Metaphor: ReFantazio, a Japanese turn-based RPG developed by Atlus and Studio Zero, began its development cycle in December 2016 and was officially revealed in 2023. The game takes place in a fantasy world featuring not only towns, cities, and dungeons but also a memorable cast of characters and various races, all vying for power in a unique and visually stunning election to determine the next king.
The main protagonist holds a book containing the modern world, which is merely a humble fairy tale, set in a medieval fantasy world. With a humble beginning, accompanied by great aspirations, the unnamed hero sets out on a journey. If he were to become the next king, would he bring these ideas of democracy into this world?
One of the many riveting ideas is Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s narrative, which will challenge your brain and offer very polished gameplay. Many gamers will enter Metaphor with the Persona series as a benchmark. ReFantazio has high expectations in every possible aspect. I would say they are wise to do so, but… This preconceived notion may very well also lead to its detriment.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Developer: Studio Zero, Atlus
Publisher: SEGA
Platforms: Windows PC (review), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Release Date: October 10, 2024
Price: $69.99
As you travel to the capital, your stagecoach is ambushed by brigands, leaving you to continue on foot, surrounded by enemies that will likely lead to a premature demise, culminating in a game over screen that simply declares, ‘Fantasy is dead.’ If you avoid trouble on a harder difficulty, which is necessary to survive, you will quickly reach the capital. Grand Trad is where the heroes race the “Elda,” which isn’t well-liked.
The game’s world-building is impressively vast, with every inch packed with numerous faces, plenty of activity, and music that reaches its peak at every turn. Once you’re enlisted by the city, you’ll meet one of the first major playable party members, also known as a ‘Confidant’ or ‘Social Link’ to those familiar with the Persona series.
According to the story, both enlisted, and things quickly take a dramatic turn as your unit of enlisted men is caught in a political-military trap, forced to confront terrifying, horrific monsters labeled as ‘Humans.’ Shortly after your first tutorial dungeon, you and Strahl must face off against the Human responsible for killing all of your fellow soldiers. This is the moment where the game masterfully introduces the Persona-like powers bestowed to the main protagonist and his many to-come allies.
The “Archetype” system, also known as the job class system, is familiar to those who have played Final Fantasy games like V or XIV. They offer a wide range of combat options, including warrior, seeker, mage, and many more, which can be customized using the inheritance system, allowing players to transfer skills between classes, but at the cost of a currency called “MAG.”
The currency, luckily, is rather bountiful thanks to the many facets of farming resources scattered throughout the land. Typically, it’s earned just by killing everything that stands in your way, but you can also earn it by replying to your friends and ‘followers’ with very favorable choice dialogue responses during heart-to-heart segments.
The differences from the Persona series are a welcome change. I no longer feel pressured to look up the best possible responses. It’s a small benefit that won’t set me back significantly when building relationships, and I can commit to spending time with friends, knowing their rank will increase, without worrying that a wrong dialogue choice will undo a whole day’s progress.
Metaphor: ReFantazio, unfortunately, falls victim to one complaint: its difficult difficulty system. Like many games, it falls into the trap of making higher difficulties unnecessary, as there’s no reward for pursuing them. Moreover, the difficulty level can be lowered and then raised again without consequence, eliminating any tension a player might experience by playing on higher difficulties between easy and hard.
Merciless, the hardest difficulty, must be unlocked first. When playing the game for the first time, if a player wants to experience hard mode, they’re essentially playing easy mode since they can simply lower the difficulty if they get stuck, leading to what I call a battle of forbearance – resisting the urge to reduce the difficulty and instead figuring out what’s wrong with their combat approach.
To add context to time management, managing tasks outside of the main story is similar to Persona. The player has two segments of activities per day, one during the day and one at night. Should the player dilly-dally and not prepare for the upcoming story milestone, they will be punished.
Players must manage their time effectively in each cycle. Building relationships with the numerous characters and ‘friendable’ NPCs throughout the land enables more archetypes and unique features like shops or non-combat activities like cooking, without expending time, a highly valued resource.
