Persona 3: The Night Before is an original story taking place the night before Persona 3 begins, though it does not feature the characters of the main story outside of Igor. Players must challenge the Tartarus that appears every night in Tatsumi Port Island and defeat shadows on the way to the top of the tower. Players can decide to fight as a shadow or against the shadows and receive in-game rewards according to which side was victorious. Play is limited by the in-game time consumed by actions, which players are allocated one hour of a day. A player's starting Persona is determined by a personality quiz and will gradually change over time.