Metaphor: ReFantazio

(available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. Xbox Series X version used for Calvin’s review; PC version used for Elliot’s review)

Metaphor ReFantazio is the final game to come out from Atlus in 2024 and marks the conclusion of the 35th Anniversary of the studio, being developed by Studio Zero. It aims to combine a whole bunch of the studio’s previous works.

The game itself is another turn-based RPG, very similar to the Persona series. You’re tasked with being a protagonist going on an adventure in order to save a fallen Prince who has been placed into a magical coma which was the result of a previous regicide attempt. The story picks up with a Count named Louis having committed another regicide on the Prince’s father. He takes the throne, but the spirit of the King creates an effect using his leftover magic which determines that the next King will be one who wins over the hearts and minds of the populous. Thus, the protagonist and his various allies enter a tournament to maintain the prince’s throne whilst also attempting an assassination attempt on Louis in order to wake him up.

I know it sounds a bit convoluted, but it’s not too difficult to understand. If you have played previous Persona games, it has pretty similar story beats. It’s even comparable to Persona 5 Strikers as it uses travel as a major aspect of the game.

While many people have said that this game needs to be viewed on its own merit, it’s very difficult not to compare it to the Persona series given how much of the game is built around the skeleton of that franchise. Battles are very similar, and they both use weakness-based systems to gain extra turns, the team makeup is very similar, and even the classes that you get access to are very similar. You also have the same social links that you would have in a game like Persona 5, but much less this time around.

Personally, I think Metaphor is very strong in many ways. While I would like to go into great detail about them, I would like to avoid spoilers for people who haven’t played it, especially since a single playthrough is very long. I did pretty much every side quest there was to do, with a couple of exceptions, and my playthrough lasted around 65 hours. So, I will stress that there will be no spoilers beyond what has been shown in trailers in regard to the plot.

PROS

• Story

I already got into the basic plotline of the story, and while that does take you around 5 to 6 hours to get to (yep, the first dungeon is really beefy) it’s actually a very well-done story that dives into several themes. Many of them get fleshed out over time, but a major one that does come about early on is the nature of our love of fantasy novels. It’s very much done early on and where it goes is really rather interesting, and in fact, it has a few great plot twists.

It helps that the characters are really good too. I wouldn’t say it is as good as Persona 5, but definitely there with the other Persona RPG casts.

I think that the strength comes from the fact that it’s a very different setting to a usual Atlus RPG> Because they’re going for a sort of sword and sorcery world with a bit of a weird uniqueness to it to make it stand out such as some steampunk elements, it means that not only do they have a different setting to work within, they have different characters to work with, because unlike the Persona games, you don’t have to have characters that could only exist in a high school. This means that a lot of different characters can be explored, and they do a great job of it.

Louis might also be one of the best antagonists in Atlus’ history. He goes down a very interesting route, which I can’t spoil, but he is very much one of those despicable villains with very interesting motivation to his actions.

• Battle Systems

The battle systems are very strong. If you’ve played Persona 5, this will be very familiar to you. Though, unlike that game, you aren’t swapping Personas but instead Archetypes which work as the class system. You gain and upgrade these Archetypes through the social links. For example, the warrior one comes from the first companion you meet, and you can upgrade that Archetype if you become closer with him. Thus, I think you should really put some effort into upgrading those social links.

Identifying the weakness of enemies is good because it adds extra returns for your team, and you will gain extra experience points and money if you can win the fight without taking a hit.

The big issue with the battle system is the fact that rather like the same point Elliot will make in his review, it does seem weird that you can’t swap archetypes mid battle- though you are given the option to inherit skills from other archetypes provided you have enough of the in game currency to transfer those skills over, though the good news is that once you’ve paid for that skill it becomes available for any archetype.

The big difference between this and Persona is that it adds an action element. You can launch a turn based battle at any point, but if you can successfully deal enough damage outside of battle before you launch the fight, it will lead to the opponents being stunned for one turn as well as receiving extra damage, and then giving you free hits. Plus, if you’re successful over enemies that you are a slightly higher level than, you won’t even need to go into turn based battles, you can just beat them on the outside.

Personally, I really liked this aspect, and it added a lot to the dungeon crawling parts of the game, especially when revisiting previous dungeons for new side quests.

I actually think that this battle system is something that can easily go forwards into the next Persona games. I really appreciated that unlike some of those games, the protagonist does not need to be standing to avoid a game over. The battle system does have a few extra complexities to it, but I’ll leave that for you to discover- just trust me when I say that this is a great battle system.

