From the moment the trailers for Metaphor: ReFantazio were released, it quickly became clear that this would be a kind of Persona in a fantasy setting. Developer Atlus draws heavily from, and improves upon, many aspects of their previous games like Persona 3 Reload and Persona 5. The style and gameplay show a lot of similarities, something that not everyone appreciated. But luckily, I’m here to talk about my experiences, and a Persona-like game in a fantasy world? Sign me up!
A New Universe
Unlike the school setting we’re used to from the Persona series (yes, I’ll be making a lot of comparisons), Metaphor: ReFantazio pulls us into the fascinating world of the United Kingdom of Euchronia. Unsurprisingly, this world is in turmoil following the assassination of King Hythlodaeus V. His son and heir was also the target of an assassination attempt several years earlier. Although he survived, a mysterious curse keeps him in a coma ever since.
That’s where you come in, a young boy from the Elda tribe. As the prince’s childhood friend, your mission is to break the curse that holds him captive. In an effort to find out more about the curse, and the person who cast it, you participate in the Royal Tournament—a competition that will decide who will become the next ruler based on the popularity of the candidates. Anyone, regardless of status or tribe, can join the tournament, which will take you to all corners of the beautiful yet perilous land of Euchronia.
Metaphor: Refantazio Embraces a More Mature Theme
The challenges faced by a group trying to save their kingdom’s heir are a far cry from the problems of a high school student. While Atlus sticks to the elements that made their earlier games so successful, Metaphor: ReFantazio loosens the reins when it comes to crafting a new atmosphere, and does so with great success.
Tribes play a crucial role in this game. Euchronia is far from a utopia. The protagonist is often the target of racial slurs because he is an Elda. While peacefully walking through the streets, I could hear the murmurs around me. People glared at me and hurled insults, simply because of where I came from.
“Metaphor: ReFantazio excels in presenting these surface-level prejudices and then breaking them down, revealing the deeper emotions and experiences of the characters beneath their appearances and the stereotypes of their tribes”
The same treatment extends to other tribes, each of which is marked by distinct features like pointed ears, horns, or wings. Everyone has a judgment—often negative—about everyone else. Racism, poverty, and inequality are everyday realities in Euchronia, a kingdom that, despite its high-fantasy setting, unfortunately mirrors the harsh truths of our own society.
The parallels the game draws with modern society are anything but subtle, painting Euchronia as a bleak yet strikingly realistic reflection of our world. Metaphor: ReFantazio excels in presenting these surface-level prejudices and then breaking them down, revealing the deeper emotions and experiences of the characters beneath their appearances and the stereotypes of their tribes. This theme kept me constantly invested in the many individuals I encountered along the way.
The Gameplay Loop of Balancing Free Time and Combat Remains Highly Enjoyable
How you spend your days in this world is largely up to you. A standard day is divided into two parts: the afternoon and the evening. Outside of quests, you’ll want to focus on getting to know your Followers better and improving your Royal Virtues (traits like wisdom and tolerance).
Some of your Followers’ storylines can only progress once your Royal Virtues reach a certain level. For example, you can level up your wisdom by reading books or playing a strategy game with a certain companion, while your bravery improves by taking on quests or maintaining your weapons with another team member.
If you spend the afternoon completing a quest that takes you to a dungeon for combat, you’ll need to rest in the evening to recover from the intense battles.
By making each day playable, Metaphor: ReFantazio once again feels like a long, immersive adventure. The gameplay loop completely drew me into the magical world, and when my team sat down for dinner after finishing a dungeon, reflecting on the day’s events, those truly felt like special moments where the team grew closer with each shared experience.
Combat Feels Familiar Yet Fresh
Metaphor: ReFantazio features both real-time and turn-based combat, with the emphasis once again on the latter. In real-time, you can swiftly dispatch weaker enemies by hacking away at them. For enemies that are equal to or stronger than you, you can stun them in real-time, giving you an advantage in the ensuing turn-based confrontation.
The turn-based combat in Metaphor: ReFantazio will feel familiar to anyone who has played the Persona games. You deal damage using magical attacks based on elements like fire and wind, or physical attacks like slashing and piercing. Once again, exploiting enemy weaknesses is key to success.
One significant difference from Persona is the importance of managing ‘turn icons.’ Each team member is assigned one turn icon (since your team can have up to four members, this means a maximum of four icons). Actions like attacking, guarding, healing, or using an item consume one icon. If you hit an enemy’s weakness with the right elemental attack, you only use half an icon, granting you an extra turn.
No all-out attacks this time around when you’ve exposed all enemy weaknesses, but the reward of an extra turn is incredibly valuable and can mean the difference between victory and defeat. I’ll admit I missed the flashy all-out attacks, but aside from that, the combat feels superior in every way to the Persona games.
Another way to conserve turn icons is by skipping a turn. For instance, if your current team member doesn’t have the right attack, or your team needs healing and the next member is your healer, it’s often wise to pass and let another teammate take over.
You can also execute powerful combo attacks by having two team members work together. This costs two icons, so you’ll need to carefully weigh the pros and cons. These combo attacks require the team members’ Archetypes to be compatible. What the hell are Archetypes, you ask? That brings me to my next point.
Archetypes Make Combat More Strategic, but Come With a Small Downside
Archetypes are the new, there it is again, Personas in Metaphor: ReFantazio. They represent the unique powers wielded by the protagonist and their companions in battle. Much like in *whispers* Persona, Archetypes come to life in awesome cutscenes and can be leveled up through combat. The higher the level of an Archetype, the stronger it becomes, unlocking more powerful skills as it progresses.
