Persona 3 Reload received massive acclaim upon release, seen by many as a triumph of a remake. Its time in the sun is far from over, thanks to Episode Aigis: The Answer. Episode Aigis is a newly released DLC epilogue to the main story, and it has made nearly as many improvements to the original as Persona 3 Reload.
Persona 3 Reload was already considered the new definitive version of the game. However, its story wasn't complete without The Answer, an epilogue story first introduced in Persona 3 FES. Now, Reload is correcting this absence, with Episode Aigis serving as its very own version of The Answer. The original version of The Answer had a number of controversies, but Episode Aigis is already showing its hand on some major improvements.
Persona 3 Reload: The Answer DLC May Be Atlus Cutting its Teeth on a New Release Strategy
The Persona series has always used updated re-releases as a key feature, but Persona 3 Reload's upcoming 'The Answer' DLC shows another path forward.
Persona 3 Reload DLC's Best Improvement is a Game Changer for Quality of Life
Episode Aigis: The Answer is a Swan Song for Persona 3 Reload
Historically speaking, Persona 3 has never had a "definitive edition", and that almost remained true after the initial release of Persona 3 Reload. Enhanced re-releases are commonplace for the Persona series, but Persona 3 was stuck in a tricky situation. Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable were both re-releases of the original game, but both had features not shared by the other.
Persona 3 Portable primarily distinguishes itself by including an optional female protagonist, while Persona 3 FES featured The Answer to give closure to its protagonists and players alike. Neither of these drastic improvements were contained in the other, and more concerning, neither were included in Persona 3 Reload at launch. Instead, Reload built itself primarily upon polishing the foundation created by the original, and including quality of life improvements from later releases.
Despite some fan outcry, the female protagonist is still absent from Persona 3 Reload. Developers remarked that the overhaul required to implement FeMC's route would be too large of an undertaking, but this thankfully didn't extend to Persona 3 FES. However, developing The Answer as a DLC is remarkably different from developing it as a part of a full scale re-release. Now that it has been released, Episode Aigis has shown a remarkable approach to one of the biggest challenges of adapting The Answer.
Episode Aigis: The Answer DLC Lets Players Pick Up Where They Left Off
The Answer caused controversy at the time for a few reasons, though none of them detracted from its legacy. Among other things, the original version of The Answer is known for its tedious grinding and difficult boss fights. This has always been mostly overshadowed by the catharsis provided by its story, but Persona 3 Reload has not skipped out on making improvements with Episode Aigis.
In Persona 3 FES, players don't get to carry over their Persona Compendium from the base game into The Answer. It's possible that this was done to align with the theme of the story along with a certain character's absence from the epilogue. At the end of the day though, it was simply a massive inconvenience. Since The Answer was already a bit cumbersome to get through, it's no wonder that developers might want to figure out how to lighten the load.
There are a number of improvements made to address this, and the baseline quality of life provided by Persona 3 Reload was already an outstanding head start. However, the best signal of Episode Aigis' priorities is seen in its handling of the Persona Compendium. Players can now carry over their progress from the base game, which is great news for completionists. Furthermore, it significantly aids players through difficult combat encounters in general, especially when it comes to accessing Theurgy Spells.
Episode Aigis is the cherry on top for Persona 3 Reload. The game's story wouldn't be complete without it, but it's nice to see that significant improvements have been made to gameplay as well. Players had to start from scratch in the original version of The Answer, and Episode Aigis provides a great alternative for players who want to be better prepared for the difficult battles that ensue.
Persona 3 Reload
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- February 2, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17 / Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- P-Studio
WHERE TO PLAY
Step into the shoes of a transfer student thrust into an unexpected fate when entering the hour "hidden" between one day and the next. Awaken an incredible power and chase the mysteries of the Dark Hour, fight for your friends, and leave a mark on their memories forever.
Persona 3 Reload is a captivating reimagining of the genre-defining RPG, reborn for the modern era.
Experience the pivotal game of the Persona series faithfully remade with cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features, and signature stylish UI.
Fully immerse yourself in an emotional, gripping journey with new scenes, character interactions, and additional voiceover.
Choose how to meaningfully spend each day through various activities from exploring the Port Island to forging genuine bonds with beloved characters.
Build and command your optimal team to take down otherworldly Shadows and climb closer to the truth.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Persona
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, RPG, Life Simulation, Strategy
- How Long To Beat
- 65 hours
