Category: PlayStation

Double, double coil and trouble. A.K.I., the maniacal mistress of poison will slither her way into Fighting Ground, World Tour, and Battle Hub in Street Fighter 6 starting September 27 on PS5 and PS4. Feeding off orders from her master, A.K.I. injects poison into enemies that dare stand within striking distance–all with a smile. You can’t fix her, but she will fix you.

A new character to the Street Fighter series, A.K.I. snakes through life only to please her outstanding and phenomenal master F.A.N.G from Street Fighter V. Under orders to dig into the remnants of Shadaloo, she finds herself infatuated with the powers that be.

In World Tour, help A.K.I. find her herbal medicine in Tian Hong Yuan, a new area where you can increase your bond with her and learn her deadly moves. Put those moves to use in the Battle Hub in the ever popular and always wacky Avatar Battles. Explore how the addition of poison improves your custom combos.

Game Director Takayuki Nakayama spoke on the team’s inspiration on designing a visually striking character like A.K.I.

“The character design we landed on was a pale-skinned disciple with her fighting style being a combination of the Poison Hand and the Fanged Snake Style martial arts. Therefore, we decided to proceed with A.K.I. being a white snake that carries poison.

Her snakeskin Chinese dress has a beautiful sheen like a black mamba with material that looks ominous when it shines and animates. The serpentine pattern you see from her chest to her stomach was meant to resemble the belly of a snake.

Her distinctive hairstyle was an idea that came from outside of the design team, which incorporates the symbol of an assassin: “kasa” (umbrella in Japanese) through her hair. Based on this concept, we tweaked the way her eyes hide behind her hair and the overall silhouette. We took extra care in making the silhouette of the collar and the way her eyes are hidden to look alluring when viewed from the side.”

A.K.I. has learned from her master about the best uses for poison, but her nails offer a twisted reminder that she is a different creature altogether. Excelling at long-range combat and with the ability to poison enemies through her cauldron of tricks, A.K.I. controls the stage waiting for her prey to blink.

Like F.A.N.G, once A.K.I. poisons an enemy, their vitality will slowly deplete as long as the effect remains. If A.K.I. gets hit, the poison will dissipate. From a distance, she can use Serpent Lash, sending her nails flying forward like a chain, poisoning enemies she hits. The OD version of Serpent Lash hooks on to enemies, allowing A.K.I. to hop forward to close the distance. When she strikes an opponent who is already poisoned with moves like Serpent Lash, a Toxic Blossom triggers where the resulting explosion can open enemies up to follow-up attacks.

Her fireball–Nightshade Pulse–sends a bubble forward that also poisons enemies on hit. She can strike the bubble with Nightshade Chaser to pop it in advance, increasing the area of effect. A.K.I. can also use Orchid Spring to place a puddle of poison in front of her, which affects opponents who step in it.

Snakes always lurk where their prey can’t see them. A.K.I. can use Cruel Fate to flip backwards toward enemies, sending her nails to strike from above. Like a contortionist, she can instantly coil to the ground and under enemies with Snake Step.

A.K.I. takes this even further with Sinister Slide, where she can slither from full screen to avoid threats while stalking forward. From Sinister Slide, she can perform three actions: Venomous Fang sees her leaping forward to poison enemies, Heel Strike starts combos on a successful hit, and Entrapment wraps her body around enemies to constrict them.

A.K.I.’s Level 1 Super Deadly Implication launches enemies in the air with a kick and traps them in a gigantic poisonous bubble, leaving them across the stage. Her Level 2 Super Tainted Talons extends multiple talons forward and leaves a large pool of poison in its wake that lasts for a significant amount of time.

During A.K.I.’s Level 3 Super–Claws of Ya Zi–she pierces various pressure points on the enemy’s body and injects a poison that detonates from within. Getting tied up in these chains will see you screaming in agony.

A.K.I. will be unlocked for owners of the Year 1 Character Pass, Deluxe Edition, or Ultimate Edition on September 27. Get a taste of her poison for an hour with a Rental Fighter ticket, which can be obtained in a Fighting Pass. Don A.K.I. in an elegant additional outfit, which is also available when she unlocks.

Speaking of, the A.K.I. Arrives! Fighting Pass will release on September 1 and contains cosmetic items to help prepare for A.K.I.’s incoming concoction.

Whether it’s from her tongue or the brewing poison, the soft hissing grows ever louder approaching the end of September when A.K.I. is introduced in Street Fighter 6 on PS5 and PS4. 

