Bingo's Cozy Corner

I LOVE Klonoa! this little guy is my nephew ^w^

in the weeds, in the dark, in the shadows of your mind

something unwelcome lurks

it points out every flaw, every mistake, every insecurity

it's your worst enemy

told ya I'd post again today :3 I finished my initial Tartarus trip, but the whole trip itself isn't done yet. I reached the highest floor I could and have been doing all the Monad doors I can, but I need to even out everyone's levels still. I'll do it next time I play :p aaanyway, that's what I want this post to focus on, the Tower of Demise itself, Tartarus

I think Tartarus is way more fun to explore in Reload than Portable! the addition of Twilight Fragments and breakable objects helps break up the monotony, and the Great Clock is a major help when it comes to grinding :) I also like how you could find Twilight Fragments hidden around Tatsumi Port Island; hidden collectables like that are always up my alley :3 my only issue with them is that you can find them all within the first couple of days, so they don't last long. oh well, Elizabeth hands them out like candy on Halloween, so it's not a big deal lol

I think another change that makes Tartarus more interesting is the visual overhaul it got. while yes, although it keeps the block themes present in the original, I think the updated graphics help make them more interesting to explore! I like how Thebel retains the school aesthetic that keeps the connection between Tartarus and Gekkoukan, I like how alien and purple Arqa is, I like how mechanical and square Yabbashah is, and I like how regal and sophisticated Tziah is. I didn't pay them much attention in Portable, but they really stand out in Reload! I also like the varied geometry of each block! Thebel's slopes, Arqa's weird dividers, Yabbashah's many sharp corners, and Tziah's pillars all keep the layout of each block distinct. makes me curious to see how the rest of Tartarus looks now :3

the overhaul done to the Monad is also a stellar change! when I played Portable, I found myself running away from all the enemies just to get to the Theodore fight (I didn't have enough prep time to fight both Elizabeth/Theodore AND Margaret on my Minato playthrough, so I just fought Theo on my Minako run). I like how combat is now the main focus of the Monad instead of the superboss at the end, fully dedicating itself to fighting powerful Shadows and reaping the rewards. I also like how they're scattered throughout Tartarus, with one special Monad Door awaiting before the border floor! the themed Shadow battles found in the special Monad Doors are fun too :3 earning both more Major Arcana cards for Shuffle Time AND raising the amount of cards you collect earn per day from the special Monad Doors was a genius decision!!

Hello again! :3 I started playing Reload again yesterday, and progressed almost a month in-game between then and now lol. I started up again on 10/7, and am now on 10/31 in Tartarus. I needed to take a break so I played a little Sparking! Zero, and am now writing before I dive into Tartarus again. Aaaanyway, here are more thoughts!

I can’t believe I didn’t say it last time, but getting to actually explore Tatsumi Port Island is such a new and unique feeling coming from somebody whose last experience with P3 was Portable! I know that might sound dumb, cuz that’s how the other Hashino trilogy Persona games were, but getting to experience P3 like this felt really special :) I remember when I was first given control, I wandered around Gekkoukan High for a while, taking in all the details and enjoying myself. I did the same to the rest of Tatsumi Port Island shortly after. It was like playing Persona 3 for the first time all over again :3

I remember P3P didn’t have any voices or animations for the Social Links, so being able to hear them speak and see them move for the first time was something special too :) I think everyone looks and sounds great! Havjng both those things in tandem really adds to the experience. I never realized til now just how much the voice acting improves the S. Links… I remember when Persona 4 Revival was first announced I thought that having all the S. Link ranks fully-voiced wasn’t necessary, and while part of me still agrees as I write this, it definitely appeals to me more now.

After all, having the S. Links voiced was enough to change the ranking of my favorites from P3! Nozomi, the Moon Arcana, isn’t my least favorite anymore! The S. Link itself still kinda sucks, but after seeing him moonwalk into a restaurant and hearing his goofy voice throughout the whole thing, I can’t help but like him a little now. He kinda falls into the “character who objectively sucks but you can’t help but like them despite this” category.

While on the topic of Social Links, I’ve noticed that they’ve changed certain aspects of some S. Links. There might be more, but I do remember two specific instances of this happening.

In Reload, Yuko (the Strength Arcana) and Mamoru (the Star Arcana) have some slight changes. One of Yuko’s original Ranks was about her thinking about losing weight, but in Reload, they changed that Rank to be about these girls who gossip about her. It never comes up in her S. Link again, so I don’t know why they made that change :\ I can understand why they changed one of Mamoru’s Ranks though. In the original, circumstances force him to give up on track and field so he can take care of his sick mother and younger siblings. In Reload, though, he makes this choice himself. It’s framed as him maturing, realizing that there are things bigger than himself that he needs to take care of. I think I prefer that over him literally not having a choice.

Hiiii! I haven’t been playing P3R lately, so I haven’t been working on this little project. Sorry lol, I’ve been tryin to unlock Bugs Bunny on Fortnite. Anyway, I’ll try to do this in bullet points, but some of them might be big long paragraphs anyways lol :3

Spoilers btw

Everyone already knows this, but P3R’s version of Minato’s awakening is kinda mid. The reduction in anime cutscenes affects important scenes like this greatly, and Minato’s awakening suffers the most from this. The original anime cutscene is simply goated, and it blows this version out of the water in every way possible. The 3D models look good, but they aren’t nearly as expressive as the original, which bites this version in the ass cuz that expressiveness is what sells the original’s raw energy. At least it’s not P3P’s port with the scuffed audio lol.

It took some getting used to, but I really like the modern English cast for P3! I’d even go so far as to say that I prefer most of the new voices! The only characters whose original voices I prefer so far are Akihiko’s, Fuuka’s, and lkutsuki’s.

Alejandro Saab’s take on Akihiko isn’t necessarily bad, but I think the voice sounds way too deep for the character. Akihiko is like 17 I think, but Saab’s voice makes this high schooler sound like he’s in his late 30s. Not a bad voice, I just don’t think it fits Akihiko.

Suzie Yeung isn’t bad as Fuuka, I just think the voice she gives her is kind of a generic anime girl voice. I feel kinda bad saying that, but I just can’t shake the notion that her take on Fuuka is like any other girl voice you’d hear in some isekai slop. I think Paula Tiso, who played Fuuka in P3, P3 FES, and P3P, is a better fit. Fuuka is a shy, quiet, nerdy girl, and I think Tiso conveys that sentiment better than Yeung.

Jake Green’s take on Ikutsuki is a similar situation to Saab’s Akihiko; I this new voice is just too deep. Green’s Ikutsuki sounds serious and competent, which I don’t think works for the goofy, innocent front he puts on. In a weird way, I almost feel like this new voice for Ikutsuki gives away his ulterior motives, as he sounds too smart for the dopey way he talks and acts. I think the twist works way better in the original, as hearing the usually happy-go-lucky guy talk about how he’s orchestrated the fall of humanity is a much greater shock to the system given his voice. It makes me very curious and excited to see how that plays out in Reload!