Persona 3 Portable: Finished! Initial (spoileriffic) thoughts on the ending

Over the weekend, I finally finished Persona 3 Portable (not long after I finished my Conan the Barbarian post, in fact). In the coming weeks, watch this space for a spoiler-free review, and possibly a “Storytelling in Games” analysis piece. For now, I can say, wow, it was a very good game, maybe even a great game (I’ve yet to make up my mind). Very brief, and very spoileriffic, first thoughts on the game’s ending below the cut:

Raaah waaah booo hooo! That may have been the most heartrending ending I’ve ever seen in a video game. The main character had his whole life in front of him (in my case)/her, with so much to live for – a point that’s emphasised every time an NPC tells him not to neglect his studies, or plans for a future with him – and yet he never got to enjoy the fruits of victory.

For now, I’m trying to doublethink the ending into something cheerier, using the following logical process:

(A) It was The Answer, which came with Persona 3: FES, which stated that the hero was dead;

(B) I played the Answer-less Persona 3: Portable; and

(C) the plot of The Answer sounds kind of dumb anyway. Therefore…

(D) The Answer is not canon. Therefore…

(E) The main character is still alive.

I’m trying, but I’m not quite succeeding. Which speaks volumes about Persona 3’s quality – it’s not every game that makes me care so much.