Persona 3 Reload had a solid release with Nintendo Switch fans loving the remake of the 2006 RPG by Atlus. Despite being a remake, there were small and big changes to the game. The most noticeable change was undoubtedly the absence of the female protagonist.
The female protagonist was introduced in the 2009 remake, Persona 3 Portable, which was ported to Nintendo Switch earlier this year. Besides the latest remake, a lot of the players are enjoying the older version. One of the reasons is having two protagonists of different genders. Having two genders not only appeals to a wider demographic of gamers, but it allows players to experiment further with the game’s social link system.
Although most of the gameplay is similar for both genders, players will notice a stark difference when interacting with NPC and going about their day-to-day activities. While many of the clubs available in the game are locked to a specific gender, there are massive changes to the dating mechanic as well. Persona games are known for their social relationships, and interestingly, male protagonists are allowed to date whomever they please. However, this is not the case with females, as they are restricted to one partner at a time, although it is possible for them to reject romantic advances wherever applicable. Additionally, the combat is also quite different as both the male and female protagonists have varied stats and use different weapons.
Does Persona 3 Reload have a female protagonist?
As mentioned earlier, Atlus did not develop Persona 3 with a female protagonist in mind. Instead, they gave players an option to play as a female in the Persona 3 Portable remake in the hopes of attracting a wider audience. From what we figured, Atlus believed the Nintendo Switch platform was home to a larger demographic of gamers and they wanted to make Persona 3 Portable more relatable to such users. However, since Persona 3 Reload released only on leading consoles and the PC, Atlus decided to fall back on their original design, opting to do away with the female protagonist.
Hence, we are sorry to report that Persona 3 Reload doesn’t feature a female protagonist at present. The only way to play the game is as a male, which is the canon gender for this iteration. However, that being said, people hoping for a female protagonist need not lose hope. The Persona series is known for its wide variety of downloadable content, and Atlus might listen to its fans and add a female character as a future DLC. Interestingly, the addition of a female protagonist also opens up multiple possibilities when it comes to the game’s social link mechanic, although only time can tell if we can play through the entirety of Persona 3 Reload as a female.