Tekken 8 for PlayStation 5 is the latest entry in the Tekken series, a legendary 3D fighting game series that has sold more than 55 million copies worldwide. The visuals have been completely overhauled from Tekken 7 with all-new, high-resolution playable character models. Small details like the way water droplets run down the characters’ skin and the subtle movements of their hair and muscles are also highlights of the game.

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We spoke with Kohei Ikeda, Director of Tekken 8, about how the game taps into the power of PS5 while pushing the limits of the console’s capabilities and technology.

The high-res character models and the overall details are major game highlights. How did you take advantage of the power of PS5 to achieve those visuals?

With Tekken 8, our goal was to replicate the intricacies of the human body, such as the stretching and contraction of muscles and sweat trickling down the skin. For example, the bone structure required to move a playable character in Tekken 8 is more than double that of the previous game. The PS5’s processing performance made these implementations possible and was successful in replicating more natural muscle movements.

Furthermore, not only the sweat but flushed skin, dirt, and the blood vessels on strained muscles are rendered in real-time and transition seamlessly depending on what is happening in-game. These effects enable a more authentic and immersive gaming experience. The advanced visuals are achieved through smooth 60 fps that fully utilize PS5’s GPU processing power.

How did you leverage the game’s unique PS5 features, such as haptic feedback?

One of our key pillars during the development of Tekken 8 was the phrase: All-Out Force x Destruction. Haptic feedback plays an important role as a means of providing an exciting experience that brings the idea of all-out combat and destruction to life.

For example, during battles, players can fully experience the sensation of heightened concentration when activating the new Heat System, the power of Rage Arts, and the feeling of the stage being destroyed through the rumbles and haptics of the controller.

In addition, Story Mode delivers dynamic fights and experiences that allow the player to directly feel the clashes of immense power, as well as the subtle vibrations of characters riding their motorcycles. These elements all work together to heighten the immersion of the story itself.

How did you utilize 3D audio?

Tekken 8 utilizes 3D audio formats like Ambisonics and object-based audio to create an immersive soundscape. We leveraged these methods for everything, including sound effects during battles, stage ambiance, various gimmicks, and even reverb. This provides players with a more realistic and lifelike sound experience.

In addition, all the cutscenes in Story Mode are produced in 7.1.4ch, which dynamically ties the sound and footage together. By enabling 3D audio, players can feel like they’re inside the story.

In addition to the traditional Arcade Style that requires command inputs, Tekken 8 introduces a new innovative control method called Special Style, which makes the game feel more like an action game designed for casual players. During Tekken 8’s development, what elements did you intentionally choose to change or not to change?

The thrill and excitement players feel through controlling their characters and performing tactical moves are constant throughout the series. On top of that, to achieve our concept of aggressive battles, we introduced a variety of new elements to Tekken 8. One of the elements that we focused on is the Special Style. This control method was designed so all players can experience the thrill of playing Tekken.

Special Style assigns each button with a recommended move and combo for each character, selected from more than 100 available move sets. This allows players to enjoy battles with easier controls that feel more like an action game. For beginners, it lowers the barrier for entry and allows them to easily enjoy the unique fun of the Tekken series.

This feature also allows intermediate and advanced players to try their hand at characters they’re unfamiliar with, as they can seamlessly switch between the traditional Arcade Style and Special Style with a single button press during battles.

What are some of your favorite PS5 games that have been released so far? From a developer’s perspective, how do you feel that the game takes advantage of the capabilities of PS5?

I’d say Final Fantasy XVI. The stunning visual quality, attention to detail, fantastical story, and seamless transitions between the intense Eikon battles culminate into an epic experience that draws in both players and viewers.

The game’s action sequences were also excellent, with beautiful VFX combined with the character animations. You can feel the game directly through the controller, and the magnificent background music was also spectacular.

Hiya, PlayStation foodies. Tj here, serving up a big plate of news for our experimental food art game, Nour: Play With Your Food. It’s a game that you might have seen around before. Perhaps you caught a glimpse of some of our wild ramen and boba tea out in the wilds of the internet or at a game event, but now we’re finally ready to say that you will be able to satisfy your virtual food cravings on September 12 when Nour launches on PS5 and PS4. For now, we have a little trailer as a treat featuring an original song by Tobi Lou.

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I’ve spent years making this game, yet I still discover new sights, sounds, and emergent mechanics. Nour’s outward beauty is balanced by an inner mechanical depth. Let’s discuss Nour’s secret sauces that make it a unique experience.

