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Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis at a Glance
| Category | Our rating (out of 10) | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics | 8 | Monsters and special effects look stunning as your team takes down Shadows. |
| Gameplay | 8 | A focus on combat over storytelling makes exploring the Abyss of Time a tedious affair. Fortunately, the combat is excellent. |
| Story | 7 | The expansion neatly wraps up the ending of the original but doesn’t expand enough on the cast’s collective grief. |
| Replayability | 7 | There’s not much to see after a playthrough besides secret bosses. |
| Overall | 7.5 | Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis’ tedious combat grind diminishes its heartwarming conclusion. |
This review contains minor spoilers for Persona 3 Reload but doesn’t spoil Episode Aigis.
Can grief ever be separated from love? Can it burden you with a sense of purpose? Episode Aigis tackles powerful questions as an expansion to a game that found meaning in death. Persona 3 Reload’s modern repaint and respect for the past made it a successful remake by every metric. As for remaking a lovelorn expansion of Persona 3, being faithful to The Answer came at the cost of Episode Aigis preserving the original’s flaws.
Grief casts a long shadow over the S.E.E.S team after Persona 3’s costly triumph. After sealing a god away at the price of his life, the original protagonist Makoto Yuki’s Persona-swapping powers are passed on to an unlikely candidate: the android Aigis. Just as the cast’s dorm is about to be closed, the old wound of grief has its bandages torn by the arrival of a new android. Our Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis review goes over all the details you need to know.
Bound in Collective Grief
Metis, like Aigis from Persona 3, is a humanoid machine built to fight alternate-dimension beings with a Persona, a manifestation of one’s will. This character arrives at a moment in time when Makoto’s friends are sinking into various stages of grief. Responses range from denial and distraction to a desperate craving for what was. For reasons unknown at first, this precise moment in time is where Episode Aigis is set.
In a Day After Tomorrow-like setup, time stands still on March 31st and a door in the Iwatodai dorm opens to the Abyss of Time. Doors scattered here lead to a downward labyrinth that contrasts with the Tartarus tower from Persona 3. As the new wielder of the ability to switch between Persona powers, Aigis leads a worn-out S.E.E.S on another expedition. While the game’s first hour sets key questions in motion, the answers take a while to show up. Episode Aigis is a largely combat-heavy grind until you arrive at its conclusion.
Sprint, Shoot, Repeat
If you loved Persona 3 Reload’s dungeons, your muscle memory will find a familiar battle rhythm awaiting you in Episode Aigis. Combat is a snappy affair, refined with new Theurgy ultimate moves for Aigis and a movement boost. While your team drops from endgame hunters to level 25, running through the Abyss of Time’s seven layers will get them in fighting shape faster than the base game.
Your knowledge from old Tartarus raids will help you spot enemy weaknesses and help you set up spectacular team attacks. Episode Aigis also lessens the sting of failure by letting you retry battles or resupply after challenging battles. Outside pesky minibosses and the final boss rush segment, you won’t run into trouble thanks to new difficulty options. But you will be running a lot.
Barreling Towards Closure
Episode Aigis suffers from a lack of things to do outside dungeon crawling. It got tedious to the point where I skipped bouts of combat as I neared the conclusion, only for a difficulty spike to send me back to train. The only respite I had was reliving a memory from S.E.E.S members at the end of every dungeon.
At times, I surrendered my humanity like Aigis as she barreled towards closure. You may point out that this mindless sprint amplifies the game’s themes but I wasn’t convinced. True, the remake adds interactions with S.E.E.S members that reveal glimpses of their past and how they’ve been handling loss. But these breadcrumbs are a far cry from the slice-of-life relationships you formed with Persona 3 Reload characters.
The conclusion, while impactful, doesn’t neatly explain Aigis’ muted reactions during group conversations. While one can argue that grief can feel like chasing an absence, the original game handled difficult subjects with more finesse in its Social Links. Persona 3’s The Answer got a controversial reception so it’s no surprise that a faithful remake bears some of its flaws. Episode Aigis feels like a missed opportunity to expand on how the cast worked through their emotions. But it’s still worth seeing through for the sake of S.E.E.S finding closure.
The Bottom Line
Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis’ tedious combat grind diminishes its heartwarming conclusion. While assembling the S.E.E.S team and witnessing them explore grief felt special, the 20-hour combat-focused expansion does little to expand on their stories. It’s an emotional farewell held back by 25-floor dungeons that outstay their welcome. Fans of the game’s slick battles will enjoy the ride but backstories take a back seat.
Despite the blockade its combat presents, I will remember Episode Aigis’ story of healing and acceptance. Instead of detaching from what hurt you, accept that it will define your choices. In assembling thoughts like gears in an analogue watch, the watchmaker finds closure.
At $35, Episode Aigis is a hard sell unless you love the game’s combat encounters. Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis release date was September 10, 2024. The expansion is available on Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 now. The expansion is also available for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers and will remain in their libraries even after they unsubscribe.
