As a fan of the Persona series, I had my eye on Atlus’ new game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, for a while. It was always going to be a day-one play for me, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. It’s not a Persona game, but it feels like one in many ways, albeit with its own unique flair that allows it to stand apart as its own distinct IP.
Visuals and Sound
Atlus games are known for their flashy presentation, and Metaphor is no different. Their games don’t focus on hyper-realistic graphics, instead opting for a simpler, cartoon-like style, and they do this extremely well. From the pause and combat menus to the in-game graphics, everything is bold, vibrant, and well-presented. Character designs, dungeons, and enemies are all crafted beautifully, making each tribe unique and every new area distinct.
English dubbing often gets a bad rap, and there are definitely times when the English voice acting fails to hit the mark or is just plain annoying. However, in Metaphor, everything sounds so natural that even the most staunch subbed purists would struggle to find fault. The same goes for the music. I don’t think I’ve ever played an Atlus game where the soundtrack wasn’t outstanding, and Metaphor doesn’t disappoint. It’s orchestral and epic, exactly what you’d expect from a fantasy game.
Tournament of Kings
Unlike the Persona games, which place players in a world similar to ours, Metaphor: ReFantazio immerses them in the fantasy kingdom of Euchronia. In this world, ours exists as an idealistic story-book world, and humans appear as grotesque monsters that destroy everything in their path. Despite being home to various tribes, racism and inequality are rife throughout the land.
The situation worsens after the king’s death. With the heir to the throne afflicted by a dark curse and presumed dead by all but a select few, a fierce political struggle for power begins. With heavy themes of governance woven throughout, Metaphor is a deeply political game. The late king’s magic created a scenario where anyone in the kingdom could potentially become the new ruler of Euchronia, provided they gained the people’s support. Naturally, many contenders vie for the throne, some with noble intentions, others less so.
Our protagonist, a teenage Elda boy, is one such candidate. His motivations, however, are more complicated; he’s primarily seeking a cure to save the cursed prince. But coming from one of the lesser tribes, he isn’t taken seriously, and many find his ambition offensive. Despite this, he is supported by a diverse group loyal to the prince, all dreaming of a kingdom where one’s tribe does not determine one’s worth. As you progress through the game and complete side quests, your reputation will grow, and more people will support your cause.
Awaken to Your Archetype
Where Persona has…well, personas, Metaphor has archetypes, born from confronting one’s anxieties and insecurities. They are similar in that they provide your party with a means to fight, but they work a little differently. For starters, archetypes are based on traditional fantasy classes such as Mage, Knight, and Thief. Unlike personas, the party isn’t limited to the initial archetype they awaken, allowing you to customise your team more effectively.
Once you’ve unlocked a specific archetype, you can level it up and unlock related ones. For example, levelling up the Mage and Knight archetypes allows you to unlock the Magic Knight archetype. Different archetypes allow you to equip different armour and weapons and, of course, use unique skills and magic.
Thanks to informants scattered around the kingdom, you can usually plan ahead and form a party that utilises the best-suited archetypes for each mission or dungeon.
Strengthen Your Bonds and Bolster Your Virtues
If you’ve played any Persona games, you’ll be familiar with many of the gameplay mechanics that Metaphor uses.
The first is Follower Bonds. As the protagonist progresses through the story, he forms bonds with a wide range of characters. Spending time with these people allows you to unlock new abilities, archetypes, and, of course, progress through each character’s unique subplot.
Royal virtues also play an important role in Metaphor. These are essentially your social stats: courage, wisdom, tolerance, imagination, and eloquence – all crucial traits for a ruler. You can improve these virtues by reading, conversing with specific citizens, and spending time with your party members.
Spend Your Time Wisely
Much like the Persona games, Metaphor uses a calendar system where you play through each day, but it’s far less restrictive. For one thing, you’re not stuck in school for half the day.
Metaphor sets various deadlines, some requiring you to actively complete tasks before a set date, while others simply require you to wait until you can move forward with the main story.
When you’re not in a main story dungeon, you can spend time completing side quests to earn money and reputation, strengthening follower bonds, or working on your royal virtues. It’s a simple enough system, and the game clearly indicates when an activity will take up your time, but side quests introduce an extra layer of complexity.
Once you’ve unlocked the gauntlet runner, you can travel across the kingdom, but it takes time. You can reach some locations within the same day, while travelling to more distant areas takes several days. Fortunately, you can use this travel time to cook, talk to party members, or improve your virtues.
Teleportation is possible on the return journey, but you still don’t want to start a three-day journey with only one day left before a deadline.
Fight Your Way to the Top
Metaphor uses a combination of real-time and turn-based combat. When approaching an enemy, you can get in a few quick hits before entering the turn-based battle. You can often defeat weaker enemies without initiating the turn-based system, but for stronger foes, you can stun them to make the battle easier.
Like Persona, Metaphor revolves around exploiting weaknesses to extend your turn and deal as much damage as possible. It’s nothing new, but if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right?
Final Thoughts
Metaphor: ReFantazio takes the tried and tested formula that makes the Persona games so great and skilfully builds upon that solid foundation. The story is compelling and thought-provoking, touching on heavy topics with finesse. The time management element is well-implemented, avoiding excessive restriction, and the inclusion of side quests offers plenty of variety when you’re not advancing the main plot.
Whether you’re a fan of Atlus and the Persona games or simply enjoy a good JRPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio is definitely worth checking out. With a minimum playtime of 60+ hours (closer to 100 if you complete all side quests), you’re certainly getting your money’s worth.
Developer: Studio Zero
Publisher: Atlus
Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series S/X, PC
Release Date: 11th October 2024
