Persona 3 Remake, now officially titled Persona 3 Reload, will include all of the major story changes included in Persona 3 FES (the expanded edition of Persona 3 released one year after the original). This confirmation comes courtesy of Persona 3 Reload producer Ryota Niitsuma in a new Famitsu interview.
Ryota Niitsuma: I would like to make this clear so that there is no misunderstanding. Persona 3 Reload” is a project that started as a remake of the original Persona 3 for current consoles, so it does not include the later story added in “FES” or the female protagonist from “Portable”. However, this does not mean that the main story elements added in “FES” are not included in “Reload” at all.
The producer also mentions that there will be elements added to Tartarus (the rogue-like tower dungeon which the main characters explore to reach the top) to further encourage exploration, and also made it possible for players to dash while moving. There will be a lot of new voiced lines added. Moreover, they will be new a gameplay element that will help players delve deeper into the story of characters who didn’t get a lot of screen time in the original version and new side stories as well.
To further clarify his words, as many know, Persona 3 Portable included a full-fledged female protagonist option with its own separate social links and relationship possibilities with the male members of the cast. As for Persona 3 FES, the most noticeable difference between this upgraded version and the original version was the inclusion of a new epilogue called The Answer (the main game’s story portion is titled The Journey).
That said, that doesn’t mean the epilogue was all that FES added, and there were other QoL changes that are most likely to be what the producer is referring to. The Journey section got new personas, quests, additional character-specific events, more difficulty options, and changes to existing social connections and personas.
The character Aigis – the protagonist of the epilogue chapter and a very important character in the story – also got her own social link (10 levels or instances of side events and interactions with the main protagonist). So, we can now rest a little easier knowing that her Social Link option might actually have a chance to make a comeback in Reload.