Atlus almost ‘gave up’ on making Persona 3 Reload’s The Answer DLC

When Persona 3 Reload was announced, fans were both excited and anxious. Since the original Persona 3’s release in 2006, the RPG has received two iterations in the form of Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable, both of which had separate exclusive content that wasn’t available in the other. The former had a playable epilogue called The Answer, while the latter added a female protagonist.

For years, fans have been clamoring for a definitive version of Persona 3 that included content from FES and Portable. Persona 3 Reload was the perfect chance for Atlus to do it. Atlus fulfilled part of the wish by remaking The Answer into Episode Aigis: The Answer for Reload.

Digital Trends recently spent one hour withEpisode Aigis. Its emphasis on combat rather than social mechanics is a welcome change of pace. But we almost didn’t get it at all. In an interview with Digital Trends, producer Kazuhisa Wada revealed that the team nearly gave up on the DLC.

Breaking the cycle

Episode Aigis picks up from Persona 3 Reload’s ending. The cast become stuck in a time loop on March 31. Instead of focusing on Reload’s original nameless protagonist, players now play as Aigis, the loyal and robotic member of the team. The group then gets attacked by Metis, who introduces herself as Aigis’ sister. It’s an explosive start to the expansion that really grabs your attention.

After a misunderstanding, Metis teams up with SEES to help them end the time loop, and they head down under the dorms to find a brand new set of dungeons. One of Reload’s overhauls include a revamp of the original art style. In particular, SEES gets a red armband with a number, indicating the order in which they joined the crew. Metis gets one, but it’s actually missing a number. This reflects Metis’s position as only a temporary party member exclusive to the expansion, according to Wada.

“Metis hasn’t appeared since FES, so we put in a lot of effort in creating her 3D model,” Wada tells Digital Trends. “She has a body that is