Persona 3 Reloadwill soon release its long awaited epilogue with Episode Aigis: The Answer. The Answer will provide closure to players and SEES alike, and is most definitely the game’s most ambitious DLC yet. In fact, it’s quite possible thatPersona 3 Reloadmay be using its take on The Answer as a trial run for the future of the series and its release strategy.
ThePersonaseries has long been known for putting out enhanced versions of its games years after their initial release.Persona 5 Royalis just the most recent example, but others such asPersona 4 Goldenhave been similarly successful. This has become a core part of Atlus' brand strategy, even extending to other series with titles likeCatherine: Full Body.Persona 3 Reloaddoesn’t fit into this category, andEpisode Aigis: The Answermay signal that Atlus' priorities have shifted.
Episode Aigis: The Answer is the Cherry on Top for Persona 3 Reload
WhilePersona 5Royaland its peers are upgraded re-releases,Persona 3 Reloadis a full scale remake. The series has experimented with a similar approach in the past with the originalremakes ofPersona 1andPersona 2. However, the series has come a long way since, and this advancement helped quite a lot withReload’s ambition.
Persona 3 Reloadwill soon release its own take on The Answer, an epilogue which wasfirst introduced inPersona 3 FES.FESwas itself an expanded re-release of the originalPersona 3, with many considering its version of The Answer to be the definitive version of the story.Persona 3 Reloadhas already excelled as a remake of the original, and Episode Aigis may turn out to be the cherry on top.
Episode Aigis is set to release September 10, and already looks to be one of the series' most ambitious DLC yet. Many modernPersonagames simply use their DLC to stack additional bells and whistles onto the game, such as costumes or extra Personas to fuse. There’s nothing wrong with this approach, but the change of pace shown byPersona 3 Reloadmay have bigger implications forPersona 6and beyond.
If Episode Aigis is anything like the original version of The Answer, it may take more than thirty hours to complete. In fact, recent trailers have shown enough information to suggest thatReload’s take on The Answer may have additional content. Whether or not Episode Aigis is longer than its predecessor or not, it’s still a massive edition to the base game. This makes it much more ambitious thanother recentPersonaDLC, and hopefully marks a bright future for the nextPersonagame.
Ambitious DLC Could Replace the Persona Series' Enhanced Re-Releases
There’s already been plenty of speculation that Atlus will pursue morePersonaremakes down the line. A remake ofPersona 2or evenPersona 4could be waiting in the wings, for example. However, it’s possible thatPersona 3 Reloadwas hiding another path forward for the series this whole time.Persona 6could ditch the re-release tradition, and follow in the footsteps ofReload’s DLC.
The Answer will seemingly add a significant amount of content, enough that it could easily be compared to the content added by enhanced re-releases in the past. Rather than adding something through a re-release, as seen inPersona 5 Royal’s third semester, future titles could instead add these final chapters through DLC. Of course, there are downsides to this perspective.
Although it wasn’t a part of the original game’s narrative, The Answer is now seen as essential, so much so that the decision to not include it inReloadat launch was cause for controversy. It would be a shame if futurePersonagames took a similar approach, and made players pay for a conclusion to the game’s story. In fairness, it wouldn’t be too dissimilar from the current re-release format, but DLC comes at a lower price point regardless. Furthermore, ambitious DLC would overall provide a more sustainablefuture for thePersonaseries.
Persona 3 Reload
WHERE TO PLAY
Step into the shoes of a transfer student thrust into an unexpected fate when entering the hour “hidden” between one day and the next. Awaken an incredible power and chase the mysteries of the Dark Hour, fight for your friends, and leave a mark on their memories forever.Persona 3 Reload is a captivating reimagining of the genre-defining RPG, reborn for the modern era.Experience the pivotal game of the Persona series faithfully remade with cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features, and signature stylish UI. Fully immerse yourself in an emotional, gripping journey with new scenes, character interactions, and additional voiceover. Choose how to meaningfully spend each day through various activities from exploring the Port Island to forging genuine bonds with beloved characters. Build and command your optimal team to take down otherworldly Shadows and climb closer to the truth.
