Persona 3 Reload, Atlus’ flashy, smash-hit remake of the pivotal PS2 game that cleared the way for Persona 5, was notable for what it was missing. Before the game even came out, fans and journalists wondered if the remake would include later additions to the original game, and the answer was, bafflingly, no. However, “no,” it turns out is not “never,” and one of those big omissions will soon debut in Reload in the game’s just-announced Expansion Pass.
Revealed during the Xbox Partner Showcase, the Persona 3 Reload Expansion Pass will include “new costumes, background music, and extended story content with Episode Aigis -The Answer-.”
An epilogue added to the FES re-release of Persona 3, The Answer was a combat-focused follow-up set after the events of Persona 3 focused on the android Aigis. It was a pretty grueling experience light on the RPG social-sim flavor that made the base game great. Fortunately, further details in a post on Xbox Wire indicate that the epilogue will feature “cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features and all the upgrades that came with Persona 3 Reload.”
Unfortunately, the most interesting addition to Persona 3 — the option to play as a female protagonist added in Persona 3 Portable — is still missing in Reload. Hope springs eternal in video games, though, especially when there’s money to be made via add-on content. At the very least, Persona 3 Portable is very easy to play these days.
Episode Aigis -The Answer- will arrive Sept. in Wave 3 of the Expansion Pass, and will be available to Game Pass Ultimate subscribers at no extra cost through January 31, 2025. It’s considerably more substantial than the first two waves, which include the Persona 5 Royal EX BGM Set and Persona 4 Golden EX BGM Set in March, and the Velvet Costume & BGM Set in May. Non-subscribers or Persona 3 Reload owners on other platforms will be able to purchase the Expansion Pass when it launches on March 12 for $34.99.
