Sega and Atlus have traditionally had a huge presence at Anime Expo, and 2024 was no exception. Their booth on show floor includes the likes of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, Persona 3 Reload (primarily to promote the upcoming DLC Episode: AIGIS), Sonic X Shadow Generations, and of course — Metaphor: ReFantazio. We already went in-depth with our hands-on at Summer Game Fest, so what more can be talked about?
I actually got to the show floor early, so I can play Metaphor: ReFantazio again. We already know I’m sold and I’m going to get it, but there were two reasons why I wanted to play it again. The first of which is something you’ll know if you read my hands-on impressions: I played every demo and never actually finished them because of the time limit, and yes, these were the same demos. The second reason was so I could get a free notebook, because they were beautiful. But anyway, this piece is about their panel.
Those lucky enough to attend the panel got a notebook, the same notebook I talked about above.
The World of Metaphor: ReFantazio panel started off with a bang showing off a fully animated cutscene in the game where we see an old man stabbed to death in bed by a blonde warrior. We later learn that it was the king who was murdered and that the blonde warrior that killed him is also a second protagonist in the game. The plot revolves around saving a cursed prince, so there’s a lot to go of here.
A little bit of the overworld was shown, with the main protagonist riding sword around the kingdom like it was a skateboard. We also learn that the most ferocious monsters in the world of Metaphor are called “humans.” Even funnier is the fact that these “humans” resemble the titans from Attack on Titan.
Led by Katsura Hashino and Shigenori Soejima, the devs of the game also went on talking about a few of the characters.
First obviously was the protagonist. The devs mentioned he has a powerful drive and energy that isn’t obvious when you first seem him, which is accurate. He looks like any other Persona main character.
Then they introduced Galica, “a strict fairy who helps you on your journey.” Galica was the first character the developers agreed upon as far her visual design. As for our strictness, Galica came off as mean in the demo I played, so that statement isn’t surprising.
Also shown off was the big grizzled warrior, Grius, an elder bearded and burly man with quite a sword. The devs were really excited introducing him because they don’t really have the freedom of designing such a character in Persona, which I’m assuming could be because Persona could limit them to designing people you come across at a high school.
It’s easy to see why the devs were gushing over Grius. He looks badass.
We were then introduced to Hulkenberg, a female red-headed knight. She was originally an elf in development, but as they progressed, she became the imposing person we saw in the photo. In the demo we played while she may be promoted as somebody strong, she was also our healer.
Strohl was never to be introduced, who the designers called another “buddy.”
We also met the little bat-like creature in Heismay, who the designers said overcame a really rough background in his lore. In the demo we played, he was a heck of a mage.
We also got introduced to Neuras, a machine-loving pilot who controls the Gauntlet Runner. The devs said “maybe” if you increase your bond with him, you can see the Gauntlet Runner improve along with him.
And then last they showed More. More is a writer in the game who also knows his share of Archetypes, which players learn is pretty much the game’s job system.
It was a pretty fun and informative panel, but if you’re anything like me — there really isn’t anything more you can say to further sell it. The devs left us with these words: This project was created with a simple message in mind: if you confront your anxieties head-on, then you can take the first step forward.” Our team has been working hard with the hope that everyone will find the game enjoyable above all else. Thank you for your support.
For me anyway, Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of my most anticipated games of the year, so it goes without saying I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it. The game comes out on the Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC on October 11, 2024.
Sega and Atlus have traditionally had a huge presence at Anime Expo, and 2024 was no exception. Their booth on show floor includes the likes of Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, Persona 3 Reload (primarily to promote the upcoming DLC Episode: AIGIS), Sonic X Shadow Generations, and of course — Metaphor: ReFantazio. We already went in-depth with our hands-on at Summer Game Fest, so what more can be talked about?
I actually got to the show floor early, so I can play Metaphor: ReFantazio again. We already know I’m sold and I’m going to get it, but there were two reasons why I wanted to play it again. The first of which is something you’ll know if you read my hands-on impressions: I played every demo and never actually finished them because of the time limit, and yes, these were the same demos. The second reason was so I could get a free notebook, because they were beautiful. But anyway, this piece is about their panel.
Those lucky enough to attend the panel got a notebook, the same notebook I talked about above.
The World of Metaphor: ReFantazio panel started off with a bang showing off a fully animated cutscene in the game where we see an old man stabbed to death in bed by a blonde warrior. We later learn that it was the king who was murdered and that the blonde warrior that killed him is also a second protagonist in the game. The plot revolves around saving a cursed prince, so there’s a lot to go of here.
A little bit of the overworld was shown, with the main protagonist riding sword around the kingdom like it was a skateboard. We also learn that the most ferocious monsters in the world of Metaphor are called “humans.” Even funnier is the fact that these “humans” resemble the titans from Attack on Titan.
Led by Katsura Hashino and Shigenori Soejima, the devs of the game also went on talking about a few of the characters.
First obviously was the protagonist. The devs mentioned he has a powerful drive and energy that isn’t obvious when you first seem him, which is accurate. He looks like any other Persona main character.
Then they introduced Galica, “a strict fairy who helps you on your journey.” Galica was the first character the developers agreed upon as far her visual design. As for our strictness, Galica came off as mean in the demo I played, so that statement isn’t surprising.
Also shown off was the big grizzled warrior, Grius, an elder bearded and burly man with quite a sword. The devs were really excited introducing him because they don’t really have the freedom of designing such a character in Persona, which I’m assuming could be because Persona could limit them to designing people you come across at a high school.
It’s easy to see why the devs were gushing over Grius. He looks badass.
We were then introduced to Hulkenberg, a female red-headed knight. She was originally an elf in development, but as they progressed, she became the imposing person we saw in the photo. In the demo we played while she may be promoted as somebody strong, she was also our healer.
Strohl was never to be introduced, who the designers called another “buddy.”
We also met the little bat-like creature in Heismay, who the designers said overcame a really rough background in his lore. In the demo we played, he was a heck of a mage.
We also got introduced to Neuras, a machine-loving pilot who controls the Gauntlet Runner. The devs said “maybe” if you increase your bond with him, you can see the Gauntlet Runner improve along with him.
And then last they showed More. More is a writer in the game who also knows his share of Archetypes, which players learn is pretty much the game’s job system.
It was a pretty fun and informative panel, but if you’re anything like me — there really isn’t anything more you can say to further sell it. The devs left us with these words: This project was created with a simple message in mind: if you confront your anxieties head-on, then you can take the first step forward.” Our team has been working hard with the hope that everyone will find the game enjoyable above all else. Thank you for your support.
For me anyway, Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of my most anticipated games of the year, so it goes without saying I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it. The game comes out on the Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC on October 11, 2024.
by Danreb Victorio
