The Answer to life and… death?
Disclaimer: This review was originally published through EXOSIA Project.
The ever-so-awaited EPISODE AIGIS is finally here but the main question is, does it hold up to the standards set by Persona 3 FES’ The Answer? I guess we’ll find out when through this review.
This is JJ-kun of EXOSIA Project bringing you my review of Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass, EPISODE AIGIS!
Just like any other recent titles by ATLUS, it has been filled with extra DLCs for a cost that does not seem fair at all and the Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass is not an exception. To be fair though, you have the option to buy the DLCs you want individually, but of course that will be more expensive plus EPISODE AIGIS is only available if you buy the Expansion Pass. It garnered many differing opinions and deservingly so. I think EPISODE AIGIS should’ve been part of the base game release just like how it was with Persona 3 FES. Of course, this goes without saying, but you should definitely play the base game first before playing this chapter of the game as it serves as an epilogue to the story of The Journey—the base game.
If you have not played The Journey, I would advise that you stop reading as the succeeding part of the review may spoil you of it.
Just like in Persona 3 FES for the PlayStation 2, The Answer—now renamed to EPISODE AIGIS—tackles the aftermath of what happened in the base game after defeating Nyx to prevent The Fall of humanity. Unlike the deaths of Shinji, Mitsuru’s Dad, and Ikutsuki, while those hit our protagonists hard, the sacrifice of Makoto—the MC—hits them HARD and goes through the stages of grief in this DLC, with their regrets and all and not being able to accept and move on from his death; subsequently the theme of the game.
EPISODE AIGIS, just like in The Answer, does not explicitly say that Makoto died, but is rather heavily implied. What I do like about it is that it does not beat around the bush and just go straight into the action which was a huge problem with The Journey—the base game. It starts off with our remaining characters being stuck on March 31st and not being able to move to April 1st. This is an allegory to our characters not being able to move on from Makoto’s death. Soonthereafter, we are introduced to Metis, apparent sibling of Aigis which now then starts the story as she attacks everyone except Aigis. Right after, they were introduced to the Abyss of Time, which is the reason why they’re stuck on March 31st. As our characters dive deep into the Abyss of Time, slowly do they realize their reason for living and why they can’t move on from the death of Makoto.
Like in Reload, there were additional Link Episodes in EPISODE AIGIS, although it was not a lot compared to the base game. Other than that, most of it is the same with The Answer for the PlayStation 2, unfortunately.
There’s only three things that I can say about this part of the review for EPISODE AIGIS; (1) Character Portraits were noticeably given a very minor remake that made a huge difference fitting the mood of the DLC,(2) the anime cutscene were given an upgrade which was nice to see at all, and (3) the new menu UI is whack . Everything else is the same, however.
Character Portraits in EPISODE AIGIS were given a revamp and had a bit more of satin effect compared to the base game, which as I have mentioned fits the mood of the DLC given how our characters were grieving the death of our MC. Aside from that, we were also given updated portraits for the younger version of Mitsuru and Akihiko based on their past from their doors in the Abyss of Time which was a treat for fanservice.
In terms of the anime cutscene, I’ve always thought that the anime cutscene for Persona 3 Reload, compared to that of Persona 5’s was an outright downgrade. I mean I’m guessing there were budget cuts but what the heck are those? At the very least, the anime cutscenes made for EPISODE AIGIS were somewhat better than that of the base game’s. I’ll be honest though, I haven’t checked if they actually updated the base game’s anime cutscenes. That said, they also made some updates and changes to The Answer’s anime cutscenes from Persona 3 FES to the new one. Some notable changes were, Metis no longer throwing the table to Amada, Athena’s metamorphosis to Orpheus no longer happens mid-attack, and “Zombie Makoto” is no longer. There were hit-or-miss changes but overall I like the changes they made to make sure the cutscenes fit the world better… I mean, look. It’s a hot take, but why should we see “Zombie Makoto” and his muscle fibers and skull if it was a shadow, you know?
