Persona 3 Reload Nintendo Switch 2 Review
When I first played Persona 3 Reload last year, I thought Atlus did a fantastic job with a modern take on Persona 3's base game, but I was annoyed at the lack of the Persona 3 Portable content. I wasn't as annoyed by the lack of The Answer from Persona 3 FES, but Atlus has since gone on to address one of those issues with Episode Aigis as a part of the expansion pass. I originally played Persona 3 Reload on both PS5 and Steam Deck, but ended up playing Episode Aigis via Xbox Series X. I still don't care much for the FES story content, but Episode Aigis at least made me enjoy it more. I was hoping Atlus would deliver a Switch or Switch 2 port for Persona 3 Reload because I wanted an excuse to replay it. This brings us to today. Persona 3 Reload is finally coming out for Nintendo Switch 2, and what should've been an easy recommendation has too many caveats right now.
For my Persona 3 Reload Switch 2 review, I'm going to cover the release from two perspectives: newcomers to P3R and those who have played it already. The latter is important because I know many (including myself) who double or triple-dipped on games during the Switch generation to play them on the go. When Atlus ported Persona 5 Royal to Switch, the inclusion of all DLC and it being the first time P5R was available on a portable console made it an easy recommendation for a replay. Having cosmetics and BGM options alongside all the other extra content meant I could replay Persona 5 Royal and experience a remixed take so to speak, with even some Personas I didn't use during my first PS4 playthrough years prior.
Had Atlus included Episode Aigis or even other cosmetic and BGM DLC with Persona 3 Reload's Switch 2 release, the asking price would've been easier to swallow given the near-two year late port being sold at $59.99. Unfortunately, all DLC is sold separately making this a very expensive purchase just like the game's debut last year with all added content.
With that aside, how is this port for those who skipped last year's release for a potential Nintendo platform release? Well, the answer isn't as simple as I had hoped. To cut to the chase, the demo is a very good representation of the final game unfortunately. Right now, the handheld experience you get with Persona 3 Reload is still not great. While both docked and handheld target 30fps and look fine (docked on my 1440p monitor) to very good (handheld), I was hoping the 30fps frame rate cap was correctly implemented.
Persona 3 Reload in both docked and handheld modes suffers from frame pacing issues that result in what feels like hitching. I only played the PS4 version on PS4 Pro last year for a few hours to test something, but the frame pacing on Switch 2 is worse than that. Handheld mode in particular, the main draw for me with this port, just feels between acceptable to bad depending on the scene. I first noticed this in the school when you are able to move the camera and control the protagonist, but it can feel quite awful in Tartarus while exploring. Basically any section where you have free camera control and 3D movement feels worse handheld in the game's current state with even the input lag feeling a bit much and it not registering camera movement as it should when running during exploration and attempting to turn the camera. This didn't happen every time, but I had it happen a handful of times during the ten or so hours I spent with Persona 3 Reload exclusively handheld on Switch 2. The silver lining is Persona 3 Reload looks very good handheld on the Switch 2 display.
Out of the near-25 hours I've spent with the Switch 2 version of Persona 3 Reload over the last few weeks docked and handheld, I've been playing it more docked just because the frame pacing issues bother me less there. I am a bit surprised that the team didn't implement VRR or make use of any other technologies the Switch 2 display has to make this feel smoother. While Persona 5 Royal on Switch was noticeably softer with its image quality during gameplay, Persona 3 Reload looks excellent, but never feels great even with its conservative 30fps target. Persona 3 Reload is a 4K 60fps game on PS5 and Xbox Series X with more modern reflections. I've also been playing it on Steam Deck at 60fps without issues handheld (reflections disabled just like the PS4 and Switch 2 versions) including late game where I retested many sections of Tartarus and exploration.
The Switch 2 version has none of the ray traced reflections included right now, and it still can't even hit its 30fps target perfectly with it being nowhere close to native resolution even when I play on my 1440p monitor. One other aspect I want to cover is the load times. I don't have my PS4 Pro still connected to compare with that, but Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 (installed to the internal storage) loads slower across the board compared to the game played on my Steam Deck, ROG Ally, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Even things like going in and out of the classroom take more time than other platforms. It may not seem like much, but everything adds up.
Atlus told me that the team is taking steps to improve performance through post-launch patches, but I've not been given any time frame for this. In its current state, Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 delivers a worse experience than every other platform I have access to with the game. I was even able to get a higher frame rate via Steam Deck docked when running at 1080p than the current Switch 2 release making me really wonder why Atlus was so conservative with this release. Hopefully these patches arrive sooner than later and actually improve things. I will be covering all versions of Persona 3 Reload in a comparison feature in the near future as well.
Revisiting Persona 3 Reload over a year later has made me appreciate many aspects of it a lot more like the music and added content to flesh out the narrative, but I still lament the lack of Persona 3 Portable's female MC route. I also was hoping to see more quality of life additions since the team was doing a new version. Additional fast forward or skip animation options would've been great for replays, but I still love how Tartarus and general dungeon exploration feels here compared to prior versions of Persona 3.
Looking back at Atlus' Persona releases on Switch, Persona 3 Reload handheld feels worse given the hardware than all Persona games felt on Switch all things considered. To give you another example of how I feel about the handheld experience here, I was able to beat Shin Megami Tensei V on Switch multiple times pre-release and the performance never bothered me as much as the hitching and general feel Persona 3 Reload has in handheld. This might not bother you as much as it does to me, but you should try out the demo and see how the camera movement and character movement feel in the school and in Tartarus before you buy this on Switch 2. Save data carries over so you aren't wasting your time either.
Despite being quite down on this release because of the handheld experience right now, I still think Persona 3 Reload is well worth your time for TV/docked play on Switch 2, taking the pricing issues into account. While it may not have everything I wanted from a remake of Persona 3, it succeeds in making the more-annoying aspects of the original more palatable while delivering added content that made me appreciate some characters more. It also helps that the new soundtrack is superlative almost across the board.
Persona 3 Reload for Switch 2 should've been the easiest win for Atlus, but it is lacking in some key areas. If you've not played it before and mostly play docked on Switch 2, it is a good but conservative port, and P3R remains worth your time. The real issue is how Persona 3 Reload for Switch 2 doesn't feel great to play at all right now on the go, the real draw of this new port. Had Atlus included all DLC, it would've been a good excuse to replay the game with different costume and music options, or even made it so those who played the base game last year could experience Episode Aigis on the go.