, along with the song Burn My Dread (also a song that plays in the solo battle). There's text that I missed from FES, that Reload lacks and almost does a disservice to by leaning into a flashy display. Pretty, yes, but I rarely linger on the home menu to watch it.

The kids are "killing" themselves by shooting themselves with their gun shaped evokers. One girl even throws herself off a building, only to shift into a coffin often seen during the Dark Hour, which non-Persona users turn into. In the FES video, you get a shot of Makoto shooting himself, but it's not as flashy. It's more artistic and implied. The vibe is also darker, using phrases like:

"Memento mori."

"Remember you are mortal."

"Remember you must die."

I don't think you ever see mention of that in Reload, aside from dialogue relating to death and mortality. Mostly from Pharos and Akinari Kamiki's mom.

If you maxed out Akinari Kamiki's link, you meet his mom in the same park he used to frequent. She says her son was ill from birth, that she would be the one to bury him, not vice versa. I always save her for last, because she really drives in the game's theme with her parting advice:

"Take good care of the ones you hold dear. If you love someone, let them know it. We all go through life with the same struggles, the same heartbreak. We should all lift each other up with the same love and kindness as well...I'm sure you have something precious you can share with people, too..."

And, of course: 

"...Everyone who's born will die someday."

There are several characters who express a desire to see you in the future, but they don't know, can't know, that you are slowly dying. And believe me, it hurts just as much as the first time. The idea that the protagonist who fought to the very end, overcoming all odds...passes away as the game comes to a close.

The last person you speak to is Aigis, the last place you remember seeing the school roof, your head resting on the android's lap. She's crying, and you have the option to reassure her, to reach out and brush the tears from her cheek. You're tired, down to the bone, down to the soul.

Your last choice in game is to close your eyes or say nothing. I closed them, just like I did in class whenever I got the option to pay attention or sleep (my stats were maxed out from a previous game). Meanwhile, your other friends are finally regaining their memories and running to greet you, all excited to gush and embrace you.

"He's resting."

The battles and Personas are fun, of course. But the game excels at telling a compelling story, of characters struggling with mental health, grief, and life in general. These people are as much my friends as they are Makoto's. I get to see them grow and recover. Characters like Amada, orphaned after Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Shinji accidentally killed his mother...and the kid is determined to kill Shinji, only to have that same man die defending him and encouraging him to be better.

I love moments like that, even if they hurt. Especially if they hurt. I could go on about why I love dark media and horror, how it reminds me of my own mortality, in the sense that it breaks beyond that persisting sensation of numbness and detachment, that makes me actually feel something. A post for another day.

As an aside, I noticed a new thing in NG+. The text message from an unknown sender. I assumed it was Ryoji thanking me from wherever his being resides, as the music box he gave you is in the same scene. It was kinda creepy, but sweet at the same time. Which is close to how I felt about the ending. Sweet, but bitter knowing Makoto passed away. That's what later led to The Answer, starring Aigis as the new protag. You get to see more of the team, along with a slightly older Ken.

I think I played The Answer almost immediately after my first playthrough of FES, but I'm giving the game some space while I pursue other games. And The Answer was never a fave, if we're being honest. I've only played it once and the default difficulty is Hard. Reload offers more variety, thankfully.

My next game will be Tsukihime as planned, though I may switch around and play The Answer in tandem, rather than SMT5:V or Strange Journey. Or even P1, and soon, the P2 duology.

Memento vivere!