Tools

In the real world, kitchen tools come with all sorts of safety warnings. But not in Nour! Use the blowtorch, knife, salt shaker, and more to slice, squish, season, char, and paint your food. Use multiple tools on the same food to stack their effects, making your dream dish a reality.

Spells

And since this isn’t the real world, we’ve taken a few creative liberties with how you can play with your food. Combine your wizard’s hat and chef’s hat (actually, that would look sick) using Nour’s spells. Form culinary constellations, stunning ice sculptures, or undo gravity altogether. This is a brand new type of kitchen.

Feel free to combine these different systems to create interactions that no chef has thought possible. When you’re done, be sure to whip out the Camera tool to capture your masterpiece.

Nour is unconventional and wild, and it was a joy to make. We set out to make a game with no goals or objectives other than experiencing the joy of freely interacting with the highly detailed virtual representations of delicious food and snacks we enjoy every day. Now we’re almost done, and if you think that idea for a game sounds fun, we hope you give Nour a shot when it releases on September 12.

Even more secret sauce is to be revealed in the final game.

Last week, we asked you to share moments from the fantasy MMORPG Tower of Fantasy using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights: 

call_me_xavii shares a white haired woman and man jumping away from a two-headed dog

dpruttz_vp shares a player riding a motorcycle across a neon-lit street

chic2ky shares a lake-view landscape surrounded by red leaved trees

xenobitz shares two characters talking in front of a large crescent moon light sculpture

shiyu_Eva shares a player swimming near a colorful coral reef

liuyixie shares a futuristic pyramid city structure floating above a desert.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week? 

THEME: Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon 

SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 30, 2023

Next week, we’re hopping into the mech world of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. Share epic moments using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

In Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 4, Vampire Kado Thorne has made the Island his home. Your mission is to infiltrate and extract valuable goods from his three properties: Sanguine Suites, Relentless Retreat, and Eclipsed Estate.

The fate of the Island is at stake, and pulling off the height of heists is the last resort. So, are you in?

Every rosy resort has a Thorne

Thorne has built three luxurious properties across the Battle Royale island — but beyond the lavish exteriors of Sanguine Suites, Relentless Retreat, and Eclipsed Estate are heavily fortified lairs complete with security cameras, laser alert grids, and guards. Gear up before you go in.

Wam, blam, Rocket Ram

In addition to existing and unvaulted weapons, you can now boost through the skies or through a wall with the Rocket Ram. Add to your arsenal with the Infiltrator Pump Shotgun, Scoped Burst SMG, Twin Mag Assault Rifle, or auto-firing Briefcase Turret.

Mythic items of legend

In the depths of Sanguine Suites, Relentless Retreat, and Eclipsed Estate, you can find Mythic items from Fortnite’s history like The Foundation’s MK-Seven Assault Rifle, Midas’ Drum Gun, Zyg and Choppy’s Ray Gun, and more. Grab one and escape before Thorne’s defenses defeat you.

Sink your teeth into the Nitro Fang

Once out of the building, it’s time to escape — look no further than the Nitro Fang by Victory Motors. If opponents are on your tail, use the Nitro Fang’s handbrake to make lock-tight turns. If you’re more of a highflier, point your Rocket Ram skyward and zoom into the distance.

Ragtag and ready

Leading the heist team is maverick Nolan Chance, who auto-unlocks with the purchase of the Battle Pass. Chance’s team includes Piper Pace, the getaway driver, Fish Thicc, the muscle, Mae, the hacker, and Antonia, the masqued maven. Villain Kao Throne also makes his appearance in the Battle Pass, and Jedi Ahsoka Tano arrives in Fortnite later in the season.

What to do when things get overcomplicated? Turn to the man who keeps it simple: the newest addition to the Icon Series, Khaby Lame. The most popular creator on TikTok breaks into the Battle Pass to help the team take down Thorne.

We got to chat with Jann Mardenborough, the “gamer to racer” subject at the heart of the Gran Turismo movie, with topics ranging from his experience in GT Academy to stunt driving for the film about his incredible life. 

Check out a new clip from the movie before Gran Turismo hits US theaters August 25: 

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It goes without saying that your story, going from Gran Turismo fan to pro driver and subject of a Hollywood movie, must be very surreal. Now that the film is so close to release, what does this moment feel like for you?

It felt surreal the first time I heard about the film being considered in the first place, and it’s still weird even now. I still can’t get over the fact that my story is “forever.” I’m still trying to process that my journey, my family name, is now immortalized for future generations to see. I like thinking this is something my grandkids can look back on and be proud of.