• Visuals

I’ve always felt that this engine that Atlus has been using is very versatile, and it seems that it moved into this generation very well, considering that this may be the first game they made with this generation in mind. I definitely think that this looks better than the recent Persona 3 remake, but that’s not to say that one didn’t look good.

I really did enjoy some of the visual effects they did in this one, especially considering that they had to create some different environments than what the team is used to creating.

• Soundtrack

Considering that this is an Atlus game, you won’t be very surprised to hear that this soundtrack is really good. It really is good!! I personally think that it was fantastic, and the use of various musical styles that blended together really made the whole score stand out.

MIXED

• Dungeon Design

The designs in terms of layouts are pretty good for the most part, and I particularly liked the dungeons that tied into story quests, because there were some really imaginative ideas.

The dungeons that involved the side quests, however, do tend to repeat themselves with some sight changes, which is where I have a bit of an issue with the whole thing- but to be fair, considering just how many side dungeons there are, it may have been a bit of a stretch to expect the team to be completely unique with each one. They did have some interesting concepts in each one, which made bringing certain archetypes to different dungeons very beneficial.

• Weather Conditions

This is a mechanic that is introduced partway through the game and the best way I could sum it up is to say that if the weather conditions are harsh in a dungeon, they will stop you from taking advantage of an enemy’s weakness, and this can make certain boss fights or mini bosses much more difficult if not damn right impossible. I had to give up a boss fight and camp for a day to avoid the weather effects at one point. I do think that this has something to do with the time you’re given, since each location gives you a certain amount of free time before, during, or after story missions, but on the other hand, I often found that it was more of an annoyance than it was a strategy. It also doesn’t help the fact that it takes a really long time in the game until you can manipulate the weather to your advantage, and even then, it sometimes wasn’t possible.

I don’t like the fact that one of the main confidant missions is locked behind changing the weather- if you don’t want to go in with a real challenge, that is.

CONS

• The Final Boss

The final boss is awful in this game! And this isn’t indicative of anything else, the boss fights for the most part are pretty good. They are often a challenge, but they don’t feel impossible.

The final boss is really long and really annoying! Again, I can’t spoil what it is, but it really felt like a massive difficulty spike, even by final boss standards. All I can say is, if you know that the end of the game is coming up. Grind like hell or else you’re going to have to turn the difficulty of the game down to beat it- which is what I did.

There were a bunch of points in it, where I thought that even if you levelled up a bunch, this was going to be very difficult for not very sensible reasons.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Metaphor ReFantazio is a really strong RPG, probably one of, if not the best to come out this year, and Atlus really should be taking this idea and running with it going forward. The characters are strong, the story is great, the combat is really enjoyable, and I really grew to enjoy the world. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s a really good one and I would really insist that any RPG fans try it out, particularly if you enjoy Atlus’ previous games.

FINAL SCORE: 9.5/10

And now Elliot’s review

I mentioned in my Persona 5 Tactica review last year that I really wanted Atlus to move on and do something other than another Persona 5 spin-off. And while we are still waiting for any sign of Persona 6 existing, we have gotten something new from the same team. Metaphor ReFantazio was, believe it or not, announced all the way back in December 2017, being given the temporary name Project ReFantazio, and wasn’t seen from again until Xbox’s Games Showcase in June 2023, where it was fully unveiled with a new title. Metaphor ReFantazio was developed by Studio Zero, published by Sega and JP: Atlus and released on 11th October 2024 for PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X/S and Windows. 

Story

(There’s a lot of go through here so this is going to be very abridged, sorry if you get confused)

The King of Euchronia, Hythlodaeus V, is dead, having been murdered by Louis Guiabern, and the prince is gone, dead according to the general populace. You play as a member of the Elda tribe, an especially rare race, accompanied by a fairy named Gallica, who becomes a member of the royal army with the hopes of meeting a mercenary called Arvid Grius. Not long after he meets a former noble named Leon Strohl da Haliaetus and ends up battling a monster called a human, during which he unlocks the mysterious power of an Archetype. The two later find Grius who informs them that the Prince isn’t dead, merely cursed, and the only way to break said curse is to kill its caster, who just so happens to be Louis. They make plans to assassinate Louis at the King’s funeral, plans that end in failure as a mysterious magic prevents Grius from dealing the killing blow, giving Louis the opportunity to kill his would-be assassin. The magic came from a strange rock in the sky, claiming to be the spirit of the late king, who announces that whoever gains the most support of the people of the kingdom will inherit the throne, with Louis immediately being the second most likely to win. After a tournament is declared by the church, our protagonist chooses to participate, not to win the tournament, but to get closer to Louis, finish what he and Grius started and save the prince. 

