It wasn’t until last year where players got an update on what Atlus called Project Re:Fantasy, a project from the Persona team that pundits coined as a “Fantasy Persona.” This project was eventually renamed Metaphor: ReFantazio, and gamers have been chomping at the bit leading up to its release. With the game finally out, we’re happy to report that this huge title was absolutely worth the wait.
Metaphor: ReFantazio features a convoluted, yet engaging plot highlighted by heavy political themes and turmoil. Instead of fully taking on the role of the protagonist, the player assumes the role of a guide whose true role is revealed later in the game and you have full agency of naming both the guide and the protagonist. For consistency purposes, we’ll be using the protagonist’s canon name, Will, when referring to him.
The game begins after the murder of the king, and the kingdom is at a loss of who is at fault. Along with that, a new King has to be crowned, but the crown prince is nowhere to be found. A young adult named Will, the best friend of the prince, along with a talkative fairy named Gallica representing the rest of the resistance, end up making their way to the capital to avenge the king and find out things are just way more complicated than they ever presumed.
Dungeons in the game are simple but leave much to be desired as far as how they handle grinding fights.
Saying Metaphor: ReFantazio is “fantasy Persona” isn’t wrong, but it also doesn’t do the game justice. Sure, it’s from the same development team and features the same kind of gameplay loop that relies on doing the most you can within the game’s daily time limit, but the depth and intricacies provided by both the game’s setting and combat systems really make the game feel more limitless. Throw in some quality of life improvements that you didn’t realize the series needed, and you have a game that stands very well on its own.
Though Metaphor: ReFantazio has a fantasy setting, it would be woefully inaccurate to say the game takes place in the past despite all the anachronisms that make the game “medieval.” Swords, shields, spears, and magic definitely have their place in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, but instead of a precursor that is the modern world as we know it, it’s best to describe the world of Metaphor as one that takes place in another universe. Say what you want about the fatigue of fantasy settings in RPGs, but it’s one that Persona‘s gameplay loop welcomes. Because Persona was always tied to a school setting, the opportunity to introduce maturely aged characters inside and out was difficult. Metaphor also feels like a bigger game with a much wider setting just because you don’t have to go to school every day. So while the comparisons to Persona will undoubtedly be there, it still feels like an important and necessary release.
Combat in Metaphor looks familiar but feels different when directly compared to Shin Megami Tensei and Persona fans alike. Battles are still turn-based, but are flowed through what the game calls the “Press Turn” mechanic. When you attack an enemy weakness, you’re provided a “half turn” which essentially grants that character another turn after everybody else acts. If you end up using an attack that gets shielded, absorbed, or misses, you lose turns which could spell defeat pretty easily. This all replaces the “one more” and “all-out attack” that Persona was known for.
These new mechanics took a while to get used to and presented quite a challenge for me throughout the game, especially coming off a game like Persona 3 Reload. The games have similar user interfaces, but certain commands are tied to differing actions, so if you’re relying on motor memory from those games, it could be a disaster. That said, I’d hardly call Metaphor a “chill” game, as the battle system is quite cerebral and requires real attention. I had many late nights playing Metaphor and pressing X during battle thinking it was the same as in Persona 3, and I’d die because of it. So again, you gotta be wary.
As far as its depth goes, Metaphor’s “Archetype” system makes combat and preparation even more paramount. To the untrained eye, the Archetype system is pretty much the Persona system, but unlike Persona, each character in your party can be assigned to new Archetypes outside of battle essentially giving players a limitless class system like we’ve seen in Final Fantasy V or the Bravely Default games. Further adding depth to this freedom is also the ability to carry over certain abilities you mastered while equipping other Archetypes, maximizing the potential over your loadouts.
Build characters however you like with virtually limitless Archetypes.
This was a system that I had trouble absorbing early on and really only had a solid understanding after around 30 hours in. The game actually tries to train you on the importance of diversifying your Archetypes and abilities early, but the problem here is that it’s hard to grind, especially early on. Like the Persona games, dungeons in Metaphor tempt you to drain your MP, and there’s no way to replenish MP unless you have the items to do it, which of course are rare.
To sort of make that a little easier, Metaphor instituted a hybrid combat system. When in a dungeon, you can perform melee strikes on enemies up until they’re stunned that’ll give you an advantage in battle. In Persona, you had to sneak up from behind in order to make this work but you couldn’t fall an enemy unless they were significantly weaker than you. It works pretty much like the shards system in Trails through Daybreak.
Still, enemies in Metaphor are plentiful and respawn after some time. In Persona, I was used to killing everything I saw, and that’s not easy with Metaphor. I ended up finding myself running around dungeons, killing weak enemies with melee strikes and just flatout avoiding everybody else until I found the dungeon’s endpoint–all for the sake of saving MP. This just wasn’t fun, and I didn’t stop doing this until I was considerably leveled.