Going back to the beginning, what made you decide to become an entrant in GT Academy? Was there a specific “Eureka!” moment?

I had wanted to be a racing driver since I was five or six years old. But, as I got older, the dream felt less and less attainable coming from a “normal” family, with two parents who live relatively normal lives and perform normal jobs. I didn’t know anyone who could sponsor me, so I shelved that idea while I was at school. I was too young to enter the first GT Academy, but I was also too busy with school at the time regardless.

It wasn’t until 2011 that the stars aligned. I had just dropped out of uni about three months prior, and I found myself in a position to put all my eggs in one basket. 

I thought, “Let’s just see how far I can take this.” 

What was the GT Academy training experience like, and what were the most difficult adjustments to make when racing on a real track for the first time? What differences stood out to you most when you first started driving professionally?

The biggest adjustment had to do with my vision. At home, I had always played GT on a tiny 17-inch screen. That’s what I used for years. 

Then, when I got in a real car and had an instructor sitting next to me, who had a mirror that allowed him to watch where my eyes were focusing, it became clear that I would constantly look at the floor instead of looking ahead down the track. Your field of view is radically different in a car compared to when your view is constrained to a small TV; during a race, you’ll often be driving in the opposite direction of where you’re actually looking. This took months of reprogramming and adjustment. 

The rest felt easy—even when, at 19 years old, I first got behind the wheel of a 485-horsepower GTR at Silverstone Circuit. As I was strapping myself in I thought, “Okay, how is this going to feel now? And, well, it felt normal. From the breaking and throttling inputs, to the way the car would steer and pitch around corners, driving the car felt oddly familiar. Aside from the additional sense of vibration and feedback through the steering wheel and seats, the car handled the way that GT had prepared me for.

It probably helped that at 19 I felt a lot less risk averse. I just wanted to go fast and develop as quickly as possible.

Does this relatively straightforward adjustment period attest to the quality of the simulation in the GT games? Would the experience have been vastly different if you hadn’t spent so much time with them? 

Of course. I had no professional racing experience otherwise: I had never karted nor driven on a track, and my first time driving on an expressway was in transit to GT Academy. At that point in my life, I had only ever driven within 30 or 40 miles of my home in Cardiff. All my friends were there and we never had a reason to drive anywhere else.

I was a blank slate, which I think worked to my advantage. I didn’t have any other preconceived ideas about how to drive a racing car or take it to its limit. All I had was the game, and this made it easier for me to internalize all the instruction I was getting. I didn’t have to unlearn any bad habits or bad advice. 

At least for me, the Gran Turismo games allowed me to circumvent the tens of thousands of dollars some parents pay in preparing their children to become a pro race driver. I was able to skip all that because of the game. 

Aside from lending your life story to the premise of the film, you also got the opportunity to perform stunt driving sequences on behalf of the actor depicting you. What was that like, and how else were you involved in the production? 

I was first approached about driving in the film early last year, and the producers were a bit wary, warning me that I’d have to do a lot of waiting around. But that didn’t bother me. I just said, “I’m in; this is going to be amazing.” I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be part of such a fundamental aspect of the story, which felt a lot more significant than, say, a walk-on cameo.

As part of this process I got to meet some legendary stunt drivers—like Steve Kelso, who drove for Talladega Nights, as well as the driver for Kitt in Knight Rider. These super experienced guys were all part of the team and it was an honor to learn from them. 

Otherwise, I’ve been involved with the project since the first script was written back in 2019, and all of the people I’ve worked with at Sony Pictures have been awesome. The producers have been very generous in involving me and taking my input on each script draft.

Once on set, I was asked if I wanted to help review the dailies, but I declined because that’s not my world. I was happy with the script and the cast, and wouldn’t know how to properly assess unfinished footage. That’s not my world. 

With Gran Turismo nearing release, where do you see your career going from here?

I can only look ahead by about two years, since anything beyond that is too hard to predict, but I really want to do Le Mans. That race is my goal for next year. I’d also want to return to Japan to compete in Super GT. But I’m very flexible right now; I want to race into my late 40s as a professional. I haven’t peaked as a driver and I’m still hungry. 

What do you hope the audience will take away from learning your story?

I hope people take away that you can do anything you dream and set your mind to. Of course, it’s not going to be easy, but you only have one life—why would you spend years doing something that doesn’t satisfy you or give you purpose? So, I hope the story in Gran Turismo can help motivate people to take a different path in their lives, where they feel more satisfied and complete. I’m very lucky that I had this opportunity when I was 19.

