Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis -The Answer- Review – The Closure We Needed

Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis -The Answer- Review

NOTE: Major spoilers for Persona 3 Reload are mentioned.

Persona 3 Reload was a highly desired remake for almost every fan. And while it succeeded at providing a modernized retelling of the RPG classic, it was at the partial cost of its gameplay identity, alongside a lack of what many perceived as integral inclusions.

One of those exclusions was The Answer, an epilogue to the base game initially released on Persona 3 FES, a director’s cut of the original game on PlayStation 2. So, the announcement of The Answer making its way as DLC was certainly welcome as a way to tie up loose ends and make the Persona 3 Reload package more definitive, high pricing aside.

Despite my grievances with Persona 3 Reload, I was rather excited about this epilogue getting this remade treatment since, honestly, the original version of The Answer was not all that enjoyable. Now, having reexperienced it in full, I’ve found this version an undeniable improvement in practically every way. Yet, the foundational facets that may turn off prospective players remain.

Despite improvements, the DLC’s pacing and length may be a drawback for those expecting more story-driven content.

Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis -The Answer- occurs a few weeks after the main character’s death from the base game. On March 31, the remaining members of SEES are preparing to move out from the dorms and are handling the protagonist’s passing in their own ways. But the sole commonality amongst everyone is they’re all trying to move on. Yet, Aigis, our titular hero of this tale, has been facing some profound difficulties. After recently ceased nightmares communicating how deeply the protagonist’s death has traumatized her, she seemingly can’t fall asleep at all.

Then, just as the clock is about to strike midnight, signaling the start of April 1, time halts. The cast finds themself in a new conundrum where time continually rewinds itself, perpetually recycling March 31. Plus, a chasm known as the Abyss of Time has opened beneath their dorm, and a new character, Metis, informs them of the severity of their situation. Caught unawares, the re-banded SEES and Metis aim to traverse the Abyss of Time to restore the flow of time itself.

The Abyss of Time: Dungeon Crawling Revisited

First and foremost, it’s imperative to establish the general gameplay loop here since that alone may turn off prospective players, regardless of whether they’ve played through the base game. The Abyss of Time can essentially be understood as the new Tartarus from a gameplay lens. The hub comprises several doors with mini-dungeons presented in the randomly generated fashion you should be familiar with. It’s worth emphasizing that there are no story scenes in a dungeon until you reach its end, meaning that combat takes center stage.

Improved Combat, But Pacing Issues Persist

And on that front, Episode Aigis -The Answer- isn’t all too different from what has come before. Aigis gains the power of the Wild Card and becomes a guest of the Velvet Room soon after the campaign begins. This means that the task of Persona fusion is identical, except now there aren’t any Social Links to grant bonus experience. You can carry over your Persona Compendium data from the base game, but Aigis won’t be able to use Personas higher-leveled than her, and this functionality won’t even work if you’re playing the Heartless difficulty. Elizabeth’s Requests have also returned and function just as you’d expect: monster slaying, item gathering, specific Persona fusions, the works.

The Abyss of Time’s similarities to Tartarus extend to its progression and general layouts, too, but the Monad Doors have seen a change. Monad Doors come in threes next to each other, and their difficulty level is organized from left to right, with the left being the easiest. More specifically, the leftmost doors have one enemy battle, the middle doors have two waves of foes, and the rightmost doors have three bouts back-to-back. The rewards earned are typically more worthwhile depending on the level of challenge you willfully pursue.

The new character Metis brings diversity to both combat and the narrative, offering a fresh perspective.

For veteran fans who have experienced the original version of The Answer, I can’t emphasize enough just how much more enjoyable this iteration is. The initial PlayStation 2 version felt like a chore because the dungeon design felt more complementary to the now-removed Fatigue system. To clarify, this mechanic was not present in the original version of The Answer; it was only in the main game. However, the dungeon design of The Answer was practically identical to the base game sans the Tiredness conditions. Needing to go through dozens upon dozens of floors gradually with no substantial breaks in between, notably character bonding and such, was too much of a grind.

The Fatigue system made overall progression longer in the original base game due to the need to be more cautious, whereas Reload’s abolishment  of the Fatigue system made progression more lenient, similar to Persona 4 and Persona 5.

In the base version of Persona 3 Reload, I wasn’t much of a fan of this design decision due to the drastic alteration in the gameplay identity it instilled. However, in the case of Episode Aigis, which is purely dungeon crawling through and through, the far swifter Reload dungeon design was less taxing. Further, new additions to Aigis’ toolkit gained through progression, such as being able to destroy breakable objects by dashing into them and initiate ambushes rapidly, make these dungeons rather addictive. This all serves to make the onslaught of dungeon crawling far more welcoming and less of a needless timesink.

