I love the original game, it was my favorite game of all time for a while, and I even enjoyed playing this remake, but something felt off. It gave me much less than the original, and just didn’t feel as powerful. I couldn"t quite pinpoint why until I finished the game, then everything started making sense.

1. The UI is one of the best improvements. It surpasses the original in every aspect and is a pleasure to navigate.
   
   
2. More content, expanded voice acting.
   
   
3. It"s a fine game on its own if you ignore the original.
   

1. The music. There are some new original tracks that are genuinely good, and a few remakes that surpass the originals. However, most tracks either feel the same or are worse. The most crucial songs—ones that should hit hard—fall flat. The raw, gritty emotion of these tracks was stripped away for a more generic sound. As a music producer, I found the final boss theme especially hollow, with key elements removed entirely, not even replaced.
   
   The following tracks (in my opinion) are particularly worse: "The Battle For Everyone"s Souls" and "Living with Determination - Iwatodai Dorm Arrange." Mixing choices are strange—like the credit song’s vocals being drowned in reverb. The new singer is good, but not better than the original. The original’s "lo-fi" quality, which fit the atmosphere, is also missing. Not a dealbreaker, but noticeable.

1. Art direction in the remake has serious issues. While it looks fine on its own, it falls short compared to the original. It alters the game’s entire atmosphere, leading many important moments to feel less impactful. The developers misunderstood why the original was created the way it was—key visual and directive elements are either misinterpreted or removed. Atmosphere is pretty bad in 90% of places, the original was dark, gloomy and "dirty/raw", while the remake goes for a more vibrant and clean feel.
   
   Boss fight environments, especially the final boss, look bland and generic. Somehow, the PS2 version feels more atmospheric, despite its lower graphical fidelity. Art direction triumphs graphics, and many of those choices are gone in the remake. The final boss no longer carries the same emotional weight.
   
   An example is the dorms. In the original, they felt dark and somber. Without changing them visually, their vibe evolved over time, reflecting the story and character development. The remake changes these subtle details for no reason, using visuals that don’t fit. As a result, the dorms don’t undergo the same atmospheric transformation. The devs apply a visual filter to signal atmosphere shifts, but it has no impact, no layers.
   
   The ending cutscenes (no spoilers) also suffer. The original had a unique, serene vibe, but the remake opts for a more generic anime ending style. The plot points are the same, but the art direction dampens the emotional weight. It is still powerful in a way, but the generic anime cringe moments took me out of it, and they weren"t in the original, it was a lot simpler but much more "to the point" type powerful, no elements to bring it down, all the elements to make it pop. I could say much more, but I won’t for spoiler reasons. The only improvement is the UI elements during the ending, which actually add something new, and some of the camera angle changes (not all).
   
   Overall, the remake"s art direction is weaker. The original was greater than the sum of its parts, while the remake feels like a disjointed attempt to piece things together. The only part that’s somewhat better is the new Tartarus visual design.
   
   
2. A lot of animated cutscenes from the original have been replaced by in-engine cutscenes. This would be fine if the new ones captured the same emotions, but they don’t. The new cutscenes remove the intricacies that made the originals special, and they rush through important moments that need buildup. Some were reanimated in an "anime" style, but they use a generic anime look, and worse art direction. For example, the protagonist awakening and the opening cutscene of the game (not the music video) felt much rawer in the original, creating a stronger first impression.
   
   
3. The remake is missing the point. In the original, the characters didn’t feel like close friends; they felt like people brought together by a common goal, each for different reasons. You could feel the tension between them, making moments of unity all the more impactful. The remake tries to soften this, diluting the raw feelings of interpersonal connections. You can still kinda tell they aren’t really "the best" friends, but the remake fails to make you actually feel it. Why? All of the elements of the original are connected, you can"t just remove some, change others and expect things to fit and fall into place the same way.
   
   In the original, characters felt like real people making their own choices. The lack of direct control over party members reinforced this; you were the team leader, influencing but not dictating their actions. The fatigue system also added realism—characters would tire, leave the dungeon, and might be sick for a few days. These systems, though inconvenient, made the game feel alive and immersive. In the remake, they’ve been removed for convenience, stripping away the game’s depth.
   
   
4. The gameplay has been simplified to the point where it feels like child’s play. Even on the hardest difficulty, I barely paid attention as the original game’s challenges were watered down. The fatigue system is gone, shadows in Tartarus are practically blind, and the floors are so massive you can run past everything. You can escape instantly without teleporters, and one character has an ability to restore party SP, trivializing resource management. New Theurgy attacks ignore resistances and deal free massive damage, weaking the strategy aspect in battles.
   
   The gameplay lacks immersion. I never felt like I was leading my team through life-or-death situations in a hostile dungeon. In the original, there was always tension—"Do I risk pushing forward or return?"—and the possibility of facing tough situations with limited resources. That’s all gone now. You just breeze through enemies without any thought. It becomes boring and "grindy" feeling in a way, because there is no stakes, just another floor to get to.
   
   Even the final boss, which should be a climactic challenge, felt like I was bullying it. I didn’t even see most of its moves. Everything in the gameplay has been streamlined for convenience, ruining the sense of struggle and teamwork that defined the original experience.
   
   
5. The remake uses the Persona 3 Portable script, designed for the PSP (a visual novel with fewer immersive elements). I don"t know why they’d use this script for a full remake. It relies more on telling than showing, unlike the original.
   
   Example, not really related to the script, in the original’s opening cutscene, Yukari was silent, creating suspense. In the remake, she awkwardly says, "Just put it to my head… and pull the trigger," ruining the moment in a way. Why streamline EVERYTHING so much to the point where you lose every aspect of the original that made it what it was.
   
   They’ve also added unnecessary “anime-fied” lines that detract from the experience. The remake even lets you alter some key story moments for fanservice (a feature from Portable), weakening the story’s impact.

Should you play this remake? For €70, absolutely not. While it"s not a bad game, the original is superior in almost every way. Would you really sacrifice the original’s depth for the convenience of the remake? In my opinion, if you’ve only played this version, you haven’t truly experienced what makes Persona 3 great.