Persona 3
Spin-Offs That Were Better Than the Mainline Games
The SMT (Shin Megami Tensei) franchise has been around just as long as Square Enix’s Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series but has always sort of been this black sheep of the JRPG world, with its themes usually being a bit darker and more mature than others. The mainline SMT games were always really difficult with steep learning curves and no hand-holding, letting the player figure out what the heck they’re supposed to be doing without much help. With monsters, demons, sacrificial rituals, and nods to religion, SMT didn’t really garner worldwide attention until a certain spin-off came to light, Persona, specifically Persona 3.
The Persona series went a little bit lighter with its tones but still had those dark themes present. Persona 3 was the turning point for the series though, adding in the social elements and improved battle system that we’re used to seeing now in newer games like Persona 4 and 5. Persona 3 also added the calendar system, making the series a fully realized simulation game of sorts when you weren’t fighting monsters in dungeons. You could romance certain NPC’s, choose where to work, go to the gym, go on dates, and much much more. The Persona series wouldn’t be where it was today without this excellent entry back in 2007.
