It’s a wonderful experience to be able to play and complete any title in the Persona series. It’s even more novel for me because Persona 3 Reload is the first-ever Persona title I’ve played and completed in just over 70 hours.
During my playthrough, Episode Aigis: The Answer was already announced as part of the expansion pass. A remake of Persona 3, I somehow managed to avoid spoilers all these years and didn’t know the ending to the main story. Neither did I know what the DLC would be about.
I only knew that for the best experience, players should finish the main Persona 3 Reload storyline not just because it’s essential for appreciating Episode Aigis, it’s also one of the best features of the game. Read on for our spoiler-free review.
Episode Aigis explores grief on all levels — how does it affect SEES members differently?
Persona 3 Reload came out on February 1, 2024 along with its expansion pass. Episode Aigis is the last and final phase of the three-part DLC, released on September 10, 2024. This gave players more than enough time to immerse in the narrative, which on average takes about 70-80 hours to complete.
The events in-game conclude on graduation day on March 5, 2009, following a typical Japanese school term. Episode Aigis picks off within the same month, a few weeks after SEES lost their leader.
To access the DLC, click on “Change episode” on the menu, which takes you to a new loading screen. We see the same blue silhouettes and red SEES bands, but with a different mix of characters and backdrop — at the forefront is Metis instead of Makoto standing in the Iwatodai Dormitory. Already, the feels start to kick in.
Persona 3 FES, The Answer, released in 2007, was praised because it lets you see through the lens of Aigis instead of the protagonist, but what really struck me is how the game chooses to explore the unique human theme of grief through an android’s point of view. Isn’t it ironic?
On the surface, maybe, but putting together all elements of the game, it’s actually masterful storytelling at play because everything about Persona 3 Reload is reversed. Instead of going through each calendar day in a strict schedule, you’re now stuck in a time loop in the Abyss of Time, repeating the same day where there’s no daytime, no afternoon, and no evening.
Instead of traversing through the town, you’re stuck in one place, within Iwatodai Dorm, repeating Tartarus-like runs. Instead of investing time to interact with a cast of characters in town, there’s no social links — you can only interact with your SEES party, all of whom are still dealing with sorrow. Without giving too much away, the game also lets you revisit fragmented memories of the past.
A metaphor for grief, Episode Aigis is isolating instead of expansive.
The story tells the complexity of human attachment through an evolving artificial being and the challenge of coming to terms with change. Through each member of SEES, human, animal, or android, we see it manifest in many forms, from a quiet sadness, to denial, to intense anguish.
Even more so than Persona 3 Reload, the dialogue in Episode Aigis feels poignant. Don’t rush through it, because every line clues us into what each character is really feeling. While I didn’t feel any attachment to Yukari in the main story, the DLC makes me sympathize with her the most.
As I join the characters in grief, I felt a nostalgic bond with Orpheus, and don’t plan on fusing him because he is the only tangible thing left of Makoto in-game.
The truth is there is no one answer to loss. Episode Aigis: The Answer is reminder that while grief can be isolating, it also offers an opportunity for reflection and healing as we honor each character’s journey as they work through it, grow through events in the extended story, and learn how to support each other in unchartered territory.
READ MORE: Persona 3 Reload isn’t just a remake — it’s promising an improvement on everything Persona
