In my review of Persona 3 Reload, I mentioned that your experience with the game will feel complete, despite the lack of the Answer, content that at the time was still exclusive to Persona 3 FES. Flash forward to the present, and Episode Aigis has landed, completing the original Persona 3 experience as it was on the PlayStation 2.
Unfortunately, the above statement might be a little too accurate. Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis reintroduces the 15 to 20-hour epilogue back into the core Persona 3 experience but does very little in terms of adding new, meaningful content outside of prettier graphics and the QoL of changes that were introduced with Reload back in February.
Not to say that Episode Aigis is bad—in fact, it features some genuinely satisfying battles and a heartfelt ending that brings some much-needed closure to the base game’s ending. My issue with Episode Aigis is its asking price. Sure, you’re getting roughly 20 hours of additional content, but what was once included in a $50 package that also included the base game now feels dated and barebones.
With only a handful of new dungeon designs that repeat several times before the credits roll, a story that conveniently freezes time, relegating you to the dorm and dungeons, effectively removing the social elements found in the base experience, and an overall lack of new Persona, ultimately cheapen the experience. Making what was once a humble re-release on the PlayStation 2 feel more like a cash grab targeted towards hardcore Megaten fans.
“Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis reintroduces the 15 to 20-hour epilogue back into the core Persona 3 experience but does very little in terms of adding new, meaningful content outside of prettier graphics and the QoL of changes that were introduced with Reload back in February.”
The one saving grace of Episode Aigis is its availability on Xbox Gamepass, which may not be a permanent fixture on the popular subscription service, but one that will give fans champing at the bit immediate access to the content for a more reasonable asking price. And, like all things, the price should eventually come down, making it a more worthwhile side venture for those wanting to experience Persona 3’s post-game content.
Price aside, for those unfamiliar with Persona 3 FES, Episode Aigis effectively is a complete remake of the Answer, a bonus 20-hour story expansion that features the original cast stuck in a Groundhog Day-like time loop. Players assume the role of Aigis, who, after encountering a mysterious android named Metis, who shares a striking resemblance with Aigis, awakens to the Fool arcana, granting the player the ability to control multiple Persona.
From here, Metis explains that the dorm is now intrinsically connected to a strange new realm known simply as the Abyss of Time. In other words, the Abyss of Time acts as Episode Aigis‘s version of Tartarus, requiring the player to make it through 7 doors, which consist of around 25 floors each.
New story elements are sprinkled throughout but don’t add a lot to the overall narrative of the game. Instead, players can glimpse into the past that paints and fleshes out some of Persona 3‘s cast in a new light.
Theurgy attacks make a comeback, which can now be unlocked by earning key items found in treasure rooms via Monad doors, which in turn unlock pseudo-social-link events with the crew when back at the dorm. Although a far cry from the base game, these new cutscenes are exclusive to Episode Aigis and are a nice touch that bests the Persona 3 FES equivalent.
Finally, in terms of entirely new content that was not available in the original 2009 release, Episode Aigis also features, as series tradition, the optional challenge of fighting past series protagonists, which in this case is the future protagonist, Joker from P5R.
Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis is far from an essential add-on to the already expansive base game, but it is one that fans of P3 FES or series enthusiasts will appreciate.
