Persona 3 Is "Hot Topic: The Video Game" (and it's a good thing)

I have complicated feelings about Persona 3.
So I have finally played this landmark JRPG… and I feel confident in saying that the best way of describing it is “Hot Topic: the Video Game.”

And before you say that’s unfair… I would like to ask: how ELSE would you describe a game where a) the main character dyes his hair blue and quaffs it like he’s about to take lead vocal duties on My Chemical Romance, b) features multiple party members’ plotlines with a “I HATE you, Dad!” moment somewhere in its runtime, and c) its interpretation of the Grim Reaper looks like the insignia for a metalcore band?

Of course, I know that saying Persona 3 equals Hot Topic SOUNDS like a "sick burn"… but here’s the thing that everyone forgets: Hot Topic had some pretty amazing stuff. And just like Hot Topic, beneath all of P3’s teenage angst emo nonsense is something really special.

At its most basic level, Persona 3 offered a complete redesign of its entire series away from its Shin Megami Tensei main series roots, and into its own thing. One of the chief geniuses of Persona 3 is how it mashes up two distinct gameplay styles — JRPG dungeon crawling and high school dating life sim gameplay — into a single pitch-perfect, remixed package.

Even more important to me than gameplay is story — and Persona 3’s storyworld is spectacularly NOT SAFE: Actions have consequences. Plot armor doesn’t save people. Characters make hard decisions, and the story doesn’t sugarcoat the repercussions.

Just like my fond memories of Hot Topic, I expect that over time, I will completely forget any of these extremely minor annoyances I experienced playing Persona 3, and what’s gonna stick with me from my playthrough... is its heart.

What do you think? Let’s discuss in the comments.
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Sources:
Unfortunately my computer is WAY too slow to capture game footage: background gameplay sampled from Lacry’s lovely full no-commentary playthrough https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDKgbJ4iSaZsHiWQXfo2s9k66L7uKPvY1
Kirby design for “UNNAMED GLOBAL EVENT” lovely sampled from Good ol’ Nick Robinson, check out his amazing channel here https://www.youtube.com/user/babylonian
Sketch for the Reaper found on the Kinghts of Radian Chivalry Fandom page https://radiantchivalry.fandom.com/wiki/The_Reaper?file=The_Reaper_%25282%2529.jpg
Beating heartbeat animation done by They Call Me Nora https://youtu.be/h31euQXn08Q
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Music Used:
Nujabes - Feather
Nujabes - Think Different
Nujabes - Fellows
Deftones - Swerve City
Nujabes - Color of Autumn
Thrice - Stare at the Sun
Nujabes & DJ Kiyo If I was Your Mic Remix
Vivaldi - Four Seasons
Nujabes - Latitude
Nujabes - Waiting for the Clouds
Nujabes - Another Reflection
Game of Thrones Main Theme
Persona 3 - Burn My Dread (Last Battle Version)
Clarence Clarity - The Cute
Song One Puzzle - Dananananaykroyd
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#persona #SMT #JRPG
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Видео Persona 3 Is "Hot Topic: The Video Game" (and it's a good thing) канала Dan Marks