This past week, ATLUS unveiled more information for Persona 3 Reload. We now see the antagonist group of SEES, Strega, with Takaya Sakaki, Jin Shirato, and Chidori Yoshino. Alongside the newest trailer, we also see new gameplay for the game.
The Japanese version of the trailer shows a bit more compared to the Western release trailer such as the portrayal of Takaya’s gun and Blood Puddles of the Dark Hour. Note that these changes are likely due to the ESRB’s Advertising Principles and Guidelines. You can check out the Japanese trailer below and compare.
We get a first look at the updated visual appearance of the antagonists. Jin Sakaki, leader of Strega, voiced by Daman Mills (Weiss of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Aogami of Shin Megami Tensei V) seen here conducting his job as a revenge service. He utilizes the Dark Hour to seek his targets and uses his revolver to finish the job.
Jin Shirato, voiced by Chris Hackney (Dimitri of Fire Emblem Three Houses, King Rauru of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) is the brains of Strega. Responsible for researching STREGA’s targets and has a keen eye for identifying a person’s weaknesses. Loyal to Takaya for saving him from a dire situation in the past.
Lastly, Chidori Yoshino, voiced by Merit Leightin (Frosta of SheRa and the Princess of Power, Hinako of Ride Your Wave) is the main supporter of STREGA with her Persona of Medea. She is dressed in white Gothic Lolita fashion and is seen mostly at Port Island Station in front of the Theather drawing. Wields a chained Ax to fend off any foes that threaten her.
We also got confirmation of voice actors for other characters. Shuji Ikutsuki, your advisor who oversees SEES, will be voiced by Jake Green (Morbius of Marve’sl Midnight Suns). Pharos, the strange boy you meet when first arriving at Iwatodai Drom, will be by Aleks Le who also voices the protagonist. We also get to meet the character of Ryoji Mochizuki. While we do not know who will voice him, he appears to play a part in the story. He shares a similar appearance to Pharos.
Fans will be glad to hear that the Velvet Room attendant, Elizabeth, will be reprised by the original voice actor Tara Platt. Tara has so far voiced Elizabeth for all the other spinoff games that included her like Persona Q, Dancing in Moonlight, Arena, and Ultimax. You can hear her sing about Igor in the trailer.
In regards to new gameplay, we get to see a feature that is akin to Persona 5‘s Baton Pass called Shift. Like in that game, you can pass your current turn to another party member if you hit an enemy’s weakness or critical hit. But that’s not all. It also adds to a meter that allows for special attacks called Theurgia. For those who played the original Persona 3 game, these are the fusion spells that the protagonist is able to use exclusively. In Persona 3 Reload, other party members will be able to use a special attack that correlates to their Persona and personality. This was shown off at this past Tokyo Gameshow.
https://youtu.be/2LJ7_19UUFY?si=MtpXwl7ChiZJz7bp
Credit: Faz
Outside of combat and in daily, we also see that there will be a lot more to do in the hub world and interactivity from your party mates. Such as getting emails from Junpei inviting you to hang out or making pancakes with Akihiko. More activities to conduct akin to Persona 5.
What’s interesting about this recent reveal is that from recent screenshots, apparently, you can interact with STREGA and Jin outside of story events. Will this be a special social link event like with Adachi in Persona 4 Golden and Akechi in Persona 5 Royal? Can we play and cooperate with STREGA?
Persona 3 Reload is set to release on February 2, 2024, on Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Steam, and Windows. It will also be on Xbox Game Pass on release.
