Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis Assessment (PS5)

Episode Aigis is an epilogue to Persona 3 Reload — a remake of the extra situation that first appeared in Persona 3 FES on the PS2. Very like Reload itself, this enlargement is just about a one-to-one recreation by way of core narrative and construction, however it’s bolstered by the entire remake’s high quality of life and fight system enhancements. This makes the expertise a lot simpler to abdomen on a mechanical degree, because the dungeon-based tour usually felt like a severe slog again in its authentic type.

Having stated that, Episode Aigis nonetheless revolves round dungeon crawling virtually completely. The enlargement does away with the social aspect of the Persona formulation, and easily duties gamers with attending to the underside of a brand new, Tartarus-like creation. As you progress, story beats try to hold you hooked, as your SEES get together members are compelled to unravel the reality of this contemporary trial, with you taking up the function of mechanical companion Aigis.

The plot offers with some intriguing character-driven themes, however the pacing is an actual sticking level. For a lot of the journey, you are fed scraps of what can barely be referred to as exposition, with the precise character improvement locked behind lots of grinding. It is a tall order contemplating your ranges and gear do not carry over from the bottom recreation; you are successfully ranging from the underside once more, albeit with a wider roster of get together members available.

You have to ask your self whether or not the grind is value it; whether or not your enjoyment of Reload’s dungeon crawling is sufficient to justify one other 20 hours of usually paper-thin and generally frustratingly contrived storytelling. For what it is value, Episode Aigis does provide a larger problem than the core launch — one thing which will enchantment to extra hardcore gamers. However even then, the enlargement is priced at $34.99 / £28.99 — and that feels costly for what’s, basically, a brand new dungeon populated with reused enemy property.

Episode Aigis is one for the tremendous followers. Its worthwhile story beats are uncommon and buried beneath lots of all-too-familiar dungeon crawling, and it is undeniably costly by way of asking value. At greatest, it is an intriguing however flawed epilogue; at worst, it is a fully pointless addition to a implausible recreation.