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If you’re curious as to why Atlus chose the name Metaphor: ReFantazio for its forthcoming RPG, you’re not alone. In fact, it was one of the first questions asked during a recent press event held by the studio in New York City, in which GameSpot and various other outlets were given the opportunity to play five hours of Metaphor: ReFantazio and chat with some of its core development team members.
The answer to the question is just as simple as it is intriguing: It’s because the entire game itself is a metaphor, producer Junichi Yoshizawa explained. And though that might sound obtuse or perhaps even a bit hamfisted, it didn’t take long for me to understand and appreciate just what he meant.
Whereas many fantasy worlds bear a resemblance to our own and contain themes and stories we recognize or relate to, Metaphor: ReFantazio is quick to emphasize and explore this connection. In the game’s opening moments, for example, an unnamed voice asks you for your name–not what you want to name your character, but your name. He then asks how you view the idea of fantasy. This metanarrative pops up throughout, as the protagonist frequently turns to a novel he carries with him, one containing stories about a technologically advanced land with skyscrapers, roads, and humans living peacefully–a fantasy version of our own world. There are many ways this could go wrong; the game could feel preachy, cheesy, or annoyingly meta, for starters. And yet, what I played of Metaphor: ReFantazio avoided falling into any of those traps.
In the nearly five hours I spent with it, I found myself enamored with its characters, budding story, overall gameplay, and yes, its overarching metaphor. I was impressed by the way some of Atlus’ most prolific developers had clearly utilized everything they’ve learned to create a sprawling fantasy that retains a sense of humanity, despite humans actually being grotesque monsters in the game’s world. I have my hesitations–the main party doesn’t seem quite as engaging as previous Atlus games and certain narrative elements feel a bit tired, having been used in several other fantasy games. Overall, however, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a game that left me wanting nothing more than to play another 60+ hours of it; it is easily the game I am most excited for this fall.
During the preview, I was able to play two separate sections of Metaphor: ReFantazio: an entirely new save file, which allowed me to see exactly how the game kicks off, and a save file approximately nine hours into the game–a glimpse into how its gameplay, systems, and story would eventually evolve.
The game begins with the protagonist–who, unlike Persona’s heroes, is fully voiced–riding alongside a handful of strangers on a caravan headed to the Royal Capital. Within a minute of the game starting, however, the vehicle is attacked, ultimately separating him and his pixie-like companion Gallica from the group and forcing the pair to traverse the wastes outside the city on foot. It’s here we learn a bit more about why the pair is headed to the capital; according to Gallica, we need to enlist in the royal military in order to find our confidant and deliver to him an important message. Naturally, a great deal more comes to light as the story progresses, such as the protagonist’s seemingly reviled Elda lineage and his relationship to the current prince. More than anything, though, this shake-up serves as a way to introduce the player to exploration and combat.
Combat itself feels like a mix of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, combining the former’s flashy combat and the latter’s use of Player Actions during battles rather than a more fixed turn order. However, many things feel entirely fresh, giving Metaphor its own identity. One of the biggest changes is the game’s real-time combat system, which grants players combat bonuses–such as reduced enemy health and first strike–if you successfully attack an enemy out on the field. We’ve seen a bit of this in the Persona and SMT series, as you can sneak up and attack an enemy to gain an advantage in battle, but it’s a much larger part of Metaphor thanks to those perks and the fact that you can quickly eliminate weaker targets without having to enter turn-based combat. As you can imagine, this is a huge time (and frustration) saver. As the game lacks the same Baton Pass system as Persona 5 and enemies aren’t always stunned when you exploit their weaknesses, attacking more fearsome foes out on the main map offers a new type of strategy unique to Metaphor.
Also new to Metaphor is the Archetype system, which, contrary to my initial belief, is not very similar to the Persona system. Rather than summons, Archetypes are essentially job classes that are unlocked both as the story progresses and as you increase your bonds with various characters; according to P-Studio, there will be around 40 to experiment with. And whereas Persona allows only your main character to shake up their skills–and permits them to do so mid-battle–all of Metaphor’s party members are able to change classes, but can only do so outside of battle in a Velvet Room-like location referred to as Akademia. Something I particularly liked about this feature is that certain Archetypes offer strange advantages that don’t solely correlate to “fire beats ice.” For example, selecting the Merchant class and throwing money at a money-hungry enemy will stun it more effectively than an elemental attack. My only (shallow) disappointment with this was that changing Archetypes doesn’t come with a cool outfit transformation a la Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy X-2, but I digress.
Outside of combat, the similarities between Persona and Metaphor truly shine, as it features three familiar and beloved systems that cement the social-sim aspect of the game. Royal Virtues are the new Social Stats, while Followers are essentially the same thing as Social Links. Considering the game’s main objective is to gain enough renown to become king, these systems feel completely at home, particularly the Followers portion. As you travel across the Kingdom of Euchronia, it is vital that you form connections not only to main characters, but to the general population of certain territories as well. For any fellow BioWare nerds out there, this system is reminiscent of Mass Effect 3’s Galactic Readiness, as you can check in at towns and see if you remain in favor and are likely to get their vote for king.
Yet the most important system that Atlus chose to incorporate is the in-game calendar. The Metaphor: ReFantazio team has repeatedly said that fear and anxiety are two of the game’s core themes; these are partially explored through the calendar system, which–even more so than the ones in the Persona games–does not allow for you to do everything. Instead, you will have to pick and choose which missions you embark on and which alliances you’ll form. There seems to be no wrong way to go about things, but it will certainly spike anxiety in completionists who sought to max out every social link in the Persona games; it seems extremely likely that you won’t get that luxury here and that multiple playthroughs will be required in order to see everything Metaphor has to offer.
