After Persona 3 Reload came out and blew fans away with its fantastic art style, fun gameplay, and incredibly engaging story, those in the know inevitably wondered… What about Episode Aigis? What about The Answer? Essentially an expanded story that goes beyond the events of the base game Persona 3 FES, Episode Aigis is a topic that has had fans very interested in Persona 3 Reload. It wasn’t long ago that Atlus finally confirmed it as DLC, and now it’s just around the corner in September. I had the chance to sit down and see what we can expect from an early version of Episode Aigis. It’s not just the expanded story that we’ve been wanting to see remastered. Episode Aigis also brings a rearranged soundtrack, quality of life improvements, and a few more things that make it seem like a crisp addition to an already fantastic game.

Trapped in the abyss of time

Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis – The Answer – takes place immediately after the events of the base game. I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but be warned. Due to the nature of this DLC, you’ll want to complete the base game if you want to see what Episode Aigis has in store..

The SEES team prepares to disband after the destruction of Tartarus, meaning they must turn in their Evokers (the weapon-like items they use to channel their Personas). But as they attempt to say a bittersweet goodbye, the team is caught in an anomaly and attacked by a robot woman who looks suspiciously similar to regular Persona 3 party member Aigis. Luckily, Aigis herself arrives and helps fight off the mysterious attacker. They find out that the attacker is known as Metis, who considers Aigis a sister and has been trying to protect Aigis from the SEES team, who she thought was a threat. Metis also informs the entire group that they are trapped in a place called the Abyss of Time, a massive dungeon trapped in a time loop. They cannot leave until they find a way to destroy the Abyss of Time.

Another interesting thing happens: something awakens in Aigis and she gains the power of the Wild Card, which allows the protagonist of the base game to make contracts with multiple Personas and switch between them at will. Aigis also gains access to the Velvet Room, thus becoming the main character of the DLC.

As you can probably guess, from what I played, Episode Aigis seemed to closely follow the story of the original DLC in Persona 3 FES. All of the opening beats I remember from the original were in perfect order, but everything has been improved by the upgrades from Persona 3 Reload and some that are specific to Episode Aigis. In addition to the crisp new art style and rearranged soundtrack, Episode Aigis features a completely different UI and some quality of life improvements to keep the game running smoothly and solidly. Of course, with the events described above, we also get Metis as a new party member throughout the DLC.

As for gameplay, you’ll venture into the Abyss of Time to find out why it’s affecting the SEES team’s world in such an unusual way. However, the group must also chase after a certain mysterious individual, leading to a variety of challenges the deeper you go into the Abyss, which randomly changes each time you enter. Combined with fun features like Aigis’ ability to use her weapons to gain an advantage when fighting shadows at a distance, and updated things like inventory organization options and stylish new animations (especially the all-out attacks), this is shaping up to be the icing on an already fun gameplay system.

Pain or peace…What will the answer bring?

I’ve only had a limited amount of time with Episode Aigis, but what I’ve gotten to play is an incredibly engaging continuation of the base game’s story, and I only started here because, if it’s anything like the original, it’s supposed to be around 30 hours long. Simply put, if you’ve played Persona 3 Reload and want definitive closure, you’ll probably want to play Episode Aigis. Even if you’re not fully into it, the extra adventure and the many gameplay and visual improvements make it a fun RPG experience. It won’t be long until we get the full version, and I can’t wait to see if it stands up to the original or even improves on it. Stay tuned until September to find out!

---

This preview is based on an early PC version of the game offered by the publisher. Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis -The Answer- will be released on September 10, 2024 for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.