Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight

Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight is a rhythm game in which the characters from the third Persona entry trade turn-based battles for the dance floor. It was developed by P-Studio together with Aquria, a studio with experience in music spin-offs from other series as well. The player reacts to note markers in time with rearranged versions of familiar songs from the game, unlocking costumes, dance moves, and accompanying animations for each character, which change on the fly depending on how well the player performs.

Beyond the dancing itself, the game also offers a light story framework in which the Persona 3 characters find themselves in a mysterious world full of music and must figure out why they ended up there. Between songs, the player follows short dialogue scenes that deepen the relationships between characters the way fans know from the main game's social links, just in a much lighter and more comedic form. The soundtrack includes rearranged versions of iconic Persona 3 songs as well as new compositions that fit the dance aesthetic of the whole spin-off, and players can freely replay tracks outside the main mode in a so-called free listening mode. The game also supports local multiplayer, so two players can compete head to head, and offers several difficulty levels, from simple three-button controls up to demanding setups for experienced rhythm game players. The game further includes an illustration gallery, the ability to view unlocked costumes outside of dancing, and a music player where the player can play a favorite track at any time without having to play through the whole level again. The visual style retains the series' distinctive drawn look, just in brighter colors and with an emphasis on dance choreography instead of battle animations.

Why play: Dancing in Moonlight is aimed above all at Persona 3 fans who want to enjoy the beloved soundtrack in a new form and spend more time with characters they love, this time in a lighter, musical format, without having to go through the whole story of the original game again.