Persona 3 Reload

The Dark Hour gives Persona 3 Reload a great workout rhythm, but the school days between dungeon trips mean you’ll spend a fair amount of time reading instead of reacting. I’d pick it for an easy session, not for the part of your workout where you’re trying to keep a hard pace.

Gameplay

The turn based fights are a nice fit for exercise because you can stop and think before choosing an attack, and figuring out an enemy’s weakness feels good without needing to move your hands like you’re playing a rhythm game. Hit the right weakness and your team can keep attacking, which makes those fights feel lively without making them hard to follow. I think that’s a good balance for a game you might be playing while also trying not to drift toward the edge of the belt.

But the story takes its time, and the game asks you to spend whole stretches listening, reading, and making choices in the school day schedule. I like having quiet parts to break up dungeon crawling, but sometimes I’d rather get back to Tartarus than have another conversation about how everybody’s feeling. There are a lot of conversations.

Tartarus is where I’d expect to pay more attention, because you’re exploring floor by floor, looking for the way forward and dealing with enemies before they get the jump on your party. The floors can start to feel samey, and I don’t know that the basic routine of checking a floor and looking for the stairs is enough to carry every trip. Still, I like having a clear goal while the story takes a breather.

The full moon operations give the story some big moments to build toward, and I think those are more fun when the game’s ordinary schedule has had time to make the cast feel like people instead of a list of names. The social links and little day to day decisions add something I enjoy, even when I’m not in the mood to read a lot. You’ll know when the game wants you to sit still.

I’d be careful about treating it like a game that keeps you busy every second. Some choices are a nice little distraction, and some cutscenes go on long enough that I’d be looking at the console like it might offer me a snack. It’s a very good RPG, but you should enjoy the story parts as much as the battles.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

The turn based combat makes this much easier to manage on a treadmill than a game that expects you to aim quickly, and full controller support means you don’t have to set up a desk around your workout. I’d keep the speed easy enough that reading dialogue doesn’t turn into a second job, then let the fights give me something to focus on. You can take a moment to choose a move, which is a big deal when your hands are moving around.

The moments I’d skip while moving are the long story scenes, or at least I’d slow down while they’re happening, because I don’t think I’d enjoy trying to read a lot of text while bouncing along. There’s also dungeon navigation, and I’d want to be paying enough attention to see what’s ahead rather than wandering into an enemy because I was scanning a line of dialogue. That would be a pretty ordinary way to lose a fight.

On a bike, the story stretches seem easier to handle because you’re not stepping with every bit of text, but I wouldn’t call the game a reason to buy a bike or anything. I’d still use the same rule on either machine, keep the effort comfortable when the game asks you to read, and let the turn based fights be the part that pulls your attention back in. I don’t know if I’d want it for a hard workout, but for a steady one it makes sense.

There are enough menu choices and quiet conversations that I wouldn’t expect every minute to fly by, and the story can make you want to stop moving just to pay attention. That’s not a dealbreaker for me, but it does mean this is better for a relaxed session than a workout where you’re trying to stay locked in. You’re not racing anybody.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum graphics card is an old model, and the target is low settings at 720p and 30 frames per second, so a fairly modest gaming computer should have a shot at running it. I’d check the graphics card first, since that’s the part most likely to decide whether the game runs comfortably.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Persona 3 Reload is a good choice if you want a story heavy RPG with turn based fights to break up the reading, and you’re happy to keep your workout easy while you play. If you mainly want constant action, I’d pick something else.

Overall Score: 2.33 out of 3