Persona 3 hit all the right notes for me in terms of story, characters, music, environments, all that good stuff. And although later games would offer a more streamlined experience that improved on what this game had, there's still something to be said about how fun it is even without the later changes.
The story is definitely my favorite type out of what we got in the franchise. It's not the most complex, but it has a style and theming that had me hooked when I experienced it for the first time. It also provides a more mature cast as opposed to the entries that would come later, allowing me to empathize with their struggles a lot more believably; even characters like Junpei (in-spite of some folk grasping at straws towards his flaws to prove certain points), has a significantly better character development and rarely lingers on the "one-note pervy" personality he was introduced with, unlike other characters like Yosuke in the later games, in favor of seeing him deal with genuine hardships, which make him change greatly as a person.
Tartarus I also found to be one of my favorite places in any RPG to train up in. The idea that you're climbing this massive tower, which changes in appearance more and more as you get further up, to be a very curious experience. The fact also that they make getting to the top actually part of the main story, whereas most other games I've played would have made getting there an optional part of post-game, makes the location a lot more significant in its world-building.
These are only a few of the significant points I've enjoyed with Persona 3 (trust me when I say I could go on for hours if I had enough free time), but overall I think it's a worthwhile experience to dive into.
My Favorite Entry in the Franchise
Persona 3 hit all the right notes for me in terms of story, characters, music, environments, all that good stuff. And although later games would offer a more streamlined experience that improved on what this game had, there's still something to be said about how fun it is even without the later changes.
The story is definitely my favorite type out of what we got in the franchise. It's not the most complex, but it has a style and theming that had me hooked when I experienced it for the first time. It also provides a more mature cast as opposed to the entries that would come later, allowing me to empathize with their struggles a lot more believably; even characters like Junpei (in-spite of some folk grasping at straws towards his flaws to prove certain points), has a significantly better character development and rarely lingers on the "one-note pervy" personality he was introduced with, unlike other characters like Yosuke in the later games, in favor of seeing him deal with genuine hardships, which make him change greatly as a person.
Tartarus I also found to be one of my favorite places in any RPG to train up in. The idea that you're climbing this massive tower, which changes in appearance more and more as you get further up, to be a very curious experience. The fact also that they make getting to the top actually part of the main story, whereas most other games I've played would have made getting there an optional part of post-game, makes the location a lot more significant in its world-building.
These are only a few of the significant points I've enjoyed with Persona 3 (trust me when I say I could go on for hours if I had enough free time), but overall I think it's a worthwhile experience to dive into.