Warning: The ending of the Persona 3 Reload base game will be discussed due to its importance and connection to the DLC, but will not have any major plot details spoiled in this review
When Persona 3 Reload was finally released last February 2024, it was met with widespread critical and commercial acclaim, to the point that it became the fastest Persona title to reach 1 million unit sales upon its debut. Truly, this is a testament to the appeal of Atlus’ modern remake of the beloved classic to the fans. And much like back then when the original game redefined the JRPG space, the third entry to the Persona series reminded everyone why it remains a timeless classic to this very day. That being said, you know that the inevitable question was going to be asked at one point:
“Is The Answer also getting a remake?”
And you can’t blame fans for asking, as Persona 3 is in a unique space in the series as compared to Persona 4 and 5. While the latter two have re-releases that make significant modifications to their original stories through new characters and systems (i.e Golden and Royal), Persona 3 had its main story, “The Journey”, mostly intact, but necessitated the inclusion of its epilogue, “The Answer”, to wrap its final bows in the tale of S.E.E.S. in the PSP port.
And wouldn’t you know it, the newly rechristened Episode Aigis: The Answer finally came out seven months later, with the same modern makeover the original Reload received. With the DLC finally out, does this update to a classic follow-up meet expectations (and its hefty Expansion Pass price tag), or does it provide a rare miss to the series? And more importantly, especially for newer players: is Episode Aigis essential?
Story and Content (5/5)
Death is an inevitable part of life and the central theme that drives the base game’s story throughout, leading to its melancholic conclusion: the main protagonist’s untimely death.
A few weeks have passed since then, and on March 31, all your party members are still trying to come to terms with his passing and their grief and trauma, all while preparing to depart Iwatodai Dormitory, S.E.E.S.’ pseudo-headquarters, on April 1 as their objectives were already achieved. Aigis bears the brunt of the grief the most, as she feels she’s lost her purpose and personal development since the protagonist’s death, opting to regress as a means of coping.
But suddenly, a chain of anomalies occurred within the day: an Android holding a striking resemblance to Aigis attacking the group, the fact that everyone can no longer get out of the dorm for some reason, and time looping over and over to March 31. To find the solution to their multiple dilemmas, they investigate a mysterious labyrinth that suddenly appeared below the dormitory called the Abyss of Time and hopefully repair these anomalies before anything worse happens to them.
In my past review, I sang praises on how well the main story tackled the theme of mortality and inevitability, and how this theme only enriched the overall flow of the story to its conclusion. That said, it is just as important to discuss the theme of grief, how one deals with death after the fact and the maturity that comes with acknowledging these feelings, which is admittedly a hard topic for some. But the way the game discussed its varying ways of dealing with grief is commendable, and I appreciate how they were able to navigate this topic with as much grace as it possibly could in the confines of its story.
Honestly, if the original game ended the way it did without The Answer all those years ago, I would have been fine with it. But ultimately, I’m glad this continuation exists because it gives everyone a proper outlet to let out what needs to be let out, in the hopes of their being able to move forward in life. In a way, this expansion is a perfect symbol of the grief that comes with mortality, as time can only move forward if you find it in yourself to come to terms to what has happened. The thematic message is a reminder that Persona as a series’ strongest suit is its being able to reverberate relevant topics to its audience, and I still believe that the third game is its tour-de-force.
Production (4/5)
As this is an entirely different story, to the point that it has its title screen, the treatment of the game is assumed to be its separate ecosystem. That said, the way they were able to reproduce the Abyss of Time, the updated cutscenes, and the graphical and performance enhancements made possible by current-generation systems give the DLC experience that new Reload coat of paint. Yes, it is as impressive as fans of the base game would expect. The music also got the Reload remix, with some remixes being certified treats to the musical senses, with notable highlights including new songs like “Disconnected” and its new battle theme, “Don’t”. If you love what you’ve seen in the base game, then you will like what you’ll see. Personally, I used the Japanese VO’s for voices just like in the base game, but all love for the English VO’s as well for doing great work on the content!
Mechanics (5/5)
The biggest difference between the DLC and the base game is what truly separates and defines the experiences between the two: the fact that the DLC is a pure dungeon crawler, as compared to the base game being part-dungeon crawler and part-life simulator. You can opt to start the DLC without finishing the main story, but you are encouraged to finish the base game first, both for story reasons and the fact that you can bring your entire Persona Compendium to the DLC, an exclusive quality-of-life feature for the remake that can enable you to summon personas without going through the fusion process (granted you are highly leveled enough and have enough money). This makes starting the DLC a bit easier, especially if you want to immediately be in the thick of things.
Being a pure dungeon crawler in the form of the Abyss of Time (ala Tartarus) comes with its pros and cons. Everything that you’ve come to experience in terms of combat gameplay in the base game, you will find that in spades in Episode Aigis. With Aigis becoming the main protagonist, she is now bestowed the same Wild Card ability the original protagonist had, meaning she can now summon multiple personas. She is also easier to use in dungeon exploration since she’s a ranged fighter, meaning it is easier to initiate battles this time around. Everything players have experienced in the base game, including all the quality-of-life features, remains the same, from the Theurgy system and the shifting mechanic to the ability to control characters. Though there are some slight modifications, like the change to the Monad Door system that makes you choose different doors representative of difficulty, and the ability to pick up items that initiate sort of Linked Episodes that grant additional buffs to the characters, it’s pretty much the same Persona 3 Reload combat and dungeon crawling experience players have grown to appreciate.
If you are someone who loves the combat experience of Reload, then you will enjoy the 20-30 hours of gameplay offered by the DLC. However, this does come with the caveat of being mostly monotonous at times, especially with how the dungeon-crawling experience can get for that many hours. But if you come to love the strategy-based gameplay that the original game offers, then you will find something to enjoy in this experience. And believe me, it’s worth it to go through all of the content to learn more about the characters and reach the conclusion to the tale of S.E.E.S.
Features (4/5)
As you may have noticed at this point, the DLC is taking advantage of the perks provided in the base game, which means the features previously featured in the Reload review, particularly the ability to adjust difficulties as preferred (including the Peaceful difficulty option) remain as is. Although there is no network functionality in the DLC since you don’t exactly interact and grow social links, you’re pretty much set when it comes to the necessary features when playing a pure dungeon crawler of this nature.
Conclusion
Now for the biggest elephant in the room: is the game worth the $35 price tag?
Given that it does provide a good 20-30 hours of content on top of an already long experience with the base game, an argument can be made that it has some bang for the buck. But given that the other perks of the expansion pack are optional DLC outfits, you can say that maybe Atlus should have provided fans with an option to purchase Episode Aigis separately, especially since the DLC practically completes the P3R experience, and gives them an option to buy the separate outfits if they prefer.
That being said, Episode Aigis is a fantastic accompaniment to the symphony of emotions that is the Persona 3 Reload experience, providing fans with more time to spend with their favorite characters while navigating through topics of grief and loss with grace and respect. While ultimately not perfect as compared to its base game, and the dungeon crawling can be repetitive and exhaustive at times, should you decide to venture back into the final day of Aigis and friends, you will be rewarded with feelings of fulfillment from both the challenge and the story it provides. Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis – The Answer gets a 4.5 out of 5 score.
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