To close things out, we’ve got a rapid fire set of questions:

What’s your personal favorite game in the series? 

I’m torn between Gran Turismo 2 and 3. Both were massive advancements over their predecessors and had a profound impact on me when they came out. Gran Turismo 2 had the better car and track selection—and the best intro—but the visual upgrades in GT3 were profound. I still have very fond memories of playing that game for an entire summer when it came out. 

Favorite car to race with in Gran Turismo? 

The Toyota GT-One in Gran Turismo 2—the LMP car.

Favorite car to drive in real life? 

The Nissan GTR GT500 car that I drove in Japan from 2017 until the end of 2020.
It’s a proper race car: two liters, 700-horsepower, lots of downforce, and weighs a ton.

Favorite racetrack in GT?

Grand Valley Speedway, hands down. I wish it was real because it’s just so gorgeous and has an incredible atmosphere. 

Favorite track to race on professionally? 

Sportland Sugo, a little circuit in Sendai (north of Tokyo). It’s like a miniature Nürburgring.

Favorite music track from the GT series?

“My Favourite Game” from GT2 and, of course, “Moon Over the Castle.” They’re both still on my workout playlist because I’m fueled by nostalgia!

Gran Turismo 7 is now available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, as well as PlayStation VR2 following a free update earlier this year. Gran Turismo arrives exclusively in US theaters August 25. https://www.granturismo.movie/

Hello–It’s unbelievable to me that it has been seven years since No Man’s Sky was released, and to celebrate today we are releasing our largest update of the year – No Man’s Sky Echoes.

Our aim with Echoes is to breathe new life into the universe, with a new robotic race, our first race introduced since launch in 2016. We have also overhauled space combat with a focus on creating truly epic space battles, introducing freighter to freighter battles for the first time.

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New robot race

In Echoes, travelers will discover a never-before-seen, long-hidden race of robots with rich new story content–engaging in robot assignments and rituals to earn a huge array of mechanical parts to create their own robotic avatar.

New pirate freighters bring huge space battles to the universe. Defend fleets from pirates. Fly through enemy trenches to sabotage their shields, and destroy them!

Players can search out and assemble their own sci-fi ceremonial staff. Level these up with unique technology to mine and battle your way through the universe.

Travelers can now search for, trade, and scrap weapons, allowing players to become Multi-tool scrap merchants. Travelers can also choose from a wider array of weapons and tools, including the staff and a new powerful Atlas weapon.

Chronicle your journey

This year we introduced the ability to store a catalog of player’s most wondrous discoveries. A new holographic museum allows you to decorate and display your favorite weird and wonderful discoveries in your base for others to visit and see.

The Voyagers expedition starts soon for the adventurers who seek to explore the universe and catalog its marvels. Together with a Twitch Drops campaign this brings a host of new content and rewards for players.

Improved quality dynamics on PS VR2

Rendering quality, stability and performance has improved across the board in this update. In particular, for PS VR2 players, foveated rendering brings a large quality improvement throughout the game. Whether you’re standing on a vista overlooking a planetary landscape, or marveling at the beauty and expanse of the solar system, the virtual universe has never looked better.

These are just a few of the things that PlayStation players can look forward to when diving into the Echoes update today.

It has already been a pretty busy year for the small No Man’s Sky team with the launch of the Fractal and Interceptor updates, along with the major Singularity expedition. Fittingly Echoes marks our 7th anniversary by making our universe more exciting, dangerous and interesting to explore. No Man’s Sky Echoes is out now on PS5, PS4, PS VR2, and PS VR.

Our journey continues.

If you’re a fan of RPGs, there’s a chance you’ve joined the ranks of millions of players around the globe who have fallen in love with Persona. Great characters, lengthy and engrossing stories, and challenging, strategic gameplay have built Persona into one of the premiere RPG series. Once you’re pulled into the universe of a Persona game, it’s an experience that will leave you craving more. To satisfy that hunger for top-class gaming experiences, Atlus is releasing two Persona titles over the coming months: the strategic spinoff Persona 5 Tactica out November 17 and the highly anticipated remake Persona 3 Reload launching in February 2024, both releasing on PS5 and PS4. We had a chance to play both games recently, so read on and learn more about what to expect!