This story is epic fantasy incarnate. This game is very unlike anything else that this team has ever made, and the execution is exquisite. The world building was filled with depth and wonder, the characters had just as much charm as your usual Persona cast, and the themes were handled immensely well, giving the subject respect without being too preachy with its messages. This is a very long game but not a single minute of the story is wasted, fully immersing you in the world and will have you frothing at the mouth to see what happens next. 

Presentation

The game uses a similar art style to Persona 5, though with one big difference. The colourful and suave aesthetic of Atlus’ flagship series has been replaced with a more traditional fantasy look, though it’s still stylish in its own way. Menus and scene transitions have almost an oil painting look at them and can be genuinely beautiful to look at. The pause menu alone is something I’d happily display on my wall. 

In my opinion, Atlus are the kings of character and enemy design, and this game does not disappoint. There are multiple fantastical races in this world, some with small differences, Clemar Tribe having horns or Roussainte Tribe having elf ears, to much more prominent ones, like Paripus having animal ears and tails or Eugief basically being humanoid bats, so no doubt there was a lot more room for unique character designs. The designers took full advantage of that and created, in my opinion, some of their best-looking characters to date. Enemy design doesn’t go as wild as Persona or Shin Megami Tensei does. There are some very interesting looking enemies roaming this land, especially the humans, though most are your typical fantasy affair, knights, goblins, the occasional dragon, amongst others. Not that that’s a bad thing obviously, there’s still a large variety of enemies, and they all fit this new setting perfectly. 

Voice acting, of course, is great. Like a lot of fantasy based games, a majority of the accents used sound in some way British, which honestly works really well, making it appear that, despite the different races, they all come from the same kingdom (though, I will admit, it was a bit of a weird choice to make the necromancer Scottish). One surprise is that the main protagonist isn’t completely silent, this game follows the footsteps of Granblue Fantasy Relink and has your character speak whenever you’re given dialogue options, and often will during cutscenes. If I had to point out any actor in particular, without a doubt it would be Joseph Tweedale as Louis, giving us a performance and a voice that’s perfectly regal, egotistical and so very punch able. 

If there’s any part of the game that’s been getting a lot of praise, it’s the soundtrack. And rightfully so. Once again, this game abandons its predecessors’ style and funk, for a more typical fantasy sound, though believe me, these tracks are far from typical. Easily, the most unique part of these songs is what sounds like a monk chanting throughout, it not only makes the songs more memorable, but increases the intensity of it as well. Even without that though, this soundtrack is without a doubt one of the best of the year, it absolutely deserves the notoriety it’s received. 

World & Level Design

Before we continue, it’s only appropriate that I talk about one key factor that Persona fans will know all too well, the calendar. Yes, just like Persona, the date will be displayed to you in the top right of your screen at all times, and yes, pretty much all of your main story missions have a date in which they will have to be completed or it will end in an instant game over. The time limit given is long enough that you should be able to complete the main mission with plenty of time to spare, but not enough time to be able to do everything in a single playthrough. 

The Kingdom of Euchronia is a big place, and the game wants you to know that. There are several types of locations that you can travel to, from the key hub areas to the dungeons, and some smaller locations you’ll only get a menu or cutscene for. How do you get to these places? By using the gauntlet runner, or course. The gauntlet runners are a luxury form of transportation in this world, used by only the wealthiest and most noble of citizens, so it only makes sense that you have one. Don’t think that travelling from place to place is going to be quick however, as travelling to a new location will take at least a full in-game day to reach, and in some cases multiple. You do get the ability to teleport to the hub areas, but for the smaller locations your runner has to walk. Now it makes sense that you would be able to teleport to the main town and cities as you’ll likely be going to and from those consistently, but I don’t understand why you can’t teleport to dungeons or smaller locations. First time heading there, fine, I have no problems with that, but if it’s for a second visit, say I want to grind or I was under levelled the first time so I had to try again at a later date, being forced to travel for multiple in game days to get there is infuriating. Time is very important in this game, and because of this, it’s very easy to waste it. 

