Global InformationPersona 3 information
| Persona 3 | |
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 North American cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Atlus |
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| Director(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Katsura Hashino |
| Designer(s) |
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| Programmer(s) |
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| Writer(s) |
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| Composer(s) | Shoji Meguro |
| Series | Persona |
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| Release | July 13, 2006
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing, social simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Persona 3,[a] released outside Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus that is the fourth main installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006 and in North America in 2007. It has received several enhanced re-releases and ports: Persona 3 FES, an extended version featuring a new playable epilogue and other changes, was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2007 and worldwide in 2008. An abridged PlayStation Portable version, Persona 3 Portable, was released in Japan in 2009, North America in 2010, and Europe in 2011, and ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023. Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the core game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, was released on February 2, 2024.
In Persona 3, the player assumes the role of a high school student who joins the "Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad" (SEES), a group of students investigating a temporal anomaly known as the "Dark Hour", during which its members can enter Tartarus, a tower containing monsters called Shadows. They battle the Shadows using a physical manifestation of their psyche called a Persona, which they summon by firing a gun-like object called an "Evoker" at their head. Persona 3 incorporates elements of role-playing and simulation games, as the game's protagonist progresses day by day through a school year and forms relationships that improve their Personas' strength in battle.
Reception towards Persona 3 was mainly positive; critics enjoyed its social elements, while some found its combat and environments repetitive. Persona 3 FES's epilogue was said to give narrative closure to the original game, although it was criticized for not featuring its simulation aspects. Persona 3 has also seen other related media, including the fighting games Persona 4 Arena and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, the rhythm game Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, soundtrack albums, musical concerts, radio dramas, a manga, a loosely connected anime series, and an episodic animated film series.
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