10 Video Game Entries That Drastically Changed The Formula

6. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

Persona 3 Nyx Avatar
Atlus

Shin Megami Tensei is an institution for JRPG lovers and it really all kicked off for modern day fans of the Persona games with the 2006 entry, Persona 3.

Prior to the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 in 2006, the series was first and foremost a hardcore dungeon crawler. It had the essence of SMT and Persona that fans would come to know and love but the systems that would become central to the franchise to come were yet to be introduced.

Persona 3 is where things really kicked into gear and the delicious hybrid genre would really begin to manifest, mixing up mechanics of turn-based combat, role-playing, and social simulation forming the bedrock of the Persona series that fans adore today.

As a result the unique style and nuances at the franchises’ heart remained but the entire formula was expanded upon.

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Jess has been a journalist and content creator in the games industry for over 15 years and has been WhatCulture's resident Australian import and sorry cop since 2020, upping the quotient of swearing and apologising in WhatCulture Gaming's annual blooper videos considerably. She previously worked at GameSpot for 10 years, most notably hosting GameSpot News in addition to E3 live shows, and PAX panels. She regularly livestreams a variety of games on her 'jessmcdonell' YouTube and Twitch channels and hosts the 'Do It On The Day' podcast. She has won awards for her news and feature work in gaming as well as an accolade for her comedic writing (likely an admin error). She can be found on X at @jessmcdonell and Instagram at @jessicamcdonell sharing her current videogame fixations, industry insights, and videos of her cat, Karma.