Persona 3 Reload

I tried Persona 5 a few years ago and while I can instantly see why it's hailed as a classic, I got distracted by other games and gave up about 30 hours in. My friend and I both play on PlayStation and he had asked for Reload as a birthday gift. I got it for him and this meant I'd be able to play it as well. A few hours in and I was hooked.

This game is insane. There's so much you can do, but not in an intimidating way. Catchy music accompanies you as you attend Gekkoukan Academy, form bonds and relationships with other people, and spend your nights ascending the tower Tartarus. The action in this game is SO well done and makes the dozens of hours you'll spend in Tartarus way more enjoyable.

The characters are so well written. I found myself genuinely interested in their lives and stories, whether it was learning about them through combat/cutscene dialogue, or simply cooking a meal with them in the dorm. By the time I beat the game I felt a little sad. Not by the game's ending, but because it had ended. I was going to miss cooking meals with these people and shopping around town with them. The only other game that made me sad to beat and part with its characters was Red Dead Redemption 2.

I really have no complaints about this game. It's beautifully made. I never played the original release of P3, not FES, but I feel like I got the Persona 3 experience and more. There's so many good games that released this year, but this one takes the cake for me. Thank you, Atlus. I'm finally playing Persona 5 again and I'm going to beat it this time. Until next time, S. E. E. S.!