Throughout the story, you unlock various Archetypes—some are given as part of the main story, while others are earned by leveling up your bond with your Followers (more on this later). Not just the protagonist, but all team members can “study” the different Archetypes. Using “Magla” (one of the two in-game currencies), you can purchase different Archetypes for your team. Based on the bond you have with certain Followers, you can also transfer a few skills between your various Archetypes.
For example, if you level up your Seeker Archetype and unlock “Blizz” (a magical ice attack), that skill can then be transferred to any other Archetype you’ve unlocked.
The composition of your Archetypes is crucial. You can preview which skills each Archetype will unlock at specific levels. If you see a valuable skill at level 20 in the Mage Archetype but prefer using another Archetype, it’s wise to level up Mage first and then transfer that skill to your preferred Archetype later.
Naturally, different dungeons and areas contain enemies with various weaknesses. This means you’ll need to frequently switch between Archetypes. Not only is your own Archetype setup important, but how it synergizes with your teammates’ Archetypes is equally essential. Balancing your team’s strengths and weaknesses becomes an engaging tactical puzzle, especially after analyzing your enemies. This strategic depth is one of the game’s greatest strengths, but also a minor source of frustration.
A Wrong Archetype Setup Can Make Battles Nearly Impossible
In the towns and villages where you stay, you can purchase information related to your quests and upcoming dungeons. The informant provides useful details, such as the weaknesses and strengths of the enemies you’re likely to encounter.
This information doesn’t cover all enemies, though. That would be fine if you could switch Archetypes during combat (like in…you know, a certain other game franchise). But since Metaphor: ReFantazio only allows you to change Archetypes outside of combat, you can sometimes hit an impenetrable wall. Especially in the early stages, when you don’t have many skills at your disposal, this can be a real problem. More than once, I found myself facing enemies that could only be damaged by two elements—neither of which my team had access to at the time.
I could then only watch helplessly as the enemies slowly wiped out my party, one member at a time. And this didn’t happen quickly or painlessly. No, I would still get my turns, only to pass them because none of my skills would do any damage. In these cases, it was often faster to close the game and load an earlier save, so I could use my new knowledge to create a better Archetype setup.
But that’s enough about the combat. Let’s move on to one of my favorite parts of the game.
Followers Have Very Compelling Stories
The social links/confidants in Metaphor: ReFantazio are known as Followers. These consist of your teammates as well as key figures you encounter during your adventure.
By spending part of your day with a Follower, you level up your relationship with them. Each Follower has their own storyline divided into 8 Ranks. Reaching a new rank brings benefits, such as the ability to transfer more skills between Archetypes or unlocking a completely new Archetype.
However, the most rewarding aspect is progressing through the Followers’ storylines, which are nothing short of fantastic. The personal struggles of your Followers are gripping, emotional, and fit seamlessly into the universe you’re immersed in.
One lingering downside, which also persists in the Persona games, is that these storylines are not fully voice-acted. It’s a real shame, especially considering how convincing the voice acting in Metaphor: ReFantazio is. This becomes all the more apparent when you reach Rank 8 with a Follower—since that, along with Rank 1, is the only point where the scenes are voice-acted. The fact that these conclusions feel so emotional is not only because they are excellently written, but also due to the impressive voice work that truly brings them to life.
Metaphor: Refantazio Isn’t Just an Epic Journey—It Feels Like One
Since you’re sent to various far-flung corners of the United Kingdom of Euchronia, you cover a lot of ground throughout the game. And the best part? It truly feels like you are. The game uses a travel system that cleverly ties into the in-game calendar. Time management has always been a crucial element in Atlus games, and the fact that certain journeys now take multiple days adds an intriguing new dynamic. Atlus could have opted to simply skip those travel days on the calendar, but by not doing so, it makes the experience feel like a genuine road trip—really placing you in the shoes of the protagonist.
“The game uses a travel system that cleverly ties into the in-game calendar… it makes the experience feel like a genuine road trip—really placing you in the shoes of the protagonist”
While you’re being transported in your Gauntlet Runner, you still have your two daily time slots to manage. You can spend time in your vehicle working on your Royal Virtues, like reading a book, or you can cook a meal, do laundry, and sometimes even advance certain Follower Bonds. At night, it’s too dangerous to continue traveling, so you set up camp and once more choose from various activities to pass the time.
Along the way, you’ll encounter special locations where your team will stop to admire the view and discuss it. You might also find small villages where you can make a quick stop to purchase rare items. All of this adds immensely to the road trip vibe. By the time I finally arrived at my destination after three days, my own legs almost felt stiff, as if I had gone on the long journey myself.
The Music Is Once Again Amazing
As we near the end of this review, I promise this is the last time I’ll compare Metaphor: ReFantazio to Persona. But Persona sets the standard for me when it comes to video game music because, in my eyes (or rather, in my ears), the soundtracks from the Persona series rank among the best in gaming. Naturally, my expectations for Metaphor: ReFantazio’s soundtrack were sky-high.
I’m happy to say the game fully delivers on this front as well. While it’s a completely different style from Persona, the music perfectly fits the world and, more importantly, the stakes at hand. The scale and significance of everything you do in the game are epic, and the soundtrack aligns seamlessly with that. The music feels as if it’s telling you to give it your all—because otherwise, the world is doomed. And that’s exactly what this soundtrack should do.
Conclusion
Metaphor: ReFantazio is without a doubt one of the best games of recent years. Every aspect of the game works together to fully immerse you in an emotional adventure that takes some time to get going but quickly becomes better and better as you progress.
The world, culture, and characters are incredibly well-crafted and written. A recurring theme is breaking down prejudices and stereotypes, which kept me captivated for over 80 hours.
The thought required to plan your Archetype composition makes the combat both highly engaging and tactical, though it can occasionally feel like an obstacle, especially in the early stages.