Combat is exactly what one could expect out of an Atlus turn-based RPG. Aim for the weak attributes and don’t let yours get hit. Follow that mantra and you will go far. However, with that being said, some nuances keep it fun and exciting, such as being able to pass your turn and only lose half of it. This is handy when you feel your current character’s turn doesn’t have the proper answer to the current situation.
Most RPG gamers instinctively know to keep a well-balanced team, including a knight to draw enemy melee attacks and a healer character, but the numerous options available can also tempt players to try more advanced, risky approaches, such as abilities that encourage them to specialize in a single class, stacking a special passive ability. I would not recommend using this stratagem on harder difficulties.
There is a small amount of action-style combat in Metaphor: ReFantazio; however, I think it might be the weakest feature of the game. To launch a preemptive attack on an enemy, players must engage in action combat, where their options are, to put it mildly, abysmal.
With your archetype’s weapon, you can perform a basic combo attack. This depletes the mobs’ gauge as you hit them, making them vulnerable to ambush once their gauge is empty. On paper, this sounds lovely and adds to the game’s approach, but in practice, it’s quite frustrating.
You’ll often find yourself swarmed and overwhelmed, and if a mob that’s not under-leveled lands a single hit, you’ll be ambushed, which can lead to a game over on hard mode or higher. This system requires more work, as its flashy appearance and visual flair cannot compensate for its poorly thought-out design.
Metaphor: ReFantazio draws heavily from the Persona series, but its unique universe and gameplay flow often feel stifled. The game’s pacing often feels like a Final Fantasy game, with the player being pushed from town to town, and dungeon to dungeon.
The formula for storytelling is much more flexible than the typical dungeon, school, or home trope. In one instance, the story takes a dramatic turn when the heroes are engulfed by a massive monster, forcing them to navigate a dungeon-turned-minigame with a time limit; however, impressive treasures are hidden along the untaken escape paths.
I often wished I wasn’t limited by the day and night time cycle. I just want to engage in activities as I would in any normal JRPG. It made more sense in Persona because the protagonists were minors in high school. They had to obey both their guardians and the law, including a curfew.
In Metaphor: ReFantazio, however, it feels completely arbitrary. I find it puzzling that the day and night limitations are necessary. The heroes who join the main protagonist are not restricted. Although minigames are scarce in Metaphor: ReFantazio, fishing is an exception. The inclusion of fishing in Metaphor: ReFantazio, despite its lack of nuance, is a fantastic addition to the game’s overall structure, as it’s a staple feature in JRPGs.
The visuals certainly feel like what could be seen as the direction for a sixth installation of the Persona series. The game boasts an over-the-top interface, impressive and eye-catching art by Shigenori Soejima, breathtaking vistas of cities and towns, and even non-sequitur moments during travel, with massive art pieces of inaccessible areas presented to add to the game’s rich world-building and setting.
Music composer Shoji Meguro didn’t hold back from greatness, creating intense, unique, and memorable music tracks. The standard combat score has been blasting during my commute almost every day since I played the game. I honestly would not be surprised if more people did the same. He hit it out of the park this time.
I’ve noticed that getting a preemptive strike in combat results in a less impressive music score, which is why I often avoid taking advantage just so I can hear the second, more intense combat track, which is incredibly impressive. That being said, I wish it were possible to set the combat track to always be the second one, regardless of whether you get a pre-emptive attack or not.
After spending over 70 hours with the game, I can confidently say that Metaphor: ReFantazio is the best game I’ve ever played from Atlus, despite some minor issues. The more serious approach to creating a JRPG and moving away from dating simulators while still featuring attractive female characters was a very welcome change.
JRPGs have survived their darkest period and are now thriving once more. Metaphor: ReFantazio is pushing the genre back to its golden age; the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. I believe that JRPG and RPG gamers will appreciate Metaphor for its exceptional craftsmanship.
Metaphor: ReFantazio has memorable music, a safe take on a job class system, a charming cast that does not resort to being a dating simulator, and a snappy, fluid, and tactical turn-based combat system. Fantasy isn’t dead, it’s so back.
Metaphor: ReFantazio was reviewed on a PC using a code purchased by Niche Gamer. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Metaphor: ReFantazio is now available for PC (via Steam), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
