Things Persona 6 Could Learn From Persona 3 Reload

Things Persona 6 Could Learn From Persona 3 Reload

• Persona 6 should bring back Link Episodes to build bonds with party members in a non-pressuring way.
• Persona 6 should consider having a female main character or allowing players to customize their character’s sex and looks.
• Persona 6 should streamline the Social Stats mechanic and reduce the number of stats to focus on Academics, Courage, and Charm.

It’s been a long time since the last mainline Persona game came out. Persona 5 was released in 2016 in Japan, followed by a 2017 worldwide debut. With enhanced editions, ports, and spin-offs, it doesn’t seem like it came out that long ago, but it has almost been a decade.

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Persona 3 Reload is a great remake, but it has to have fans wondering what comes after this. Will Persona 6 launch ten years after the fifth installment in 2026, or will it come out before then? Also, will it feature more options from Persona 5 or will the team at Atlus use more from Persona 3 Reload? Let’s argue for the latter and here is why.

Party Members Shouldn’t Be Social Links

Bring Back Link Episodes

The Social Links mechanic in the series was started in Persona 3, which was very much like a reboot of the series. Players could talk to specific NPCs and build relationships with them can in turn affect the fusion process of Persona. Most of the Social Link characters were not related to the playable party except for later romance options, but the inclusion was minimal. This changed with Persona 4 moving onward.

It helped players get to know their party better, but this came with a price. It was almost like players were pressured into hanging out with their party more than the other Social Link characters because party members could affect battles more directly, especially in Persona 5. Returning to Persona 3 via the remake was startling since the party was not on the Social Links tab. Instead, the remake smartly added Link Episodes to build bonds with party members in a non-pressuring way which Persona 6 should take note of.

Do The Opposite Exclusion With The Protagonist

Bring Back A Female Main Character

Every entry in the series has featured one character as the sole protagonist, even the games before Persona 3. There was even a female hero, Maya Amano, who was in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. When Persona 3 was ported to the PSP, Atlus added a female option to the main character, and this character choice was removed for the remake. It sort of makes sense since Persona 3 Reload changed so much, and adding two versions of the main character would have taken more time.

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That’s why Atlus should do one of two things with Persona 6. They should either make the new hero a female character and go in the opposite direction of this remake, or they should give players an option to customize their character’s looks and sex. It’s the next frontier of this long-running series. What better way to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary in 2026 than with this option?

The Social Stats

Focus On Academics, Courage, And Charm

Persona 4 and Persona 5 have five Social Stats to level up, which are increased through random activities like eating, playing arcade games, or studying. In comparison, Persona 3 only had Academics, Courage, and Charm. The remake did not adhere to the new games and kept these three core mechanics and just streamlined the process. This complements the pace of the game better, and it is less for players to worry about.

It would be nice if Persona 6 reduced the Social Stats as well, whether they go to three or even down to four. It would also be great if Atlus could finally tell players directly when Social Stats will level up. Players know when their levels will increase thanks to EXP numbers, so why not Social Stats?

One Dungeon Isn’t A Bad Idea

Tartarus 2?

Some players liked Tartarus in Persona 3 and some players didn’t like it. It was the one big dungeon in the game that reused floor designs through randomization on each run like in a roguelike. It was an old-school dungeon crawler design choice. The remake adds a bit more to differentiate the sections of Tartarus, but it’s all still randomized. Persona 4 had randomized dungeons too, but there were multiple renditions that all had themes.

Persona 5 used dungeons called Palaces, which added puzzle-solving and platforming to the mix. It was an upgrade that deserved the praise it got, but there was nothing wrong with the randomized dungeon choices of Persona 3 and Persona 4. Maybe Persona 6 should dial things back a bit and find something in the middle to appease fans on both sides of the fence. After all, Persona 5 did have Mementos too, which was randomized, and it was also like the opposite of Tartarus as it went underground instead of above ground.

Monsters Should Be Different

Let’s Not Fight Persona

Persona 3 and Persona 4 had monsters called Shadows. These monsters took on various forms and typically had masks baked into their designs. In Persona 5, players fought Persona instead. There was no difference between Persona as allies and Persona as enemies.

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This was like Persona 5’s way of borrowing more from its parent, Shin Megami Tensei, which also only had one set of demons to both fight and befriend. It was nice that Shadows differed from Persona to make things less confusing in Persona 3 and Persona 4. Persona 6 should also adhere to this design choice to help add variety to the demonology.

Keep Shin Megami Tensei Out Of Persona

Shuffle Time Is Good

The mainline Shin Megami Tensei games and the Persona series share a lot of common mechanics. For example, using spells to weaken enemies to get extra turns. Demons also play a big role but how they are implemented is different. In a game like Shin Megami Tensei 5, the latest iteration, players could talk to demons to have them join the party.

In Persona 3 and Persona 4, players could get cards in a mini-game called Shuffle Time. In Persona 5, players had to talk to demons after battle to gain new Personas, and thus it borrowed from Shin Megami Tensei again. It complicated the business a bit as it was hard to tell what they wanted. Thankfully, Persona 3 Reload kept Shuffle Time and Persona 6 should return to this process. The Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games should work differently.

Persona 3 Reload

Platform(s)Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox OneReleased2024-02-02Developer(s)P-Studio