The Persona series has never been more popular. Ever since Joker and his band of Phantom Thieves stole a lot of people’s hearts in 2016, the series’ popularity has skyrocketed, even pushing Atlus to continuously milk the franchise with spin-off content and sequels.
But the Persona games didn’t start from 5. Released over two decades ago, the first Persona game wasn’t mainly about Social Links, stylish UIs, and entering people’s subconscious palaces. It was largely about a group of students who discover their latent powers after playing an odd party game called “Persona.”
It was the series’ true introduction to the Persona franchise, blending Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei turn-based combat with an interesting spin on Jungian psychology. With today’s technology, a remake could breathe new life into this long-forgotten classic, making it feel fresh and essential to a new generation of players.
Atlus already has the experience to remake a game from the ground up. Persona 3: Reload received accolades due to its impressive reimagining of the first modern Persona entry, bringing in old and new fans into its bittersweet story.
Persona 3: Reload also paved the way for the upcoming Persona 4: Revival, a remake of the 2008 PlayStation 2 classic. The only Persona games left for Atlus to reconsider bringing back into the spotlight are the first two Persona games.
The obvious case here would be bringing the original Persona game into its mainstream audience.
There are plenty of challenges Atlus needs to go through in order for a Persona remake to work. For one, it’s a game with a dated combat system. No one was having fun running around hallways and encountering combat with every single step. Reworking it to match the quality of the modern Persona entries, with their stylish UI and flashy animations, would be costly.
Should Atlus take on that challenge, we could see something similar to what they did with RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army. It wasn’t a remake, per se, but rather a remaster that added a variety of enhancements, including controls, audio, and visuals.
There are players who’d love to experience the series’ roots without having to worry about its clunky controls and 1996 sensibilities.
A Persona reimagining wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility. Whether it’s a total remake or a remaster, this is Atlus’ way of introducing its expanding playerbase to the game’s first blueprint. While its story may not match the narrative depth of modern entries, Persona 1 laid the foundation for the franchise, signaling a new era of Shin Megami Tensei for today’s players.
Does the first Persona game deserve a remake? Absolutely. But Atlus would have to overcome a series of significant challenges to bring this franchise-defining entry to the modern market.
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