The size of each city and the activities you can do there entirely depends on which one you’re visiting. Some are massive, split into multiple sections and different places to shop and explore; to the point where the map is a necessity. Then there are ones that are tiny, and only take up one or two map screens, though there’s still plenty to find in them. In each one, you’ll find the same variety of shops, weapons, armour and consumables, with each hub’s stores containing different weapons that will better match your party’s level. 

Combat

Metaphor ReFantazio combat is turn-based, once again, taking a lot of inspiration from the Persona series, but that’s only when you look at the basics. This game takes the base of Persona’s turn-based style of combat and modifies it in enough ways to make it entirely its own. Though it’s still very similar to Persona, so I’m just going to stick to talking about what’s new, so I’m not repeating my Persona 3 Reload review. 

For starters, outside of combat, you are able to attack enemies in the hopes of getting an advantage in combat; yes, like Persona, though this is a bit different. This time, the game won’t be happy with you just hitting the enemy once, next to the health bar will be a yellow bar that you’ll have to deplete if you want to enter combat with the upper hand. Doing so will really benefit you, as the enemy will enter battle with a chunk of its health gone, it will be dazed, and you get the first move. The one problem with this is that the enemies can not only recover from their daze after being hit a few times, but there’s no consistent pattern – there have been times where I’ve wailed on an enemy with multiple heavy hitting strikes and they still remain dazed when it’s their turn, and in the next fight the opponent will recover after one normal attack – meaning that you can’t strategize around it and have to rely on RNG, which annoyed me more than I’d like to admit. You can of course just enter combat without attacking the enemies at all, though, if you ask me, it’s worth at least a try. You really need to be careful though, because if a monster hits you just once you’ll immediately be forced into combat with them going first. This is exactly what I mean when I say it uses Persona as a base and then changes it ever so slightly. It feels familiar but makes you look at it in a different way, and I really like that. 

When in combat, you’ll notice that there are a series of gems in the top left corner, these will indicate how many moves you can make that turn. Of course, it’s not as simple as that, because the number of moves you can do can and will change depending on how your turn goes. Every time you hit an opponent’s weakness, the gem will grow smaller instead of disappearing, giving you an extra move this turn. If an enemy dodges an attack, two of your gems will vanish or if the opponent is immune or reflects a certain attack, your turn ends immediately and it’s on to theirs. These gems are simple and easy to understand, will help you keep track of your turn, and can even help you strategize on your next move.

So now let’s talk about the Archetypes. Archetypes are your primary source of power and are what dictates the abilities you’ll be able to use. There are a surprising number of Archetypes you can unlock and use in this game, each of which giving you different benefits and abilities, outside of just different types of attacks. Each one has a different set of weaknesses which you have to keep in mind and are best used against certain enemies. They also use different types of weapons, the type of damage that weapon will deal should be obvious by sight alone. One massive difference between these and Personas is that swapping between them isn’t just exclusive to the protagonist, every member of your party has access to every Archetype you unlock and can wield their abilities. Though, if you’re really attached to one Archetype but could really use an ability from a different one, there’s no need to worry as you can equip each Archetype with a few abilities from others, giving you a massive advantage. The Archetypes are insanely awesome, and I love them. I love that they’re all useful in some form and are very different from one another – hell, the attack combo you perform outside of combat changes depending on the Archetype equipped. My one real criticism is that you can’t change Archetypes mid-fight. If you go into combat with the wrong kind of Archetype, you’ll be going in with a major disadvantage, and the fact that you can’t change them feels somewhat unfair. You do have the option to restart the battle during your turn, but even then, it doesn’t give you the option to swap them around. It’s not as bad in the later game, when you have more allies in your team, but during the early portions, it can feel really unfair at times. 

One ability that I really like are the Synthesis Skills. These attacks require two compatible Archetypes to be on the field at the same time. The skills will use up more gems than normal abilities and will require MP from both the attacker and the member with the compatible Archetype, but it will deal a damage at a higher level than your normal skills at the time you unlock them, and they will often leave a debuff on the enemy afterwards, such as a decrease in one of their stats, or a temporary weakness to the attack’s type. The reason I like these is because you really have to think when the best time to use them would be, whether or not the extra cost is worth the benefit. It’s the type of powerful attacks I really enjoy using in turn-based games. 

