The Let's Play Archive

Persona 3 FES

by Dragonatrix

Part 122: March 31st

FES

P3 FES



So, real quick I didn't mention it before but FES has a second OP/attract video of its own that plays by default first. You have to wait for a second pass to get Burn My Dread, which can be a bit of an issue if you haven't played Persona 3 before.



The FES opening just casually shows a bunch of cool moments, albeit without context so they're not really spoilers per se.



But, y'know, it includes stuff up to and including the Nyx fight.



No, really, Nyx's outer shell is right there in plain view the entire time.



It even ruins some unexpectedly cool jokes like Elizabeth surfing down the slide.



...But some of it shows stuff we definitely haven't seen yet. Like Aigis fighting Akihiko...???



On the whole I really like this OP, and the stylistic flourishes make it pop and super memorable. There's no real major Answer spoilers in it despite how it looks there though.


End

Brand New Days -The Beginning-



Now that the Journey is formally complete, I think it's time to begin seeking the Answer. There's a lot less to it than the Journey, though, but we'll get there soon enough.



In the off-chance you start the Answer by accident, it's kind enough to tell you that it comes after the Journey. Unfortunately there's no way to opt out at this point.



It also kinda lies to you here. Combat isn't inherently harder, per se. All this means is that we don't have a difficulty choice and its always Hard mode. This means less than it did before, though, so it's not as bad as it sounds.


March 31st
this covers the entire rest of the update better to just watch it if you can

Opening Act



So, like before we open with a shot of the full moon...



Though this time it's used for a sweet match cut to a gear rapidly rotating... inside a machine of some kind.


This ordeal... It may be that we brought it upon ourselves.

During this scene, Aigis provides some degree of narration every now and then. (I remembered to subtitle the video for folks who want to watch just that, so you won't miss out on anything.)



Speaking of Aigis, she seems to be damaged or something since the machine was her. There's this actually cool glitchy distortion as the camera zooms out, just before we get to see...



Aigis fighting against Akihiko?! I sure wouldn't expect that to be in the intro.



Rather notably, Akihiko seems to be winning right now...



Though Aigis is able to take advantage of being flipped like that.



I guess the anime scenes team didn't get the memo that Akihiko is a boxer.



It's very brief, but as Aigis lands there's a partially silhouetted Fuuka standing nearby. She's only visible for a tiny number of frames so it's super easy to miss.



But she's just watching on as Aigis opens her finger guns, aims straight at Aki and fires.



She's so accurate, she can shoot out a bead of sweat in midair. Be nice if she could be that accurate outside of the anime zone too.



...Though even with that, she still can't hit Akihiko who just dodges every shot. Wish he could do that for us too.



One bullet does slightly graze him as he rushes in, though it looks more like he just let it happen.



While this is happening, someone else is kicking the shit out of Ken.



And doing a good job at it too, apparently.



Can't say we've seen his attacker before though. Or maybe we have; it's hard to say with that mask in the way.


Silence



Philemon's apparently hanging out watching this too, or at least has something to do with that masked person here. They both have butterfly shaped masks, even!



The fact that a future exists and being able to access it are very different things.



Fuuka really doesn't like watching this, but she's right there so it's weird that she doesn't try to stop it.



Especially since Akihiko's decided to escalate now. Fists vs Guns is one thing, but you don't bring a Persona to a brawl. That's just unsportsmanlike!


We did not understand such an obvious, and natural, principle yet.



Both of these fights are happening very near to each other, huh? And Fuuka's a lot closer than she seemed before too...



But Akihiko's evoker gets smacked out of his hand and into the air. Sure is red out tonight.



Whoever he's fighting against seems to have overpowered and bested Ken. That means we can write off a lot of people, really, and it leaves only the very strongest.



For a brief moment, we get flashes of the end of the Journey just to remind us what happened to the main character there.




Indeed, we understood very little.



We knew nothing about using the key to open the path to the future.



And then we see a key bounce though it cuts away just before it can land in that small pool of blood. Just to make that metaphor a bit overly literal, I guess.







Ah, Yukari-chan! It's me...
Um... Are you coming today...?
Oh, uh... didn't you see the message I left you on the board? I have cram school today...
I know... But...
I left all the stuff at the dorm, so I don't have to be there in person, right?
I suppose not, but...
Are you okay with that?
Yeah... I'm gonna pass.
Oh, sorry... Break's almost over. I gotta go.
Tell everyone I said hi, okay?

3/31



Sanada-san said he was busy at the gym, so I doubt he'll be here in time either...
Man, what's up with those two?



With all our memories of this place, you'd think they'd want to see it off... right?
*whimper*
It can't be helped. They just see things differently.
Everyone's started down their own chosen path... It's a good thing.
...You're right.
I can hardly blame them.



So we finally gotta give up our Evokers...

Makes sense with no Dark Hour any more and how they're all very important research materials. May have mentioned it before but each Evoker contains a Plume of Dusk, since that's how they're able to function.

