10 Things to Know About Metaphor: ReFantazio

10 Things to Know About Metaphor: ReFantazio

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 things you need to know about the newest game from Atlus, “Metaphor: ReFantazio”!

New IP

A common complaint that gets thrown around in the gaming space is how often we’re saturated with remasters, remakes, and sequels. If you’re one of those people who has been begging for something original, well, “Metaphor: ReFantazio” might be that breath of fresh air you’re looking for. This is the first new IP Atlus has developed in more than a decade, the last new IP being “Sparkle Snapshots 3D” for the Nintendo 3DS in December 2011. And while some aspects of “Metaphor” echo Atlus’s work in the “Persona” games, the development team is bringing in some new ideas to help the game stand on its own. Although, we’ll get to that stuff in a little bit.

Story

Before diving into “Metaphor: ReFantazio”, it’s important to get some idea behind the world. Whereas the “Persona” games take place in modern settings, “Metaphor” is set in the fantastical world of the United Kingdom of Euchronia. Throughout your journey, you’ll come across folks of various races based on animals and mythical creatures. Your protagonist is a rare race perceived to have been corrupted by some kind of forbidden magic. You, the player, will even have a role in the story in some capacity, too, though we’ll let you discover that for yourself. As for your protagonist, his mission is to cure the prince of Euchronia and assassinate a political figure bent on taking over the kingdom.

Narrative Themes

Hardcore Atlus fans might recognize the name, “Yuichiro Tanaka”. Since 2000, Tanaka has served as a writer for some of Atlus’s biggest games such as “Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor” and its PSP iteration as well as “Persona 3”, “Persona 4”, and “Persona 5” and their expanded versions. Tanaka returns as the writer for “Metaphor: ReFantazio”, and his approach to the story is somewhat different this time around. In an interview with VG247, Tanaka touched upon the feelings of anxiety, how we cope with it, and how the hyper-political climate of today is viewed. “It’s anxieties in people’s minds and hearts that cause conflict. Nobody is perfect. The different ways people face anxiety are very different, right? We created different tribes with different approaches to how they deal with anxiety.” He later says, “When we’re talking about elections, there is that aspect of something severe, of rivalry…There’s a festivity to an election, and we wanted to depict the realness of politics, and how change is made.” Knowing Tanaka’s previous work, you can almost guarantee “Metaphor” is going to get deep in the mud with its themes, especially after hearing Tanaka’s thoughts.

Relationships

As expected from an Atlus RPG, “Metaphor: ReFantazio” will feature some form of relationship-building with the many characters your protagonist will meet. However, Atlus’s approach to this aspect is going to be different than what you may be used to in “Persona”. Romance is not going to be an option in “Metaphor”, and director Katsura Hashino has an explanation for this. In June 2024, Hashino spoke with GamesRadar+ about it and said, “"We know people really like this system and it's really popular, but for this game specifically, it's not about teenagers. It's about a person trying to become the ruler of the land. They are more focused on the relationships between a ruler and the people who support them…It's more focused on those relationships rather than the back-and-forth of romance."

Combat

One aspect of “Metaphor” that help “Persona” fans feel right at home is the combat. Not only are we still sticking to traditional turn-based combat, we even get a stylish UI surrounding the protagonist. Although, there is a new spin on how to approach battles. When you approach an enemy, you can attack it in real-time to either kill it off immediately or land enough hits to stun it before initiating battle. Should you finish off the enemy without taking damage, you’ll be granted a small bonus in XP and money. Another notable difference here is that your protagonist can be downed in battle, yet the party can still fight and turn things around. So, no need to worry about being over-protective of the protagonist.

Witness Their Resolve

In place of Personas, “Metaphor: ReFantazio” introduces a different form for characters called “Archetypes”. As you meet new characters, you’ll learn different Archetypes for them to study. Even though not every character will come with a new Archetype, you can mix and match characters with Archetypes to assemble the best party possible. This ability to swap, of course, includes your protagonist, meaning you can choose which weapon and skills you want and use them in the overworld and in battle to your heart’s content. Just keep in mind that you cannot swap mid-battle like in the “Persona” games.

Music

The music of “Metaphor: ReFantazio” is composed by Shoji Meguro, who should be a familiar name to all you Atlus fans out there. Meguro had been working at Atlus since 1995 until he left the company and went freelance in 2021. In his near thirty year-long career, Meguro has composed music for “Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne”, the “Trauma Center” series, “Catherine”, and of course, most of the “Persona” series. So, if you played any of those games, you’re most likely familiar with his style. Well, Meguro takes a completely different turn with “Metaphor”, and the operatic orchestra will certainly get you in the mood to charge into battle!

Studio Zero

If you don’t keep up with studio formations let alone Japanese studio formations, then you may not be familiar with the name “Studio Zero”. In all honesty, this isn’t exactly a brand new team if Hashino, Tanaka, and Meguro’s presence doesn’t signify that already. After finishing “Persona 5” in 2016, Hashino left P-Studio (Atlus’s internal team that works on “Persona”) and would be put in charge of Atlus’s third internal team, a new team under the name “Studio Zero”. This new team would serve as a launchpad for new IP for Atlus to champion in the future. Roughly a dozen other P-Studio staff would move over to the Studio Zero team to soon work on “Metaphor: ReFantazio”. So while it may be a new game under a new name, it does have quite a number of veteran developers. And it does beg the question: “what’s the future of P-Studio look like now?” But that’s a topic for another time.

Demo

In case you’re still unsure of grabbing a copy of “Metaphor: ReFantazio”, you don’t necessarily have to make that decision immediately. Just as they did with Vanillaware’s “Unicorn Overlord” in early 2024, Atlus has put out a rather extensive demo for “Metaphor”. If you’ve been watching the video, you’ve been seeing the demo this entire time. This demo takes you through the entire prologue, lasting roughly five to six hours long. Not only do you get a taste of what the game is like, you will also get a jumpstart on your playthrough as your save data will carry over into the full game. With this demo, Atlus has effectively made the financial barrier to entry super low for what will be a meaty JRPG.

Launch

“Metaphor: ReFantazio” launched on October 11, 2024. In other words, it’s available now, and you can get it on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series XS, and PC. PC players, the spec requirements are relatively low compared to most games coming from AAA publishers. “Metaphor: ReFantazio” only asks for a minimum of 6GB RAM with 720p resolution support and Windows 10 as your operating system. Recommended specs are 8GB RAM with 1080p resolution, of course. But no matter which platform you’re playing on, make sure you have 93GB of storage space available for install. The game will be releasing with a DLC pack on Day One, the DLC pack containing costumes and music from other Atlus games like “Etrian Odyssey”, “Shin Megami Tensei IV” and “V”, and all six of the main “Persona” games.

Will you be picking up “Metaphor: ReFantazio”? Let us know down in the comments below, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos everyday!