When it released back in February 2024,Persona 3 Reloadreceived widely positive reviews from fans and critics, ultimately becoming one of the year’s highest-rated games as a result. In spite of this, the Atlus-developed remake continues to be the subject of controversy among certain sections of thePersonafanbase. The debacle surrounding the game largely stems from the fact thatPersona 3 Reloadis based on the original PS2 version of the seminal 2006 JRPG. In other words, it lacks the additional content added in subsequent iterations of the title, like the female protagonist inPersona 3 Portableand The Answer epilogue inPersona 3 FES.
Following the game’s launch, Atlus sought to remedy some of this criticism by announcingthePersona 3 Reload: Episode Aigisexpansion pass, a DLC bundle that includes a remade version of the missing epilogue fromFES. While this news was exciting for many, theupcoming remake of The Answer was quickly shrouded in controversy due to Atlus’s decision to lock it behind a $35 paywall, which is about half of what the base game costs. This news on its own was quite disappointing for manyPersonafans, leading some of them to consider skipping the expansion entirely. Beyond that,Episode Aigiscould face even more contention from the gaming community if it fails to adjust some aspects of the original epilogue, like its difficulty.
Difficulty Was a Major Point of Criticism With The Answer
The Answer epilogue ofPersona 3 FESwas fairly divisive upon its initial release for a variety of reasons. While the expansion was criticized for its story and the way it portrayed certain characters, among other things, chief among these complaints was the challenging nature of its dungeons, which some players considered unfair and borderline tedious. The originalPersona 3was already one of theharder turn-based RPGsof its time, but The Answer took things to the next level.
One of the definingtraits of The Answer was its lack of a difficulty setting, something that the base game offered. Players who wanted to experience the roughly 30-hour epilogue had no choice but to play it in Hard mode. To make the expansion even more challenging, Atlus also decided to get rid ofthe Persona compendiumfeature. This meant that, when it came to fusion, players were only able to choose from the randomly-selected Personas they received after defeating enemies.
In addition to these controversial design choices, The Answer also heavily emphasized grinding. If players wanted a shot at taking down some of the tough bosses inPersona 3: FES' epilogue, they needed to fight tons of enemies to farm XP and level themselves up. While some gamers didn’t mind the grinding because they found the combat in theturn-based JRPGreally enjoyable, others felt that it was too frustrating and time-consuming.
Games Like Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Have Brought Back Difficulty Discourse
Difficulty in games has been a hot topic lately, in large part due to the recent release ofthe popularEldenRing: Shadow of the Erdtreeexpansion, which many have criticized for being too challenging. Although some gamers have argued that the challenge of games should be maintained to preserve the original visions of developers, others have expressed that it’d be best for game creators to give players freedom in deciding how tough they want their experiences to be.
If Atlus wants to avoid falling intothe difficulty discourse pit that games likeElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreedid, then perhaps it would be ideal for the company to make The Answer more approachable in the upcomingEpisode AigisExpansion Pass. That being said,recent installments in thePersonafranchise, likePersona 3 ReloadandPersona 5 Royal, have been criticized by some for being too easy, so maybe it’s best that Atlus finds a happy medium between the difficulty of those games andPersona 3 FES.
Persona 3 Reload
WHERE TO PLAY
Step into the shoes of a transfer student thrust into an unexpected fate when entering the hour “hidden” between one day and the next. Awaken an incredible power and chase the mysteries of the Dark Hour, fight for your friends, and leave a mark on their memories forever.Persona 3 Reload is a captivating reimagining of the genre-defining RPG, reborn for the modern era.Experience the pivotal game of the Persona series faithfully remade with cutting-edge graphics, modernized quality-of-life features, and signature stylish UI. Fully immerse yourself in an emotional, gripping journey with new scenes, character interactions, and additional voiceover. Choose how to meaningfully spend each day through various activities from exploring the Port Island to forging genuine bonds with beloved characters. Build and command your optimal team to take down otherworldly Shadows and climb closer to the truth.
