Get your Persona 3 Portable playthrough started! This guide covers your first few days in April, from naming your character to your first school day and dorm exploration.
Alright, let's get your Persona 3 Portable adventure rolling! This section covers the very beginning of the game, mostly focused on the first few days in April. It's all about setting things up and getting a feel for the game.
First things first: Naming your character
When you start, you'll be prompted to enter your name. You'll use the L and R buttons to move the cursor around. After typing your first name, use R to switch over to the last name field. If you mess up, O will delete letters after the cursor. Just a heads-up, the game won't let you proceed if either name field is blank.
Once you've got both names locked in, press Start to move on. After that, you'll get into some conversations. Don't stress too much about your choices here; they don't really impact the story later on, so pick whatever feels right!
Your Room and the First Tutorial
You'll get a brief in-game tutorial covering basic controls. You can move the cursor with the D-pad or the joystick. Holding down the O button makes the cursor move faster, and pressing R shows you all the available on-screen options. Pretty standard stuff.
Back in your room, you'll notice that most options will tell you you're tired and should go to bed. The only interactive thing is your calendar, which is right next to your bed. When you're ready, head to your bed and choose to sleep.
April 7th: School and the Dorm
The next day, April 7th, starts with more storyline. Again, just pick the options that appeal to you. Then, it's time to head to school. You can press R to see all the trigger icons, and [S] will bring up the teleport list, which is super handy for getting around quickly.
Once you're at school, you'll find a vendor near the top left. Here's what they're selling:
| Item | Price |
| Yawn-B-Gone | 1000 yen |
| Apple Strudel | 100 yen |
| Cutlet Sandwich | 300 yen |
| Book Cover | 5000 yen |
That 'Book Cover' is noted as a great gift, so keep that in mind for later! You can chat with other people around, but you can't explore anywhere else just yet.
Head left to the 1st Floor, Main Lobby, and then to the Faculty Office for more storyline. You'll see some text spelled backward here – that's a little hint that spoilers are written that way in this guide.
Exploring the Dorm at Night
Back at the dorm, you can't leave at night, so you'll be exploring the building itself. The Sign-In Sheet in the 1st Floor Lounge is how you save your game. The Ladies' Room doesn't serve a purpose right now. On the 2nd and 3rd floors, you'll find vending machines with these items:
| Item | Price |
| Cielo Mist | 120 yen |
| SoBay | 120 yen |
| Mad Bull | 120 yen |
The guide specifically points out that you'll need 'Mad Bull' later on and since it's cheap, it's a good idea to grab one now. You can also check out Akihiko's Room on the 2nd floor, but knocking only gets you so far.
To keep the story moving, head back to Your Room and trigger the storyline there.
April 8th: A Little Quiz
On April 8th, you'll be asked a question: "Psst! Who does she like? (Her favorite Author)". The correct answer is Utsubo Kubota.
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