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Ah, the joys of high school: pop quizzes, empty Clearasil bottles, homeroom, science lab, and shadowy demons running amok in the hallways at night. That last part might not resonate with most high schoolers living outside of, say, Sunnydale or Chernobyl, but it's a fact of life for the teenagers in Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3. Japan's moody, modern-day RPG series makes its first appearance on PS2, hoping to create a new following among American audiences tired of the well-traveled fantasy and sci-fi milieus.

Tickle Me "Emo"

The lead protagonist is a sullen, 17-year-old with a murky past, a powerful secret, and a questionable haircut. The nameless character is a new transfer student at a Japanese high school. The game begins in a nearby dormitory, a hotel of sorts for students and instructors with "potential" -- and no, it's not the ability to do long division without a calculator. "Potential" here is the power to manifest one's psyche into entities called personas. Only a select few have the inner talent, and your character just so happens to be the host with the most.

Time is a central theme in Persona 3, and in a series first, players will perform daily activities throughout an entire Japanese school year. From Monday to Friday players will automatically attend classes, witnessing snippets of lectures, and even getting a chance to answer questions on a particular subject. Talking to fellow students opens up dialogue trees that typically offer several viable choices instead of one obvious answer, allowing you to shape your character in distinct ways. Another underlying theme is that every choice has a consequence, and the game does an excellent job in making you feel that your decisions actually have an impact on future events.

After School Special 

The protagonist can increase the following three attributes during his time at school, the dormitory, or in neighborhood areas like the mall: academics, charm, and courage. Answer the teacher's questions correctly and your academics rating will increase, eventually granting you access to certain classrooms and improving your scores on exams, leading to new items. Charm affects how others perceive you, helping you to romance the ladies, and courage is earned by visiting a karaoke bar, seeing the doctor, or eating the school's mystery meat. Sadly, the last part is untrue. All three establish your character's social links, which in turn strengthens a persona's abilities.

Events in Persona 3 do not occur in real time, so certain days are automatically skipped and players can trigger the evening hours simply by performing a specific action or leaving a particular location. At night, during a time referred to as the "Dark Hour," players ditch the writing and make with the fighting. As the rest of the persona-less population turns into coffins and sleeps the night away. Our hero and his merry band of freaks and geeks venture back into school, now home to a dimensional portal with the tantalizing name of Tartarus. Yes, as one character readily admits, it sounds like a brand of toothpaste, but you’re the one cleaning up the mess.

Don’t Try This at Home

Tartarus consists of 250+ randomly generated floors, ensuring no two visits are alike even though they may otherwise look alike. If you've seen one blood spattered hallway, you've seen 'em all. Enemies are out in the open, as they'll patrol areas and appear on a helpful mini-map, allowing players the chance to sneak up and whack creatures. Each pre-emptive strike grants the party an extra turn in combat or a lost turn if the enemy hits first. After the official "slow-motion screen swoosh" that all console RPGs must use to signify combat, the battle screen offers a close-up view of the area with up to five party members forming a circle around the enemy.

A ring-style command list is used to initiate actions with the lead protagonist, as the rest of the party is automatically controlled by artificial intelligence. Players can attack with an equipped weapon, flee from battle, use an item, tell the AI-controlled party members to focus on a specific target or to heal, and use a persona's special ability; with persona attacks representing about 90% of the time spent in combat. Don't expect the AI to be perfect, as characters have a tendency to burn their spirit points too quickly, but your character's unique ability to equip multiple personas can help right most wrongs.

Summoning a persona is something that is sure to cause Jack Thompson's eyes to twitch. It involves pulling a gun to one's temple and -- kablammy -- out comes Mr. Persona, ready to rumble, giving new meaning to the phrase "using one's head." On the plus side, you won't see your character's gooey bits oozing out of his or her skull. It’s more like shards of glass, so it's a lot less violent than it could have been. This is just one of many interesting animations that livens up combat and gives characters a sense of personality, even if it's a deranged personality.

Persona non Grata?

Persona 3's daily structure is both a blessing and a curse. A benefit of the system is that you genuinely look forward to seeing what new characters or events are revealed the next day. Yet having to visit a single dungeon, even one with hundreds of floors, is not always appealing. An artificial time limit placed within the dungeon. Characters grow increasingly tired the longer they stay in Tartarus which seems like an attempt to mask the game's inherent repetitiveness. More mini-games, more puzzles, and more strategic battles would have helped Persona 3 make the grade with traditional RPG fans, but its slick presentation and distinctive style are reasons enough to enroll in this anime-inspired institution.

Article by: Scott Alan Marriott
Video Produced by: Michael Leffler