Persona 3 Reload Combat Persona 5
Image: Push Square

With Atlus giving press the opportunity to play Persona 3 Reload at Gamescom this year, we're starting to see preview articles pop up online, providing new information on how the remake actually plays. Based on official correspondence, we know that Reload is a largely faithful recreation of the original PS2 title, but we've also been given glimpses of updated mechanics — the kind of stuff that could potentially pull Persona 3 into more modern territory.

And thankfully, it does sound like Reload will be making some welcome adjustments — particularly to its turn-based battle system. As reported by RPGFan, the game is adopting numerous elements from Persona 5, in an attempt to modernise what could be, at times, a fairly tedious system.

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For starters, the user interface seems to be based on Persona 5's one-button combat menu, which immediately adds some speed to the command issuing process. And when it comes to actually slaying shadows, Reload borrows the Baton Pass mechanic — renamed 'Shift' — which lets you switch between characters after striking an enemy's weakness. Much like in Persona 5, you can efficiently eliminate whole groups of foes by having your party members work as a tactically-tuned team.

These changes alone should elevate Reload's battles to the next level, but there are apparently a bunch of other, smaller improvements as well. For example, party members can be given direct commands in the remake — something that was actually added in Persona 3 Portable — and Shuffle Time simply lets you pick which card you want after winning a fight. What's more, the whole 'Condition' system has been scrapped, meaning that you don't have to worry about your team getting tired or sick from too much dungeon crawling.

It all sounds great, and it'll be very interesting to see what kind of alterations Reload makes to gameplay outside of battle. The most recent trailer hints at things like expanded social links, but we'll obviously have to wait for confirmation on stuff like that.

Are you happy to see Persona 3 Reload making seemingly positive changes to how it plays? Start humming that battle theme in the comments section below.

[source rpgfan.com]