However, the nice thing about this is your choices feel even more precious and rewarded. In the second part of the demo, I was given a great deal more freedom. Whereas some of the players around me darted straight toward the objective, I decided to go on a two-day journey down to a crypt, where an interesting boss battle and dark artifact awaited me. After doing this mission, I was able to form a new bond with a strange and shady character. It also gave me a better look at how dungeons will be structured and–thankfully–they differ from the largely procedurally generated ones found earlier Persona games or Mementos; according to the developers, each dungeon is uniquely designed, a choice they made to stress how important that aspect of the game is. Whereas Persona’s dungeons can begin to feel like the necessary but exhausting filler that keeps you from your next objective, Metaphor’s feel like worthwhile objectives in themselves.
This is all especially appealing given how wonderful Metaphor’s world is to experience–I wanted to see what was out there. While large-scale traversal between cities and various points-of-interest is relegated to selecting a location on a larger map, the locations I visited were beautiful and, more importantly, felt alive as I explored them. I loved wandering around the old castle town of Martira, with its worn streets and dingy-yet-beautiful Bavarian homes. In the various alleys of the town, and around the fountain set right at the center of its square, I met disgruntled villagers, odd storytellers, haughty knights, and more.
Although my time exploring Martira was brief, I still feel as if I got a grasp of the history and culture Atlus was aiming to convey, which is an impressive feat–especially considering P-Studio’s previous titles. While many of the titles that the developers behind Metaphor: ReFantazio have worked on are set in real-world Japan, Metaphor’s fantasy setting means they could no longer rely on a player’s innate understanding of how the world looks and functions. This has its pros and cons; it’s great to finally break free from real-world and high school settings and see what Atlus can do in a unique world, particularly visually. However, it did feel perhaps overly derivative at times. If you’ve played your fair share of fantasy JRPGs–Final Fantasy, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Trails, for example–some aspects of Metaphor feel familiar.
However, I absolutely loved the unique metanarrative the game is weaving, and how it boldly declares that video games and fantasy are both inspired by, and can inspire, the real world. Though some might dislike the notion, Metaphor is a deeply political game–and I don’t say that merely because it’s centered around an election. I’ve always admired how Atlus, in some ways, addresses social issues and is unafraid to have deep conversations with its players; the games often address abuse of power, prejudice, mental health, abuse, grief, love, and similar topics. In Metaphor, the team continues that tradition by drawing attention to how what media we consume impacts our beliefs. You can sense that video games aren’t “just video games” to the team; they understand that stories hold power. That said, some of what the game tackles–most notably prejudice, militarism, and inequality–feel a bit superficial in this small portion I played; hopefully we’ll see more complexity as the game progresses and its story will be elevated.
I also remain a bit hesitant-yet-hopeful regarding the game’s characters. This is not because I didn’t enjoy who I met, but because as of right now, the party feels a bit small and its members feel slightly one-note. The scene in which Strohl discovered his Archetype and rips an iron heart from his chest gave me chills–and cemented the just and noble (if not slightly arrogant) young man as a new husbando for myself. But so much of his personality and his backstory felt very similar to other fantasy archetypes; this was the case with the game’s mentor-type character, Grius, as well.
Don’t get me wrong: Atlus could very well be intentionally using fantasy tropes–the fact that it’s jobs are called Archetypes would seem a great indicator that that’s the case–but considering the studio is phenomenal at exploring relationships and creating interesting characters, I am hoping for more as I play on. There are several strong elements at play in Metaphor: ReFantazio–the character designs are interesting, the voice acting is wonderful, and the one-on-one interactions I had with my teammates on the Gauntlet Runner (the name of your party’s vehicle/traveling home) felt tailored and special. In short, even if I can’t romance any of my companions (womp womp), I just want to feel connected to them.
It feels almost unnecessary to dive into the game’s art and music because Atlus always kills it. The characters retain that signature Atlus style, albeit with a fantasy twist. Monsters are still creative, demented, and at least a couple of them, phallic, and feel more or less in line with what the studio has done before, which is a good thing. It’s interesting to note, though, that the fantasy element means we see more blood than we would in something like Persona; it took me by surprise at first but seems very natural and gives the game that darker tone.
Another interesting deviation is that while the Persona games feel very cohesive in regards to style–characters, UI, and many artistic features pull from a similar color palette, style, and overall “vibe,” for lack of a better word–Metaphor relishes in juxtaposition. The darker tone of the game and the locations I walked through are given this fantastical whimsy thanks to its UI filled with pinks, teals, yellows, and more variety than the scarlet-soaked Persona 5 or black-and-blue Persona 3. It’s an interesting mix-up and visually establishes Metaphor as its own series. The game’s music similarly aids this, as it is unlike any of the poppier soundtracks the studio has created. Shoji Meguro, the lead composer behind Persona 3, 4, and 5, triumphs at creating a world that feels oppressive and regal through sound alone. Each track I heard was dramatic and intense, oftentimes featuring operatic voices crying out in Latin.
The greatest praise I can give in a preview is simply, “I did not want to stop playing it,” and that is certainly the case with Metaphor: ReFantazio. I am eager to know these characters better, to understand how Euchronia connects to our world, to see how the game’s themes of fear, oppression, and resistance play out, and to see the protagonist crowned king. Suffice to say, I am eagerly awaiting October 11, when Metaphor: ReFantazio releases on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
