Reviving a Beloved Epilogue
Persona 3 Reload has been an indescribably successful endeavor for Atlus, becoming the developer’s fastest-selling title ever. Despite my qualms chiefly regarding the lack of difficulty and overall gameplay identity, Persona 3 Reload was a welcome revisit that made this emotional narrative accessible to a modern crowd.
Aigis’ long-range combat introduces a fresh dynamic to the field exploration, adding layers to the strategy.
However, certain exclusions, such as the epilogue scenario from Persona 3 FES, The Answer, left many fans longing. Thankfully, that storyline is making its way to Persona 3 Reload as Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis -The Answer-.
Revamped Gameplay Mechanics
Having had access to an early preview build containing the first hour of this DLC, I was pleasantly surprised by how faithful the writing has been alongside Reload’s revamped gameplay systems. At least based on the first door, essentially the first dungeon, this iteration of The Answer seems to simply play like Persona 3 Reload’s Tartarus once again.
A Fresh Take on Aigis’ Journey
In all honesty, despite my grievances about how Reload’s base game abolished select systems from the previous versions of Persona 3, I’m open to Episode Aigis embracing the baseline Reload instilled. The original implementation of The Answer became a chore across lengthy play sessions. It’s entirely a dungeon-crawler with occasional cutscenes; the Persona 3 FES dungeon design was more attuned to the Tiredness mechanic and segmented progression, so I didn’t find it to fit The Answer’s direction all too well.
By contrast, the Tartarus design of Persona 3 Reload is far more lenient and less of a collective time sink for basic progression. This philosophy has carried over to the doors within the new dungeon area, the Abyss of Time, which is basically an extension of what the base game provided. Summatively, if you enjoyed traversing Tartarus during the base game, Episode Aigis is unapologetically more of the same.
Field Exploration with Aigis
Granted, some differences may arise, with one coming to mind being playing as Aigis herself. Unlike the protagonist in Reload, Aigis is controlled on the field. And aside from merely being a superficial, cosmetic alternation, her methodology of enacting preemptive encounters differs. Whereas you initially had a close-ranged sword as the male protagonist, Aigis is capable of shooting shadows from afar. This inherently changes your field approach since you still need to be out of a shadow’s line of sight while ensuring that your distance is adequate enough; a crosshair helps matters.
Episode Aigis -The Answer- revitalizes the original experience with refined gameplay and emotional storytelling.
However, Aigis’ built-in firearms are a double-edged sword because destroying obstacles and items around the floors takes more time. The lengthier animations and the need to watch out for the crosshairs across each of these instances add up. Admittedly, this is more of a nitpick than anything, but I can see the practice becoming frustrating across progression.
Narrative and Character Depth
Narrative-wise, this scenario is obviously very spoiler-heavy, so a deeper delve will be restrained for the eventual review. Still, I’m eager to witness this new voice cast approach this intense emotional struggle that differs across each party member. Speaking of, based on the opening scenes, the voice performance of the new character, Metis, is effective. The Answer is one of my favorite Persona experiences due to its story and character writing alone, so I sincerely hope its later scenes are approached with finesse.
A Promising Reimagining
Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis has the potential to easily surpass the original version of The Answer. In addition to the newly animated opening, revised dungeon exploration, and general gameplay alterations, the confirmation of new events centered around Metis and the implementation of the Persona Compendium, which was absent in the Persona 3 FES implementation of The Answer, seems like a simple homerun. For those of you in the same boat as me who are somewhat mixed on how Persona 3 Reload approached certain gameplay and writing decisions, I firmly believe that Episode Aigis may pull you back in.
Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis -The Answer- is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam on September 10, 2024.