Persona 5 Tactica: New realm of royal regard

Persona 5 Tactica is a very different experience from the preceding series. It’s not a remake–rather, it’s a spin-off featuring the beloved Phantom Thieves gang we came to love in Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal being whisked away to a whole new genre. Sometime during the events of Persona 5, the team sits in Leblanc, watching the news and discussing events, when they see a report about a missing politician. No sooner than the report ends the TV starts going haywire and everyone finds themselves in a strange new place with their Phantom Thieves garb on. It’s not a Palace, but it does seem like a place with ties to royalty, with a visual theme akin to historical France… and a laughing villainess named Marie.

This otherworldly kingdom has been overrun by spectral Legionnaires, and their tyranny is only kept in check by the Rebel Corps led by the enigmatic Erina, who the Phantom Thieves quickly find common ground with. But the rules of engagement in this realm are quite different from their usual battles.

Join the grid-based revolution

The enemy skirmishes in Persona 5 Tactica take place on a grid. Here, during your turn, you can position individual characters and have them perform various actions: ranged gun attacks, close-range melee strikes, or a variety of Persona techniques that consume SP.

The crux of combat involves positioning. Each character has a unique movement range that can be affected by their current position and terrain. Additionally, characters can use obstacles and barriers on the battlefield as cover to reduce or nullify damage from enemy gunfire. The range and use of Persona skills can also be affected by that character’s location.

Where the strategy starts to get deep and juicy is figuring out how to manipulate the enemy into a disadvantage while holding the upper hand in your own position. Close-range melee strikes can knock down enemies or even push them into a different place on the map–but they can also leave you as a sitting duck on the enemy’s turn if you aren’t careful. Hitting an enemy’s weakness can knock them down and grant the attacking character an extra opportunity to move and attack, but that same rule applies to your foes, as well. Carefully downing enemies and maneuvering members of your squad into a triangle formation allows you to perform a multi-character Triple Threat attack, delivering a massive blow to multiple enemies caught in the crossfire. But even in the heat of battle, sometimes the best strategy is to wait and see–being in the right place at the right time might just grant some benefits.

You won’t have to wait too much longer to take up the mask once again and join the rebellion–Persona 5 Tactica launches November 17 on PS5 and PS4.

Persona 3 Reload: Back to the old-school

Persona 3 Reload is a ground-up remake of the groundbreaking PS2 RPG that established many traditions for Persona games that followed. Our demo took us into two distinct portions towards the beginning of the game: the first few levels of the ever-morphing maze Tartarus, and a challenging team expedition/boss battle on a monorail ride gone haywire.

Winding mazes of Tartarus

Tartarus is a towering, many-floored domain of malevolent Shadows that emerges during the Dark Hour, a period of time late at night imperceptible to most of humanity… save for a handful of students at Gekkoukan High School. It’s up to these students, the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad, to attempt to conquer the maze, level by level, night by night, until its mysteries unravel–not an easy task when its shape is constantly transforming!

We took the starting SEES expedition lineup, consisting of the player hero character, ace archer Yukari, and sarcastic slacker Junpei, for an initial expedition through the dark and winding mazes of Tartarus. The isometric view of the original has been replaced with a more traditional third-person perspective, which really allows players to enjoy the much-enhanced exploration and navigation features.

Touch a shadow in Tartarus, and it’s off to the turn-based, weakness-exploiting combat Persona fans have come to love. Unlike the original, you have full control of all party members from the get-go–no awkward CPU-controlled combat choices–and a revised menu interface both adds immense style and makes flying through menus a breeze. If you’ve been on a Tartarus trek in the past, you might be pleased to know that all that old knowledge of enemy behavior from older versions of P3 still applies here–but with new Persona skills from later games added into the mix, you’ve now got even more options in a heated battle.

Battle under a full moon

The second part of the demo – a battle under the full moon on a shadow-controlled monorail about to go off the rails–was a bit more straightforward but also considerably more intense. The trio is forced to hurry and prevent a mass-casualty disaster–including a timed encounter with a resilient and very suggestive boss with a seemingly endless supply of summoned shadow minions to do her bidding, forcing lots of strategic skill use. Here we got to see some of Yukari and Junpei’s character traits shine through as they reacted to the crisis, resulting in some big team bonding in the end.

The gameplay and storytelling of Persona 3 Reload remain just as engaging as it always was, and it’s all bolstered by the improved visuals of both the environments and the characters. The character models in particular are stunning, looking like they leaped straight from the pages of character designer Shigenori Soejima’s sketchbook into the game. Whether you’re a veteran Persona fan or a relative newcomer, there will be plenty to experience and/or remember when Persona 3 Reload releases in February 2024.