Now I will give you a fair warning before we move on, this game is hard… like, really hard. To put it simply, it’s a step above Persona but not quite on the same level as Shin Megami Tensei. It’s pretty obvious that combat heavily leans towards your opponents’ favour, giving them abilities that will make their stat debuffs and status ailments futile, giving the stronger abilities that will just give them more moves per turn, that can be used every turn, and sometimes the game will even ignore its own rules and not destroy one of the gems after they perform an attack (which I know for a fact isn’t a glitch as it happened consistently after particular attacks). Thankfully, unlike Persona, it’s not an instant Game Over if your leader goes down in a fight, but that doesn’t make things much easier. I will admit, I only got a handful of Game Overs, partially due to hours of grinding around the end game, though there were still plenty of battles that I left with minimal HP. While I do like my games to be difficult, this game did go a little too far at times, feeling more unfair than it maybe should have. 

Raising Your Rank

Just like Persona, you’re not going to spend all of your time running through dungeons and completing side quests. A number of social elements and activities have been carried over into this one. 

First of all, everyone’s favourite side activity is back, the Social Links – which is called Follower Bonds this time around. Just like in Persona, you have a myriad of friends with their own issues and substories, and interacting with them will give you extra benefits in and out of battle. The benefits this time around however are somewhat different. For starters, not only are there fewer bond levels for you to gain, but now romance isn’t an option anymore. The main perk you’ll get for increasing your Follower Bonds are Archetypes. Every follower you befriend has their own Archetype that you can unlock and make stronger by increasing your bond level with them. After reaching a certain level you’ll even unlock more powerful Archetypes, giving you an entire plethora of new abilities. Having the followers linked to the Archetypes is a decision that I really love, it gives you more incentive to keep an eye out for and to level up each follower. And seeing as some Archetypes require others to be at a certain level in order for you to unlock them, it’s highly recommended that you try to get closer to as many people as you can. 

Social Stats are also a thing, this time being called Royal Virtues. There are five in total, and you can increase them by taking part in certain activities in the hub areas, like talking to the townsfolk, sitting down and looking at scenery and just spending time with your allies. Sometimes, when trying to increase a Royal Virtue, you’ll have to pick a dialogue option, the better the choice the more the virtue will be increased. These mostly act as a roadblock for Follower Bonds, forcing you to have a particular trait as a high enough level to continue with the subplot. Though I don’t mind this as much as I would with Persona games, because I feel more inclined to level up my Follower Bonds with them being linked to Archetypes, so I find levelling these up as more of a necessity than I normally would. 

This is an RPG, so side quests are very much a mandatory addition. There are multiple types of side quests that you can take, from simply going to a shop to buy something, to tackling a massive dungeon and fighting a boss at the end – some of these could possibly have you returning to main dungeons you’re already conquered. Some of these quests have time limits, requiring you to have completed them by a certain day, while others you can just take your time with, as they won’t have an end date. Some of these won’t just be given to you by randoms you find on the street, as some of your party members will ask you to take on a task or two as part of their Follower Bond. None of these side quests ever feel like a waste of time, the simple ones are super quick and easy to do, while the longer ones are great for quick level ups or for finding better equipment. 

I’ve mentioned already that to reach some places, you’ll have to spend a couple of days travelling on the Gauntlet Runner. Well, you’ll be happy to know that you won’t be spending all that time twiddling your thumbs and doing nothing. The Gauntlet Runner has a ton that you can do on it to help with any of your other side activities. Some of your Follower Bond conversations can only happen when you’re on the Gauntlet Runner. There are a lot of ways that you can increase one of your Royal Virtues, from spending time with your party members to reading books. Sometimes a monster of some of your rivals in the tournament will come into contact with your Gauntlet Runner, leading to a fight, potentially a mini boss. It may be annoying that you have to spend in-game time just travelling, but there is no better place for improving yourself than while on the road. 

Conclusion

This game takes the model that Persona and Shin Megami Tensei has perfected and takes it into new avenues that greatly succeed. This game has been nominated for, and has won, multiple awards, and if you ask me, it is entirely deserving of them. I’m not sure if this is just a one off or if this is an attempt to create a new series, but I would absolutely love to have another game of this style and potentially in the same world. If it hasn’t been obvious enough, this is an absolute must play game for anyone who is a fan of Atlus, or just anyone who likes RPGs in general. Yet another example of why Atlus are one of the modern-day kings of the genre. 

9.4/10