Finally, the new menu UI sucks. Makoto in the menu UI was so slick. It was a 3D-model but it looked 2D without a faint of 3D but the new menu UI in EPISODE AIGIS where Aigis replaced Makoto is just whack—it does not feel right. It was not as smooth nor aesthetic as it was in the base game and feels very forced. They tried, but failed miserably. I wish they changed it specifically for Aigis instead of just replacing Makoto and calling it a day without making it fit.
Do you remember the feeling of first time playing the third semester of Persona 5 Royal, that’s the same feeling you’ll get with EPISODE AIGIS. The music, the soundtrack, everything makes it feel new. Previously, I said that this is the hit-or-miss department of Persona 3 Reload but it is not the case for EPISODE AIGIS—this time, it is what made it an amazing experience. From the new soundtrack to the remastered BGM, everything was a hit. There’s really not much to say, but you can compare how it was reorchestrated from Persona 3 FES and see how better the remastered BGMs sound.
Look, if you’ve played Persona 3 Reload, it’s the same thing—less even. With the location-and-time-boundness of the setting, there’s really not a lot you can do in EPISODE AIGIS. No exploration, no nothing. It’s just back-to-back action. The most you can do is go back to Paulownia Mall and back to the Iwatodai Dorm and/or the Abyss of Time to dive deeper.
While I do appreciate the new layout of some of the dungeons in the Abyss of Time for the dungeon crawling part of the game, some of the layout was just outright annoying to traverse to. What’s notable in this DLC is how noticeably more difficult it is than the base game which I like. Playing in Heartless Mode definitely feels a tad bit more difficult than Merciless in the base game. In fact, I probably died more in EPISODE AIGIS than I did in the base game—skill issue, I know… then there’s also the fact that I keep forgetting to save and lose hours of progress.
I’d say though, the entire DLC could’ve been a 2-4 hour gameplay if it was not for the overtly dragging, still-not-fixed dungeon crawling. I really get that they want to retain the “original feeling” of playing the original Persona 3 but they really could have improved Tartarus and the Abyss of Time to make dungeon crawling worth it. That’s what I liked about Persona 5. You can choose to infiltrate as early as you want, get an escape route, and do whatever you want after AND change the heart of your target whenever you want. The Abyss of Time was really just as, if not more, annoying as Tartarus.
But hey, at least you get to battle a new Super Boss! Looking good, Joker! God was he annoying to battle who always one shots you if you are not prepared. I’d go as far as say the experience was almost like Elizabeth’s… or worse, actually.
For the price of ₱1,195.00, is the experience worth it? I mean, it wasn’t really any different from The Answer in Persona 3 FES, so if you’ve already played it then, I don’t see the point of ever getting this. However, if you’re new to the series, then maybe just wait for the sale. The price tag of the DLC, added on top of the price of the base game—and it’s not even included in the Digital Deluxe or Digital Premium versions of the game—really goes to show ATLUS is becoming greedier. I would not be surprised if Persona 3 Reload gets a Golden or Royal treatment either, and I’d say it would be quite characteristic of them.
I intentionally left out talking about the other part of the Expansion Pass, particularly the cosmetics and the BGM set because hey those are just cosmetics and do not really change your experience in a major fashion. If there’s anything I wish for, I wish they release EPISODE AIGIS separately for a much cheaper price without the need to get every DLC with the Expansion Pass.
Ultimately, the question lies, is it worth the experience? Man, it felt so draggy. I still feel the same sentiments as I had with the base game. It has a good story, especially this one where it wraps everything up, making a complete story in-and-out, but it’s locked behind what may arguably be called a bad gameplay loop, but I probably would not go as far as to say that it’s alike Drakengard 1, haha. I’ll have to reiterate though, if you’ve already played the original The Answer, there’s no need for you to get this.
Playing this in 3 different formats, FES, Portable, Reload, and watching in 1 is definitely an experience of all time, however. It may be draggy, but once you’re in it, there’s no turning back.
If you want to see my review of Persona 3 Reload, you may be redirected by clicking here.
REVIEWED ON PC
A REVIEW CODE FOR Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass WAS PROVIDED BY ATLUS.