If you ever have a question about how something works the answer is almost always a Plume of Dusk.


I hate to let it go, but it's not like I got a use for it anymore.
Lessee... Two, four... Wait, how many of these are there supposed to be?

(Nine; eight guns and a shock collar.)

The door to the meeting room can be heard opening here.


Aigis...



I believe this is all of them.
Huh...? You had one too, Aigis-san?
I'd forgotten... You had his for safekeeping...
......
......
H-Hey, c'mon... Don't get all gloomy again.
I don't think that's the way he would've wanted to see this end.



But I still wonder... Why did it happen?
The doctors didn't find anything wrong with him afterward... It just seemed like he fell asleep, didn't it?

It seems weird and clunky, but it's important to remember that it's not super clear at first that the main character died at the end of the Journey. It's very heavily implied and it's thematically resonant but I can't begrudge anyone for not catching it until now.



This is definitely the case. It was a bit delayed, but it's a rare moment of the fight mechanics tying into the story. Great Seal cost 100% max HP to use, remember, so it's really clever like that.


It's useless to try and guess at the reasons why.
I am certain he didn't blame anybody for what happened.
Yeah... Ai-chan's got that right.
Hey, but I'm glad to see that you're still hangin' in there, Aigis.
Back then, it was like he was all you could think about.
I'm... somewhat surprised as well.



You can't see it here, but Ken has a question mark above his head too. Aigis' portrait is just kinda in the way here.

Huh? The lab...? Are you planning to commute to school from there next semester?
Oh... No, I...
Aigis is returning herself to the lab tomorrow. She... won't be enrolled as a senior.
Seriously?! Why? Can't she stay in school like she was before?



I enjoyed being with you all, but I need to find my own way of life.
...Oh, but you can come visit me anytime.
Aigis...
Think of it as a new beginning for her.
Anyway... We seem to have gotten on the wrong track, but today's not meant to be a sad occasion.



We may not have been able to get everyone together, but we should all eat here tonight.
Th-That would be great!
You got THAT sushi again!? Sweet!
No objections here!
You're gonna join us, right Aigis?
Of course. I couldn't miss spending time with you all.

Silence



That Apathy Syndrome still exists despite Shadows and the Dark Hour both no longer being around to cause it is a bit bizarre. It's technically possible that Nyx being sealed didn't cause them to vanish immediately, and it's taken time to slowly fade out of course.

Newscaster: However, surveys show that the number of people who report serious stress in everyday life has not decreased. According to research carried out by the Ministry of Health and Welfare...



It's almost midnight...
It's hard to believe we've spent the evening doing nothing.
Sitting here like this reminds me of those days... Perhaps that's why.
I think I can understand.
I have so many memories of this lounge that I find myself spending time here for no reason.
It's the same for me. When where here, I think about when we were still fighting...



Well... all that stuff aside, doesn't something feel weird to you guys?
I'll be walkin' around, and people act like as long as they're happy right now, nothing else matters.



It makes me think, "Is this what we almost died to protect?"
Are you saying that people don't know how good they have it? You're sounding like an old man...!
Hey! Who asked you!?
That's out of our hands, I'm afraid.



Yeah, I guess. But still...

Newscaster: ...And that's the weather. At the tone, the time will be midnight.



At midnight there's a brief flash instead of the tone from the news. It's hard to see in motion, but the old Dark Hour clock is visible in the distortion...



Woof! Rarf!
Midnight... It can't be-- Is it the Dark Hour again!?



Wait... The news...!

Newscaster: Good evening.



The 31st was yesterday, right...?
Did the anchor misread the date?

This doesn't matter much, but it bugs me that Aigis points everyone to the news... which implies she noticed something off about it. Then she questions if the anchor speaking afterwards was a mistake or not. That's probably just a quibble I have though.

Sheesh... Is that all?
Even they make mistakes every once in a while. It's nothing.



Well, looks like a false alarm.
So far, I'd agree.
But something felt... off...
*yawn* It's late... We should call it a night.
What a lame finish to our last day in the dorm... *sigh*
Um... Would it be alright if I returned to my room?
I have to prepare to move tomorrow...
Sure. Good night, Aigis.
Niiiiight...







The day he fell asleep... We brought him back to our dorm, fear beginning to well up within us.
And the next morning, our fears became reality, and he was lost to us.
For some time after that, I fell into depression, and began seeing the same dream night after night...



When he was alive, I promised to protect him, and I made that my reason for living.
That promise is gone... unfulfilled.
Then one day, my sadness suddenly left me, as if a prison door had swung open.
I stopped dreaming... and I no longer required sleep.



Can I really continue living like this...?



For the first time, we see someone properly acknowledge Philemon's butterfly floating around. Which makes it abundantly clear it's gonna be important at some point...



Especially since it lands on Aigis' hands and then disappears just before the building begins to shake.