Fortunately, as grindey as the game sometimes feels, it’s not all about that. Again, like Persona, follower bonds are a big part of what eventually opens up your battle customizations. There are several NPCs in the game with their own stories to bond with, and doing so unlocks certain Archetypes you otherwise didn’t have immediate access to along with raising stats and Royal Virtues. These are more or less the same as social links and attributes from Persona, but in Metaphor, there are no wrong answers when it comes to interacting with your followers, and the UI also makes it obvious to see which ones will level up. This more or less removes the urgency or pressure to visit with certain people, and “waste less days” considering every action you do in the game takes time.
This includes various acts to do that’ll level up your Royal Virtues. Whether it’s looking at a breathtaking view, or running simple fetch quests, this is actually stuff you’re encouraged to do early on. Every NPC in the game requires specific Royal Virtues to be at a certain level before having the ability to level your bond up late, so finding the balance is key. In my playthrough, because I spent too much time worrying about my states, I didn’t actually max out my bonds or Royal Virtues until the very last day.
The ability to immediately see how actions impact your bonds or virtues was an amazing quality of life improvement, but I also wish there was more to it narratively. I didn’t feel as connected to my followers as my social links in Persona. I don’t know whether it had anything to do with the setting, but each of their individual stories didn’t feel as strong to me. Still, that said, there were definitely characters that I grew attached to. Every single character in your party, especially Heismay and Strohl, felt special, along with Maria and Alonzo as far as the NPCs go.
ATLUS is second to none as far as JRPG user interfaces go.
In the end, Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of those games that I wish I could do more to fully grasp what it was doing at the beginning. There were times where I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing until more than halfway into it, and I don’t know whether I was to blame or whether it was the design. If the Platinum trophy didn’t require you to essentially play the game twice, I’d go after it. The game took me well over 90 hours to finish the main story, so I’d be hard pressed to want to go through it again so soon.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t talk about the game’s overall presentation. The game’s visual style is more or less classic Atlus. I wasn’t in love with a lot of the particle effects or grainy textures, but they’re still the king when it comes to the in-your-face menus interface. The character design is tremendous, and the soundtrack once again composed by the legendary Shoji Meguro is simply amazing. The orchestra along with the opera really added to the game’s epic feel, and it’s easily the best original soundtrack of the year for me.
To say that 2024 was stacked with great JRPG releases would be a massive understatement. This year alone, Like a Dragon, Final Fantasy, Persona, The Legend of Heroes, Ys, Dragon Quest, and even SaGa saw new entries. While the majority of them were remakes, they’re all incredibly huge titles, and Atlus and Sega have once again come out with a winner in Metaphor: ReFantazio. It’s simply exquisite.
It wasn’t until last year where players got an update on what Atlus called Project Re:Fantasy, a project from the Persona team that pundits coined as a “Fantasy Persona.” This project was eventually renamed Metaphor: ReFantazio, and gamers have been…
It wasn’t until last year where players got an update on what Atlus called Project Re:Fantasy, a project from the Persona team that pundits coined as a “Fantasy Persona.” This project was eventually renamed Metaphor: ReFantazio, and gamers have been chomping at the bit leading up to its release. With the game finally out, we’re happy to report that this huge title was absolutely worth the wait.
Metaphor: ReFantazio features a convoluted, yet engaging plot highlighted by heavy political themes and turmoil. Instead of fully taking on the role of the protagonist, the player assumes the role of a guide whose true role is revealed later in the game and you have full agency of naming both the guide and the protagonist. For consistency purposes, we’ll be using the protagonist’s canon name, Will, when referring to him.
The game begins after the murder of the king, and the kingdom is at a loss of who is at fault. Along with that, a new King has to be crowned, but the crown prince is nowhere to be found. A young adult named Will, the best friend of the prince, along with a talkative fairy named Gallica representing the rest of the resistance, end up making their way to the capital to avenge the king and find out things are just way more complicated than they ever presumed.
Dungeons in the game are simple but leave much to be desired as far as how they handle grinding fights.
Saying Metaphor: ReFantazio is “fantasy Persona” isn’t wrong, but it also doesn’t do the game justice. Sure, it’s from the same development team and features the same kind of gameplay loop that relies on doing the most you can within the game’s daily time limit, but the depth and intricacies provided by both the game’s setting and combat systems really make the game feel more limitless. Throw in some quality of life improvements that you didn’t realize the series needed, and you have a game that stands very well on its own.
Though Metaphor: ReFantazio has a fantasy setting, it would be woefully inaccurate to say the game takes place in the past despite all the anachronisms that make the game “medieval.” Swords, shields, spears, and magic definitely have their place in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, but instead of a precursor that is the modern world as we know it, it’s best to describe the world of Metaphor as one that takes place in another universe. Say what you want about the fatigue of fantasy settings in RPGs, but it’s one that Persona‘s gameplay loop welcomes. Because Persona was always tied to a school setting, the opportunity to introduce maturely aged characters inside and out was difficult. Metaphor also feels like a bigger game with a much wider setting just because you don’t have to go to school every day. So while the comparisons to Persona will undoubtedly be there, it still feels like an important and necessary release.
