Summary
Persona 3 Reloadgoes a long way to build upon many of the series' iconic mechanics with additions like fully-voiced Social Links, the new Shift and Theurgy systems, and dorm hangouts. DespitePersona 3 Reloadbeing a remake, it still feels like the next step in the series' evolution for Atlus after the massive success ofPersona 5. As such,Persona 3 Reloadseems like it is testing a lot of potential mechanics that could appear inPersona 6, including the overhauled Shuffle Time feature that greatly improved upon the version present in the originalPersona 3release.
A core part of thePersonaseries is the ability for the protagonist to obtain new Personas from dungeons, and then fuse them into stronger ones in theVelvet Room. However, the ways in which players can acquire these new Personas vary from game to game, withPersona 3andPersona 4featuring the Shuffle Time mechanics, whilePersona 5uses the Hold Up mechanic. WithPersona 3 Reloadfollowing the original release and including Shuffle Time as the method for obtaining new Personas, it seems likely thatPersona 6will follow in its footsteps in this regard.
Shuffle Time inPersona 3andPersona 4had a chance to activate after winning a battle and would offer players the opportunity to earn a new Persona by selecting from a group of shuffling cards. Along with the chance for a new Persona,Persona 3included cards from the Tarot’s minor arcana that could be selected to gain certain bonuses, like increased EXP or money. However, it could be difficult for players to get the result they wanted since they had to carefully watch the movement of the cards to ensure they selected their desired outcome.
Persona 5changed how players obtained new Personas, getting rid of Shuffle Time in favor of the new Hold Up mechanic. This feature allowed players to negotiate with shadows they had downed in an effort to convince them to join their team, or at least give them some money or an item. Although Hold Up made obtaining new Personas more consistent compared to past games that had used Shuffle Time, the nature ofPersona 5’s themes and aestheticmeant that Hold Up was uniquely suited for that entry in thePersonaseries.
While it’s possible a mechanic similar toPersona 5’s Hold Up could appear inPersona 6, Atlus made some major changes to Shuffle Time inPersona 3 Reloadthat would be a waste if they were limited to this one entry. Rather than having to actually watch the cards shuffle before selecting one during Shuffle Time,Persona 3 Reloadfreely shows players the cards and lets them choose which one they want without the shuffle element ever occurring. Additionally,Persona 3 Reloadadded the Tarot’s major arcanato the list of potential Shuffle Time cards, each granting a more substantial benefit like permanent stat increases and Social Link bonuses.
Given the work that went into completely redesigning the Shuffle Time mechanic from the originalPersona 3release, it feels like this new iteration inPersona 3 Reloadwas a test run forPersona 6. Although there is still a degree of randomness to Shuffle Time inPersona 3 Reloaddue to the inability to guarantee which cards will appear for selection, the mechanic is still far more streamlined compared to the original and is comparable in consistency to Hold Up fromPersona 5. This overhaul sets the stage for Shuffle Time to reappear in a major way inPersona 6, potentially setting the precedent for the series moving forward.
