Late February of this year, I covered a game in an article that I absolutely loved: Persona 3 Reload (Please read that article before you read this article because it will be a continuation of the first article).
A month after the release of the original game on February 1, it was announced that another set of downloadable content (DLC) would be coming to the game in the form of an expansion pass slated for release on September 10. The only downside to this was that it would retail for $35, being about a third of the original price I had paid for the game and being six months away from its release.
The main focus for this expansion pass was a DLC for game content based around “The Answer,” an epilogue focused on explaining what happened to the protagonist of the main story after his death.
Although “The Answer” originally came out in 2007 in the second iteration of Persona 3, titled “Persona 3 FES,” the version released for “Reload” was adapted very well to modern systems, making a seamless transition from the PlayStation 2. The gameplay, along with the graphics, was revamped to meet the expectations that “Reload” had set before it and added about 40 more hours of gameplay to the original 90-100 hours of gameplay of “Reload.”
Additional events such as more interactions with your friends of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (S.E.E.S.), made the game feel more emotionally turbulent while gameplay changes were made to better fit “Reload.” This made it much easier to play the game as you were originally unable to carry over save data and now, could have a head start instead of grinding for Personas again.
The game was already a rollercoaster of emotions, but the addition of “The Answer” amplified it 10 times more. Seeing the backstory of characters that I had become so familiar with felt heart-wrenching and witnessing the grief that came alongside the death of the protagonist was enough to bring tears to my eyes.
To keep from ruining the game experience with spoilers, “The Answer” features two “Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons,” Aigis, who was in the original game and Metis, who was released in “The Answer.” Aigis inherits the powers of the protagonist on the evening of 3/31, 3 weeks after his death. The remainder of S.E.E.S. is left stuck on the day, 3/31 with a basement that appeared on the lobby floor of their school dorm. They have to travel through the “Abyss of Time,” a labyrinth that appears in the basement, and to free themselves from the time loop, forced to go through each character’s backstory and discover why the protagonist died.
The music that this DLC adds is especially heartbreaking as it sounds upbeat in the beginning and slowly descends to somber and depressing tones when you begin to understand the lyrics of the song and when it is played in-game. My favorite songs from the track, available on Spotify are “Disconnected,” “3/31 – P3R ver.” and “Brand New Days -Reload-,” the first being the song played for the opening movie of the game, “3/31” playing during the beginning of the story on the day and “Brand New Days” plays as the song in the ending credits at the end of the game.
While I enjoyed having “The Answer” added to modern hardware, I think the price gouging of an additional $35 was unprecedented and should be considered when purchasing the game. However, the DLC was undeniably very well made and a welcomed inclusion to “Reload.” I loved seeing every character I had cherished come back to face their fears and look forward to the future instead of regretting the past.