Metis and Character Development

The clock doors that catch up character levels and Twilight Fragments to unlock treasure chests and character HP/SP have also returned. To clarify, leaving the Abyss of Time and returning to the dorm will reconfigure the dungeon floors, similar to Tartarus, and the Arcana Burst bonuses you obtained during your previous outing will no longer apply. This is because leaving the Abyss fully heals the entire party, so if you’d like to stick around in the Abyss with all of your bonuses for the current expedition intact, you may want to consider using the clock in the entrance with your Twilight Fragments to restore everyone fully, like the base game. A skill card duplicator is nearby, too, though it also requires Twilight Fragments.

Plus, the combat isn’t mindless. A decent chunk of the boss battles throughout Episode Aigis require genuine thought to the extent that physical skill spamming won’t do much. I honestly feel like the Theurgy abilities were immensely more worthwhile and fulfilling to utilize. I even found myself paying attention to the unique character methodologies of filling their respective Theurgy gauges, which I never thought about in the base game. Ultimately, the dungeon exploration reaches its full potential in this DLC, giving me enough justification to actively engage with the Arcana shuffling and Arcana Bursts. The newly added Heartless difficulty mode is also present for fans who want a challenge above all else. Plus, the Reaper is back, and Joker from Persona 5 has arrived as an optional battle, so dedicated players have a decent bit of optional content to look forward to.

As for the new character, Metis, she’s multi-faceted during combat, as she learns various physical and magical skills alongside status-inflicting techniques. She’s somewhat of a jack of all trades who can adapt to any situation, even if her method of restoring Theurgy, which is being Shifted to from Aigis, isn’t as reliable as the other characters. Still, if you become a fan of Metis, it’s worth doing particular Elizabeth requests since you earn several cosmetics for her, too.

Episode Aigis transforms The Answer into a far more enjoyable and streamlined experience.

Regarding the narrative, Episode Aigis is a gradual burn suffering from poor pacing. Regardless of the gameplay being the focal point of this experience, the premise of the narrative and its emotional context feel lessened by how distant scenes take place from each other. Admittedly, the implementation of new bonding scenes between Aigis and the party members at the dorm, which serve the simultaneous gameplay benefit of granting everyone additional combat techniques, does somewhat remedy this shortcoming, but it’s more supplemental than anything.

The extent of the narrative is frontloaded and backloaded, with the entire middle solely comprised of the occasional character flashback scene elucidating previously teased snippets of their lives. Sadly, these flashbacks occur exclusively at the end of the mini-dungeons, and they aren’t enough of a narrative reward for making significant feats of progression. Yet, a few characters shine especially strong throughout this DLC, namely Yukari and Junpei.

Junpei has matured greatly while retaining his goofy exterior, and this DLC showcases that excellently. On the other hand, Yukari has become more irritable and less congenial to the rest of the party, especially toward Aigis. This alteration in attitude makes complete sense when considering her reaction to the passing of the main character, and the way it’s handled, chiefly during the last third of the story, is my personal favorite facet of the experience. The ending is also magnificent, providing stellar closure for the main cast. Still, it must be emphasized that, above all else, Episode Aigis is massively gameplay-focused, so it’s not worth going through if you’re solely in it for the story.

A Must-Play DLC or a Costly Experience?

Outside of the dungeons and the dorm, you quickly unlock access to Paulownia Mall thanks to some time shenanigans. This collective area contains the essential elements from the base game, like Officer Kurosawa’s shop for equipment, the crafting locale, and the item store. Plus, there’s a resource to recall forgotten party member skills and even a gardener who grows vegetables for you, being a replacement for the mechanic from the base game. You’ll want to make it a habit to return to this location often for obvious reasons, primarily because money and equipment are indescribably important to keep updated. Strangely, at least on PC, the framerate in Paulownia Mall drops significantly. The entire rest of the DLC played smoothly with no issues whatsoever, though.

One final critique I have with this DLC, while not necessarily considerable, regards Aigis herself. While Aigis speaks throughout most of the main story scenes, she is sometimes treated as a silent protagonist in a few sequences with choices and for every bonding scenario. This honestly took me out of it a bit as it was pretty jarring, making me wish that Aigis spoke aloud across every single scene regardless of the context.

Persona 3 Reload Episode Aigis -The Answer- is a definitive improvement over the original version of The Answer, thanks to its addictive dungeon progression, added character scenes, and emotionally driven narrative. However, the poor pacing can’t be understated, making the fascinating premise lose strength in the efficacy of its staying power. If you are a dedicated fan of Persona 3 Reload’s gameplay systems and narrative, especially the former, then this DLC is undoubtedly for you. Otherwise, you’re better off witnessing it played, especially given how pricy this added scenario is.