Atlus can’t seem to contain many of its Persona 3 Reload secrets and features, so the company picked the best time to show off more information: during Tokyo Game Show 2023 week.

A recent Atlus media presentation (which may be broadcast later on  21st September Thursday GMT+8), showcased a Tartarus dungeon run with the main protagonist (default name Makoto like in the manga adaptation) along with Junpei, Mitsuru, and Akihito. With high-powered gear in hand, we saw a few bouts and scuffles with shadows along with a brand new feature in this iteration: Theurgia.

Each character in battle has a meter on the right side of their portraits; that’s the resource that will let you use Theurgia, which are special high-damage attacks (or buffs) combining Personas and their user. Junpei has one called Burst Swing which has him charging to his target alongside his Persona, but not before a well-timed pratfall that ends with him striking his opponent downward with his baseball bat.

Speaking of battle themes, the game alternates between the new one in the trailer (using “baby, baby,baby” as a starting point) as well as the original track “Mass Destruction”. The best of both worlds, basically.

Also, seeing the menus transitioning seamlessly and showing off a lot of drip and style will never get old. The showcase’s host Mafia even joked that Makoto in one of the menu screens poses like a gravure idol.

The latest trailer also teased a new Social Link to establish: one with the Velvet Room attendant Elizabeth. The short trailer shows off the attendant trying to adjust with the real world alongside Makoto. Needless to say, this is a #1 request from fans of the third game. Despite its darker themes when compared with parts 4 and 5, the game has its fair share of levity that it isn’t afraid to show off.

Otherwise, everything that you expect will end up as improvements for part 3 is here. The battles are turn-based, you can now control your whole party, you still hit enemies with weaknesses to gain additional turns, and the demon fusion that’s associated with the Shin Megami Tensei series is prevalent (except here they’re Personas). You still get more powerful during non-combat portions by making friends, building up your social links for stronger fusions when climbing the ever-random tower that is Tartarus. Its dark tone is what sets this one apart from Persona 4 and Persona 5, with its allusion to nihilism and the fact that summoning your Personas requires you to point a gun at your head and shoot.

With each new information coming in for the RPG remake, Atlus (and Sega’s) mission in introducing a new crowd to the Persona game that put them on the map in a new coat of paint seems to be going smoothly. Persona 3 Reload will be bringing you back to its Gekkoukan high school drama (and supernatural tower climbing nonsense) next year on 2nd February 2024.