Aigis, are you awake!?
Yes I am. The door is open.



Has something happened?
It's not... another enemy, is it!?
It's hard to describe... The lobby floor opened up, and--
Anyway, we need to hurry to the lounge!
Understood!



That must have been the day when the incident actually began.

That Which Comes From The Darkness





Everyone...!
Keep your guard up, Aigis! It doesn't seem human...!



A shadow...? No, this is...



You're... Aigis...?
......?



Yes... for now.
I need you to provide backup for Aigis.
All right.
Who are you? Why are you doing this...?



Now that we have her name, it's only fitting to let you know that Metis here is voiced by Stephanie Sheh. It's legitimately great that we've got someone new for Metis rather than having someone from before Mona Marshall do it.

Protect me...?



What are you saying!?
I won't let you hurt them!
Then I have no choice...
For your sake... I'll have to force you to back down.

Metis 「Hierophant Psyche」

Unavoidable Battle (Reincarnation)



So, our first fight in the Answer is against this Metis who's apparently an Anti-Shadow Weapon like Aigis, huh?



As you'd expect from the first fight, this isn't particularly difficult or anything.



...Even though Aigis is noticably missing a lot of her skills from before. I get why and all, but it's really blatant because Aigis is now a lower level than she even starts at in The Journey.



Our inventory leaves something to be desired too, but we won't be touching it here anyway.



We'll just be hitting Metis until the fight ends. It's the first fight, there's no grand strategy or anything.



Metis doesn't even hit particularly hard, so it's not like we're in much danger.



It's not strictly necessary, but Kill Rush and Swift Strike are useful in getting things done quicker at least.



As you'd no doubt expect from a named character, Metis does have a bit of additional dialogue when she gets low on HP...



Though it's not exactly inspired or anything.




Psyche!



Thanks to a lucky crit on her part, we both get to learn that her Persona is Psyche, the youngest daughter of the Sicilian king and queen. She was so beautiful that even Cupid fell in love with, and eventually married, her. Here, she's a bizarre cage-like woman wearing a long flowing white dress that has... a large red butterfly for a head.

Psyche means both "butterfly" and "soul" in Greek, so it's kind of an on-the-nose pun. It's also why a lot of depictions of Psyche give her butterfly wings.



Oh and this fight is functionally unlosable. If you drop to below 25% HP, Metis stops attacking entirely. It'd be theoretically possible to lose if she gets a crit while you're downed or something but don't count on it.



Metis gives a lot of EXP for the first fight, but this is pretty much just for show of course.



It does give us a peek at Aigis' stats though - notably her social ones are fixed and I appreciate she has low Academics but maxed Courage.

That she gets the Persona fusion level limit message is an unusual one though...




Much stronger... than expected...



...Unfortunately, despite winning the unlosable fight, Metis promptly no sells it.

I have no choice.



Huh? Is this...?



Metis begins to glow and light up as we get this awkward sideshot that puts her butterfly mask front and center.



And the we get an even closer zoom in as we can see the mask fill up with silhouettes of even more butterflies. They're really using Psyche's second meaning a lot.


Is that... Orgia Mode?



Not quite the same as Aigis' Orgia Mode, since Metis gets to generate an energy weapon out of it.



A giant whip that she uses on... Aigis.




Aigis!
No way!



With Aigis downed from that, Metis turns her attention to...



Amada!



Throwing a chair at Ken that hits him into the screen in the middle of the room.



So we've seen Metis beat the shit out of Ken in the first anime scene, implied that she beat the shit out of Ken (and others) when she first turned up... and now she's beating the shit out of Ken again.




Arf! Arf! Arf!



I think the start of The Answer looked at the 4th of October and decided to finally give some catharsis to anyone, and everyone, who thought Ken got off light.





My body...



Hindrances will be removed.



Still downed and unable to move, Aigis begins flashing back again...



Her mind is racing about one thing in particular.



Or, rather, one person. The recent past combined with Metis' threat...




NO!



I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN ANYMORE!



For once, Aigis DOESN'T try to use Orgia Mode herself in a fight scene.



She's still gonna use Pallas Athena though. Or, rather, that's what it looks like but...



Athena's evolving into someone very familiar.






What's this?
Don't tell me...

I do like how Orpheus can be seen reflected in Metis' mask at least. That's cool, even if Orpheus being here at all is a gigantic disappointment. I'd rather it stayed as Athena, personally.



Though it does make for a sort of neat thematic moment that makes it really clear what the deal is gonna be.





And we do get to see part of Orpheus' design that fits into his myth in an unusual way. Namely he's using that giant ass subwoofer that's otherwise just sorta there.



That's enough to disarm Metis and knock her off-balance...



And temporarily remove the mask too.


Whoa! What the...?



Sis...ter...



Aigis!
Hey! Hey! Hey...!

Now that everything's calmed down and Metis isn't an immediate threat, Aigis' still sorta overheated and collapses.

End