Persona 3 Portable, also known as P3P, was initially released in 2009 on thePSPand was heralded as one of the platform’s most iconic,critically-acclaimed RPGsthat started the upswing for the series. The high school setting and demonic infusions proved to be an appealing premise for a JRPG (and has continued to do so.)
However, unlike other JRPGS,Persona 3hits its stride withJRPG mechanicsby introducing a compelling time management and social engagement sim with a roster of playable characters in the party. The protagonist, canonically named Makoto Yuki, can develop deeper relationships with each character if the player chooses answers to their questions correctly. And if all else fails, a player can always give the character a gift.
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What are Social Links?
Social linksare a mechanic within the recentPersonagames, whereby the player (as the protagonist) can prioritize their time in-game to interact and talk with certain people. Each bond represents a facet of one of the major arcana, and the more time spent with a character the deeper the bond becomes in the friendship/romance, and the associated arcana.
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Relationships are importantas they greatly increase the amount of experience the player will earn when fusing demons. Plus, if a Social Link is maxed out, it unlocks the ultimate Persona for that specific arcana. Think of it like a demonic Pokedex.
What Are Gifts?
Gifts are items found throughout theP3Pstoryline that offer boosts to friendship andeventual romancesif a player plays their cards right. The act of gift-giving, for those who have playedPersona 4and/orPersona 5,should be very familiar. However, for players that haven’t, it is relatively easy to get to grips with. There is one thing to keep in mind: depending on what gender the player chooses their protagonist to be, the amount of people that can be gifted items changes.
Male protagonists can gift to only female characters, while female protagonists can give gifts to anyone. Plus, female protagonists have access to cooking and sewing classes (and are thus able to accrue more gift options that don’t cost money), while male characters do not.
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Gift-giving is exclusive to Sundays, and only when the protagonist is asked out by another character on a one-one-one outing. If the player asks to go on an outing, then the options to gift an item will not appear, so make sure they ask the protagonist to go out in the first place. Just like the otherPersonagames, this is aboutresource and time management, so ensure that gifts are saved for appropriate moments for the right characters.
Once a Social Link with a character is maxed out, they cannot receive any more gifts, so players should be tabs on that too.
Gifts For Junpei
Junpei Iori is a student attending GekkoukanHigh Schooland is also a member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad. He is usually goofy, immature and upbeat, despite his inner-ladies man persona (obviously to actual little success with the ladies). He represents the Magician Arcana Social Link (for the female protagonist).
The gifts that he can receive tend to reflect his actual personality behind the bravado: sweet and caring. Like the other characters, he has gifts that he likes and loves. The gifts that Junpei can receive include:
