(Original image source: Persona 3 FES intro.)
The player character in Persona 3 FES is a mystery even to the player. An orphaned teenager with powers far beyond his SEES teammates, he may well be the single most powerful entity in the game.
Unlike the rest of the SEES, the player character possesses the yet-unexplained ability to call upon multiple Personae and create new ones through the fusion process, making him the most powerful and versatile party member, and a deadly opponent.
In battle, the player character may switch Personae once per turn, allowing the summoning of the Persona best suited to exploit enemy weakness(es), which is the crux of P3F’s battle system.
From a gameplay perspective, the Persona-switching mechanic also gives the player the opportunity to transform his “player class” every turn. One Persona might be a heavy-hitting warrior-equivalent, another might be an offensive spellcaster capable of wreaking elemental havoc, and yet another might be the Persona-equivalent of a healer/support class.
Add to that the ability to craft Persona with specific skills and you can see how incredibly adaptable the player character can get.
By mid-game, battles are usually all but over after the player character’s first turn with the other party members relegated to mopping up the mortally wounded foes who haven’t already been annihilated. Combat, far from being a thrilling edge-of-the-seat affair with an uncertain outcome, becomes dull and predictable, and the exclamation “What an easy win!” will frequently ring out. Even boss battles, often the bane of most gamers, are easily won at the first attempt.
It may well be the greatest challenge for gamers in P3F is maintaining their interest during a very long campaign.
