Summary
Persona 3 Reloaddoes a great job of translating useful features introduced inPersona 5to the core gameplay ofPersona 3while remaining faithful to the original release. New incarnations ofPersona 5mechanics like Baton Pass and Showtime returning as Shift and Theurgy inPersona 3 Reloadshow Atlus' dedication to keeping worthwhile features in new entries in the series. While these mechanics greatly improvePersona 3 Reload’s combat, an underrated mechanic fromPersona 5goes a long way to improvePersona 3 Reload’s social life simulation system.
With all eyes on the next mainline entry in thePersonaseries now thatPersona 3 Reloadhas been released, many fans have been speculating on what mechanics included in recent entries will become staples for the series inPersona 6and beyond.Persona 3 Reload’s iteration of severalPersona 5mechanics points toPersona 6likely continuing to feature similar ones for its combat system. However,Persona 6shouldn’t overlook the ability to get messages from Social Links or Confidants when they are available to hang out with, since this small feature makes managing the confusing social system of the series so much easier.
An important part ofPersona 3 Reload’s gameplay is the social life simulation aspect, wherein players spend their daily lives attending school andforming bonds called Social Linkswith their classmates and other acquaintances around town. Each of these Social Links corresponds to one of the major tarot arcana for a total of 22 Social Links, and increasing the player’s bond with a Social Link will allow them to fuse more powerful Personas on that arcana. However, with limited time each in-game day to spend with these Social Links, it can be difficult to manage and prioritize the Social Links that are available to spend time with.
Luckily,Persona 3 Reloadincludes the ability to receive messages from Social Linksvia the protagonist’s phone when one is available for a hang-out. This helps players keep track of which Social Links are available on which days and allows them to prioritize ones that are close to ranking up when deciding how to spend their time. Additionally, selecting a message from a Social Link allows the player to teleport directly to their location, so players aren’t forced to remember where a Social Link is at any given time.
How Persona 6 Could Improve this Messaging System
With this mechanic being firstintroduced inPersona 5and then brought back inPersona 3 Reload, it’s clear Atlus wants to include this feature as a staple of the franchise going forward. BothPersona 5andPersona 3 Reloadoffered a wide variety of daily activities for players to participate in that warranted a feature like this to help players keep their social lives in order, andPersona 6will likely include even more content outside of dungeons for players to experience. However, there are some waysPersona 6could make receiving messages from a Social Link even more useful for players when managing their daily lives in-game.
One wayPersona 6could drastically improve upon this messaging system is by simply adding a way for players to mark which Social Links take priority when receiving a message from multiple ones. Given that most in-game days offer players the chance to spend time with one of several different Social Links, it can often be tough to decide which one to choose for a hang-out, since in agame likePersona 5 Royal, certain bonds have to reach a specific rank by a particular day to access the true ending. Allowing players to mark the Social Link they’re prioritizing can help them make this decision easily when multiple options are available on a given day.