Combat in Metaphor looks familiar but feels different when directly compared to Shin Megami Tensei and Persona fans alike. Battles are still turn-based, but are flowed through what the game calls the “Press Turn” mechanic. When you attack an enemy weakness, you’re provided a “half turn” which essentially grants that character another turn after everybody else acts. If you end up using an attack that gets shielded, absorbed, or misses, you lose turns which could spell defeat pretty easily. This all replaces the “one more” and “all-out attack” that Persona was known for.
These new mechanics took a while to get used to and presented quite a challenge for me throughout the game, especially coming off a game like Persona 3 Reload. The games have similar user interfaces, but certain commands are tied to differing actions, so if you’re relying on motor memory from those games, it could be a disaster. That said, I’d hardly call Metaphor a “chill” game, as the battle system is quite cerebral and requires real attention. I had many late nights playing Metaphor and pressing X during battle thinking it was the same as in Persona 3, and I’d die because of it. So again, you gotta be wary.
As far as its depth goes, Metaphor’s “Archetype” system makes combat and preparation even more paramount. To the untrained eye, the Archetype system is pretty much the Persona system, but unlike Persona, each character in your party can be assigned to new Archetypes outside of battle essentially giving players a limitless class system like we’ve seen in Final Fantasy V or the Bravely Default games. Further adding depth to this freedom is also the ability to carry over certain abilities you mastered while equipping other Archetypes, maximizing the potential over your loadouts.
Build characters however you like with virtually limitless Archetypes.
This was a system that I had trouble absorbing early on and really only had a solid understanding after around 30 hours in. The game actually tries to train you on the importance of diversifying your Archetypes and abilities early, but the problem here is that it’s hard to grind, especially early on. Like the Persona games, dungeons in Metaphor tempt you to drain your MP, and there’s no way to replenish MP unless you have the items to do it, which of course are rare.
To sort of make that a little easier, Metaphor instituted a hybrid combat system. When in a dungeon, you can perform melee strikes on enemies up until they’re stunned that’ll give you an advantage in battle. In Persona, you had to sneak up from behind in order to make this work but you couldn’t fall an enemy unless they were significantly weaker than you. It works pretty much like the shards system in Trails through Daybreak.
Still, enemies in Metaphor are plentiful and respawn after some time. In Persona, I was used to killing everything I saw, and that’s not easy with Metaphor. I ended up finding myself running around dungeons, killing weak enemies with melee strikes and just flatout avoiding everybody else until I found the dungeon’s endpoint–all for the sake of saving MP. This just wasn’t fun, and I didn’t stop doing this until I was considerably leveled.
Fortunately, as grindey as the game sometimes feels, it’s not all about that. Again, like Persona, follower bonds are a big part of what eventually opens up your battle customizations. There are several NPCs in the game with their own stories to bond with, and doing so unlocks certain Archetypes you otherwise didn’t have immediate access to along with raising stats and Royal Virtues. These are more or less the same as social links and attributes from Persona, but in Metaphor, there are no wrong answers when it comes to interacting with your followers, and the UI also makes it obvious to see which ones will level up. This more or less removes the urgency or pressure to visit with certain people, and “waste less days” considering every action you do in the game takes time.
This includes various acts to do that’ll level up your Royal Virtues. Whether it’s looking at a breathtaking view, or running simple fetch quests, this is actually stuff you’re encouraged to do early on. Every NPC in the game requires specific Royal Virtues to be at a certain level before having the ability to level your bond up late, so finding the balance is key. In my playthrough, because I spent too much time worrying about my states, I didn’t actually max out my bonds or Royal Virtues until the very last day.
The ability to immediately see how actions impact your bonds or virtues was an amazing quality of life improvement, but I also wish there was more to it narratively. I didn’t feel as connected to my followers as my social links in Persona. I don’t know whether it had anything to do with the setting, but each of their individual stories didn’t feel as strong to me. Still, that said, there were definitely characters that I grew attached to. Every single character in your party, especially Heismay and Strohl, felt special, along with Maria and Alonzo as far as the NPCs go.
ATLUS is second to none as far as JRPG user interfaces go.
In the end, Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of those games that I wish I could do more to fully grasp what it was doing at the beginning. There were times where I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing until more than halfway into it, and I don’t know whether I was to blame or whether it was the design. If the Platinum trophy didn’t require you to essentially play the game twice, I’d go after it. The game took me well over 90 hours to finish the main story, so I’d be hard pressed to want to go through it again so soon.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t talk about the game’s overall presentation. The game’s visual style is more or less classic Atlus. I wasn’t in love with a lot of the particle effects or grainy textures, but they’re still the king when it comes to the in-your-face menus interface. The character design is tremendous, and the soundtrack once again composed by the legendary Shoji Meguro is simply amazing. The orchestra along with the opera really added to the game’s epic feel, and it’s easily the best original soundtrack of the year for me.
To say that 2024 was stacked with great JRPG releases would be a massive understatement. This year alone, Like a Dragon, Final Fantasy, Persona, The Legend of Heroes, Ys, Dragon Quest, and even SaGa saw new entries. While the majority of them were remakes, they’re all incredibly huge titles, and Atlus and Sega have once again come out with a winner in Metaphor: ReFantazio. It’s simply exquisite.
by Danreb Victorio
