Persona 3's Episode Aigis DLC has left me with plenty of unanswered questions

Fans were jubilant when Persona 3 received a remake earlier this year, but this turned to disappointment when it became clear its Episode Aigis epilogue DLC was not included. Multiple versions of Persona 3 have been released since the game's initial PS2 launch in 2006 - namely Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable, each with unique additions. The release of this year's Persona 3 Reload was an opportunity to provide the definitive version of the game, but without Episode Aigis fans were upset it would remain incomplete.

That's why Atlus relented and has now additionally remade Episode Aigis: The Answer with all the trappings of Reload - though no doubt the fact it's the fastest-selling Atlus game ever was also persuasive. Finally, fans will get the complete story experience they've craved (though still without the alternative female protagonist from P3P). But after going hands-on with the DLC, I'm still left with a lingering question: what exactly was the main game missing?

I played Persona 3 for the first time this year and really enjoyed its twisted teen drama, even if the series as a whole is starting to feel formulaic. Yet after receiving the true ending, the story felt complete and I wasn't left with unanswered questions. So what kind of answer can The Answer provide?

My hands-on only lasted an hour but it did introduce the setup for Episode Aigis, though of course this will be familiar to anyone who played it previously as part of Persona 3 FES. It essentially feels like a mini Persona adventure: there's a new mystery to solve, a fresh trip to the Velvet Room, and a new randomly generated dungeon to explore. Conveniently, the party of teen fighters (still known as the Specialised Extracurricular Execution Squad, or SEES) have lost some of their power and abilities to give players a sense of progression.

Following the events of the base game, the cast are stuck in a Groundhog Day time loop continually repeating 31st March. After a visit from a mysterious new robot named Metis, the team realise they're trapped in their dorm and a new dungeon (the appropriately named Abyss of Time) has emerged underground, haunted by the spectre of the base game's protagonist. So far, so Persona.

As the name suggests, players take control of Aigis for this DLC, the robot weapon in the form of a teen girl. She takes the place of the protagonist and is given his ability to wield multiple personas in battle (summonable entities with elemental powers), as well as being the controlled character during dungeons. Metis, in turn, essentially takes Aigis' place in battle with familiar abilities.

I question, however, why Aigis was chosen as the lead character. After all, the Persona games are at their best when dealing with fantastical parallels to relatable teen drama, exploring Japanese towns, and indulging in slice-of-life entertainment. Aigis, being a cold, inhuman robot, is the least relatable character and by trapping the group inside their dorm they're seemingly robbed of the typical daytime activities the games are known for. Perhaps this will change over the course of the DLC, but I never warmed to Aigis in the base game and I'm not convinced this add-on story will change that, though I'm happy to be proved wrong.

Still, this is more Persona, albeit now with the quality of life improvements from Reload and a few small extras like a new opening song and animation, new super powerful Theurgy attacks, and some extra post-game content. That's for better and worse: it still has its effortlessly cool jazzy funk soundtrack and stylish battles where exploiting enemy weaknesses is key, but retains a persistent long-windedness that slips into over-explanation and near endless exposition.

I ultimately enjoyed my brief time with Episode Aigis, even if it was a little too familiar. The new battle music had me bopping my head as I slotted into a familiar rhythm of switching personas, hitting enemy weaknesses, and falling deeper down a new time-looping rabbit hole. It's a neat piece of fan service, but I'm still craving something brand new from Atlus - for that, we've got Metaphor: ReFantazio on the way.

Fans of Persona 3 eager for more story will no doubt flock to this DLC for a chance to experience more of its sinister yet ultimately heartwarming plot. Yet for me, playing Episode Aigis brought up more questions than answers. Can this DLC add anything meaningful to the Persona 3 experience? How does it complete the story? Were fans right to demand its release? So far I'm not quite convinced, but I'm certainly intrigued to find out.