Thread by @MbKKssTBhz5

Good morning.

A translation is on the way.

https://twitter.com/4gamernews/status/1669479953531039744

-Some of the development staff on P5R at the end of its development were moved to P3R, and then became the development team for P3R.
-P3R is a remake that is meant to be played just like P5.

I am translating the entire article, so please be patient. It should be done soon. ありがとう！

-P3R is an important challenge for the future of the Persona series
-All modern series elements are in P3R, including the lack of fatigue/tiredness, and characters will have individual Persona elements.
-Every Social Link event is fully voiced.

-To compromise for the lack of male Social Links, these new side stories were added so that every character gets their backstories equally told.
-All voices were recorded again, and there is a higher volume of voice acting than in the original.

-Tartarus has breakable objects and unique conversations that you will only hear by exploring with your team.
-P3R will still be comically expressive just like the original P3, and there was unique attention put on retaining that aspect.

-The development team intentionally went out of their way to ensure P3R retains everything P3 is known for, while adding positive elements from future games.
-Direct commands and AI commands are in P3R like other Persona games from P4 onwards.

-"We couldn't create actual dungeons like in P5 due to how Tartarus interacts with the story of P3, so using the power of Unreal Engine, we worked to build a more visually expressive Tartarus instead. There are visual effects, such as light shining through the window."

-During development, the team focused on asking staff members who played the original P3 what they felt was missing from the gameplay experience, and what had bothered them when they first played P3 years back.

-Around half of the production team involved on P3R were not game developers at the time they played P3, so they used their perspectives as players to better understand the positive and negative aspects of playing P3.

-The title is Persona 3 Reload because Wada-san felt that "R" made sense because P5R was the updated version of P5. "Reloaded" was originally an idea, but it sounded too focused on the action of a gun, but Reload made more sense because of the device used to summon a persona.

-Wada-san states that the staff all felt confident they kept to their vision during the latter stages of production, unlike other projects where there are the feelings of "could we have done more?" The team is excited to release this game worldwide on the same day.

-Niizuma-san: "With this announcement, I feel confident that we have been able to show what P3 would look like if the P-Studio of today were to have developed it."
-"We wanted to respect those who had past experiences with Persona, as well as those who started with P5."

-Persona 3 Reload has the highest volume of voiced dialogue in the entire series to date.

-It is now possible to max out all Social Links on your very first playthrough in Reload.

-“Maxing out every Social Link in one go will be no easy feat, but it’s not as difficult before, similarly to P5. It’s achievable if you go about doing so in the right way.”

-Wada-san: “The concept of dungeon exploration was much different back when P3 came out compared to today. At that time, we did not play in the same way as we do now, which is to do as much or go as far as you can within a single day. The fatigue system forced players to return.”

-Wada-san was very surprised by people figuring out ways to max out all Social Links in the original P3, especially because it was not originally designed with that intention. “How!? How were they able to figure out how to do that?”

Niizuma-san: “After I became a developer myself, I once again felt that the rougher edges of P3 are what initially attracted me to the game. Some of the rougher elements of the game must be polished in order to make a game that is fun for people to play today. However…”

“There are those rougher aspects of the game that I feel bring out the essence of what the title is, which should not be squared off or discarded. I think I was able to approach this remake with this type of mindset.”

-Yamaguchi-san: “I can’t delve deeper into the specifics just yet, but with Reload, we are making adjustments to the main cast, including their skills so that they can all be equally as effective in battle.”

“The battle elements, which are a focal point of the game, will be tailored in accordance to each cast members’ unique characteristics, so please look forward to more information later on in the future.”

On adjusting the design of Tartarus:
“We couldn’t reduce the amount of levels to climb and create fixed dungeons akin to P5, so we had to follow the guidelines of the original and create a dungeon with an array of small elements that could be interacted with.”

“One example being the conversations between your allies. These particular conversations can only be heard while in Tartarus. There are also breakable objects and movements in the background. We really only focused on adding small things to make it seem more interesting.”

“Tartarus was designed impressively using the expressive capabilities of Unreal Engine. We were able to create a complete, three-dimensional and wide-angled recreation of Tartarus, which is both impressively designed and varied in a way that resembles the original game.”

“It’s a tad difficult to convey it in still images, but I think it doesn’t feel dull in any way, especially with the additions of light sources such as light shining through the tower.”

Niizuma-san: “There are many fans of the Persona series who have followed along with the series for a long time now, and of course, we must respect what they have experienced in the past. However, we felt we could protect them by not changing the base concepts of the original P3”

On voice acting and voices in the game:
Niizuma-san: “I would also like people to pay close attention to the voices. The voice acting performed by the actors is one of the key aspects of the modern Persona series that fans are eagerly anticipating.”

Yamaguchi-san: “For example, in past entries, voices were often included in certain parts of the game. But in P3R, whenever the player ranks up, there is voiced dialogue for every single rank.”

“Even before development began, as a player, I had seen Social Link scenarios unfold. But when voices are added alongside them, I can feel something that deeply resonates with me again. Even if you have played P3 before, I think you will be able to experience this in a new way.”

On character and model expression:

Yamaguchi-san: “The changes in head-to-body ratios has brought with it changes in both expression and movements. Compared to the original P3, the balance between the stylish and comical styles now leans more towards the former.”

“Compared to the more deformed models featured in the original P3, it’s a bit more difficult to express or convey things such as a character falling on their butt during battle, but P3 has always been about the more comical side of cool design elements, so we kept that aspect.”

On P3R and its development:
Wada-san: “First and foremost, we of course were aware that many people had wanted a remake of P3. We received a wide variety of feedback, and in the annual surveys by Atlus, it had always ranked high amongst the titles requested to be remade.”

“As with many of you, this was also an important game for us on the development side of things. And because of that, it was not a game we could simply begin working on with a passive approach.”

“We’ve had the idea for this project for quite some time, but we didn’t actually start working on it until late 2019.”

“A few of us started working on it towards the end of development on P5R. But after development of P5R had ended, almost all of those members became the P3R development team. It was like sliding from P5R into P3R.”

“This is the first time we are developing a game as the P-Studio with an entirely brand new engine, and it is also our first project of this scale to be released simultaneously worldwide.”

“Looking at it from this angle, it can be considered a remake of an integral title that made the Persona series what it has become today. And as a development team, it also acted as a brand new challenge for the future of the Persona series as a whole.”