Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis – The Answer Review (PS5) – In my original review of Persona 3 Reload, I drew attention to how this remake of the PS2 classic was missing content from its original enhanced edition, namely the epilogue campaign of The Answer.
Set immediately after the events of Persona 3, this epilogue adds context to the ending of the original and expands on ideas introduced during the final hours.
If it wasn’t already clear, this DLC is a remake of this epilogue in the same way that Reload remade the base game, with all of the additional features that Reload brought to the table during its original run.
Additionally, this review will be dealing with full-game spoilers for the original, so only read on if you’re familiar with the story, or are just that curious to see what the verdict is.
Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis – The Answer – Review (PS5) – Here We Go Again
Back Into the Fold
In the review of Persona 3 Reload earlier this year, I argued that the absence of The Answer from the remake was actually a beneficial one that kept the remake a focused experience during the runtime.
The original story is impactful on its own and the journey that the cast goes on is uniquely dark, and thematically loaded with symbolism and iconic character moments that solidify it as a favourite for many – including myself.
As I wrote my review, there was no indication that Atlus was particularly planning on remaking this part of the game, but a part of me isn’t that surprised either. Like it or not, Episode Aigis is here to add more dungeon-crawling combat to a game already stuffed with it, and this remake follows in the footsteps of the original in preserving the original, for better and worse.
As an epilogue, this additional scenario takes place mere weeks after the conclusion of the original game and focuses on exploring the grief of S.E.E.S. following the loss of their leader earlier in the same month.
Following Aigis’ perspective, the entire expansion takes place in the span of one day as the team struggles to break out of a time loop and explore a new set of dungeons set beneath their feet in the dormitory. The setup is quick and it doesn’t take long before you’re diving back into the familiar loop of floor after floor shadow hunting.
Despite the smaller scope of this adventure, the incredible visual direction of Persona 3 Reload is on full display here, with a bespoke set of UI elements that complement the original.
Atlus are the gold standard when it comes to exploring their characters through in-game menus of all things and this DLC only solidifies that unique accolade. With the same visual theme of water, Aigis is shown to almost shadow the protagonist in the same menus, as a reflection of her dedication.
It’s really impressive stuff, still managing to perfectly balance form and function into a wholly unique set of menus.
This extends to the new music too, that similarly manages to perfectly explore the dread and negativity that permeates throughout this expansion, while also being arguably better than the new music that was added into Reload to begin with.
This is where the DLC shines at its brightest and it’s clear that the creatives at Atlus are in strong form.
Trimming the Fat
The biggest distinction between this epilogue and the original game is the almost total absence of the social-sim elements that distinguish the Persona series from other high-profile RPGs in the space.
Combat is the main focus of Episode Aigis and things like buying equipment and items are about as close as you get to the original exploration elements, outside of some very brief conversations with your teammates.
Episode Aigis is essentially an extended combat challenge that takes you and the team back down to a lower level and sets you off through a long dungeon full of more difficult combat challenges than the original game. These areas function essentially the same as Tartarus and feature procedurally generated corridors with enemies and items to find.
All of the quality of life from the original is present and accounted for, so people looking for more of the smooth combat will be very pleased with what’s on show here, with this being the first time that The Answer has been playable with an actually controllable party, rather than relying on AI.
With the absence of the protagonist from the base game, Aigis takes up the mantle as the ‘wild card’ and has access to the same options as your character did in the original. This includes having the option to swap personas during battle, giving you access to the flexibility that Persona fans have come to expect out of their combat.
Newcomer Metis rounds out the party to the point that there are no missing links, with her slotting into the empty space that Aigis leaves behind.
The result is a streamlined experience that squeezes 100 hours of progression into a mere 20, which allows for exciting experimentation and party compositions without the need to slowly work your way up to a powerful team.
Within the first three areas, the entire team is at your disposal and free to swap in and out. With the addition of the ability to quickly level up your party, I was far more inclined to spend time with a variety of teammates rather than sticking to the four that I prefer.
Back to the Grind
Exploration is virtually unchanged in Episode Aigis, for better and worse. The slick overhaul introduced in Reload is here in full force and is just as smooth as it was there. I found myself almost zoning out as I moved from floor to floor, with very little friction.
Unfortunately, where the original Tartarus had some really strong theming and a strong atmosphere to underscore the long bouts of climbing, the Abyss of Time sadly misses the mark with some disappointingly bland theming and a shocking amount of reused assets.
This was an issue in the original version of The Answer on the PS2 and the issue bizarrely remains here, completely unaltered. This commitment to not meaningfully changing the structure of Episode Aigis in this remake reflects the same commitment in the original experience, but it results in the completely opposite effect.
Where Persona 3 Reload manages to meaningfully improve on a cult classic and bring it to modern standards, Episode Aigis shows some significant cracks under the same weight.
Across the shorter campaign, enemy and boss designs are similarly recycled and reused ad nauseam to make for an expansion that feels like it’s treading water rather than adding anything meaningful to the end of Persona 3.
These are the types of issues that I would have expected to have been addressed in a remake and I was disappointed to see that this DLC
The Devil Is In The Details
The main reason why most will want to pick up Episode Aigis lies in how it expands on the ending of the original Persona 3. Conceptually, Episode Aigis is an exploration of how the members of S.E.E.S. come to terms with the loss of their leader at the end of the original and the conflicts that arise out of losing someone that close to you.
On paper, I really like this idea for an expansion. The original Persona 3’s ending – while being emotionally effective – is intentionally left ambiguous and not fully explained.
I personally never saw the need to expand on this, but Episode Aigis offers an insight into the immediate aftermath of the incident. Loss is a core theme of Persona 3 in general and getting to see how our favourite characters are dealing with their own loss is an engaging idea with a lot of potential, that deviates from the base game.
Atlus has put effort into retelling this story, with a surprising number of fully animated cutscenes, where the base game was a little bit more sporadic with their use.
Despite this potential – and avoiding spoilers – I feel like Episode Aigis squanders the potential it has and ends up doing little to add to the overall experience of Persona 3 while feeling frustrating in its own right.
Instead of focusing on exploring its characters and their feelings, an unfortunate amount of Episode Aigis is spent retreading old ground, and overly explaining things that were more powerful by themselves.
I was optimistic that Atlus would tactfully rewrite some of this epilogue to feel more cohesive, but their commitment to preserving the original experience results in some moments where it feels like not much is actually being said, despite how long it takes to get there.
There’s an interesting conversation at the core of the story here, but Episode Aigis feels more inclined to over-explain every aspect of itself and the original game to a borderline comical degree, with a pacing that borders on glacial.
The first 15 hours of this DLC are solidly dedicated to descending repeating dungeons with progressively stronger enemies with almost no forward momentum before the admittedly cool climax, where it seems that most development time has gone for this expansion.
These moments towards the end are just about worth fighting to see and should have been the focus of this expansion, rather than forcing such an intense grind. The new cast that returns from Reload manages to salvage some of these moments into genuinely impactful exchanges but I found myself constantly questioning if any of it was really necessary.
The weight of Persona 3 lies in those final moments, and this DLC does nothing other than lessen the impact of those core moments in what feels like a frankly forced conflict.
There are some wonderful moments buried under here, you just need to find them.
The Answer has always been a divisive addendum to the Persona 3 narrative and it feels like even this is being faithfully recreated here for future players. I have to respect the commitment to preserving it as it always was.
There was a real opportunity here to meaningfully develop the core idea and it seems to have been tossed aside in favour of a straight recreation that preserves the exact same problems that it always has.
Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis – The Answer is now available on PS5.
Review code generously provided by publisher.