Metaphor: ReFantazio Review – Those Eyes Eclipse Fantasy

Establishing a wholly original IP in today’s gaming industry is a demanding feat that requires the utmost dedication. Taking chances is riskier than ever, so when a celebrated developer chooses to do so, the sheer act warrants undivided attention. Atlus, in particular, has often been associated with its flagship series—Shin Megami Tensei and Persona—which, despite numerous spinoffs, don’t allow for an entirely blank canvas.

Enter the announcement of the wildly ambitious fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio, accompanied by an array of merchandise and even an already-confirmed manga adaptation. It’s clear that Atlus is putting its all into this new project. Now, after experiencing this memorable adventure, it’s undeniable that Metaphor: ReFantazio will become a well-deserved cornerstone for the developer, joining the ranks of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei in presence and prominence.

Metaphor: ReFantazio invites players to witness the tale of a customizable protagonist in a richly imagined fantasy world, literally from your perspective. This land, the United Kingdom of Euchronia, is composed of numerous races known as Tribes and is rife with discrimination in every conceivable form. The status quo favors certain Tribes, but matters are even more dire for the main character, a member of the Elda Tribe, which is harshly excluded compared to all others.

However, this already tumultuous backdrop shifts dramatically when the king of Euchronia’s capital is assassinated. This event initiates a tournament where any individual in the land could become the next ruler, provided they earn the most support from the populace.

An Epic Story of Power and Discrimination

The protagonist and his fairy companion, Gallica, become involved, and the former even enters the tournament himself. But there’s another layer to this development: a resistance group assigns the duo to save the nation’s cursed prince, who has been in a hazardous comatose state for years. As fate would have it, the only apparent method to save the prince is by killing the supposed caster of the curse—the candidate in a league beyond all others, Louis.

Metaphor achieves the notoriously tricky feat of having a stellar party with no weak links.

If there were one word I had to use to assess Metaphor, it would be “gripping.” This fantasy epic contains all the essential components for an impressively engaging 90-hour adventure that never relents in its pacing. From the opening hours, which take their time establishing the stakes and premise, to the optional character events that expand upon motivations and backstories, there’s always a compelling force at work. It’s an underdog tale that excels in a gradual buildup of tension and fulfillment.

What significantly enhances immersion and attachment is the handling of the main character. Unlike the silent protagonists in Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, he is not silent. While you still select choices for his responses, he is fully voiced. Plus, considering his initial goals and the fact that you name yourself and him separately, the protagonist of Metaphor is clearly his own character rather than just a reflection of the player.

Character Customization and Party Dynamics

Admittedly, I would have preferred if he had been treated more like Ringo from Soul Hackers 2, fully fleshed out with voiced lines and agency not tied to the player. However, what’s here effectively differentiates between you and him.

Additionally, the rest of the core cast is equally impressive. Metaphor achieves the notoriously tricky feat of having a stellar party with no weak links; even the later members integrate brilliantly with the cast. The weakest party member is arguably Hulkenburg, partly due to how rapidly she joins, but her inclusion is still excellently justified. They all have relatively equal staying power throughout the journey, and their optional scenarios, while must-play, aren’t essential for understanding their characterizations. They’re more like expansions on traits you could already perceive from the main story.

These strengths coalesce into arguably the most extraordinary facet of Metaphor: its pacing. To elaborate on that front, let’s examine the gameplay loop. Throughout the journey, you encounter a structural familiarity reminiscent of the modern-era Persona titles: segments of narrative interspersed with days of downtime, during which you’re tasked with clearing a required dungeon at your own pace or engaging in numerous side activities.

However, where Metaphor truly thrives is in making each iteration of this loop feel fresh, thanks to the story premise. The main character, his allies, and other participants are traveling the country for the royal election tournament, and each step of this quest takes place in a new major location. These new areas introduce fresh shops, quests, and characters, creating a magnificent volume of content that doesn’t feel overwhelming. Since these new cities and towns become the focus upon arrival, they contain the bulk of new content, rather than updating every previous location with renewed objectives.

In the realm of gameplay, Metaphor has plenty to offer.

I was also impressed by how, despite the sheer number of activities available, practically everything can be completed in one playthrough with some essential planning. But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s delve into what these tasks actually are. For starters, you have bonding episodes that are easily comparable to Social Links from the Persona series. Members of your playable party and key characters you meet throughout the journey fill these roles, and they function as expected. Ranking up these bonds imparts major boons, like evolved iterations of already-obtained Archetypes—which is essentially a job system; more on that later.

However, some rank-ups are gated by Royal Virtues, which are essentially the social stats from the modern Persona games. These virtues are raised by completing various town activities and quests, creating an easily discernible gameplay loop. Admittedly, it can feel like Metaphor borrows heavily from Persona in these specific aspects. Yet, as previously implied, the refreshing implementation of these mechanics is honestly the best I’ve ever seen Atlus execute. You never face needlessly lengthy deadlines for main story objectives, and there’s no shortage of activities within the limited timeframes. Each player’s playthrough will be approached distinctively.

Metaphor also boasts the best version of the calendar system seen in an Atlus title since Persona 3. The passage of time has a significant impact on the story’s overall premise, exemplified by the new locations you visit after each accomplishment. Consequently, every in-game month manages to feel tonally different.

Returning to the bonding episodes, their writing is immaculate. Every character offers uniquely innate perspectives on the world, with racism among the Tribes being a prominent example. As each party member you gain belongs to a different Tribe, seeing multiple perspectives from major characters across the Tribes, including those not in the party, paints a clearer, multi-faceted picture of how corrupt the United Kingdom of Euchronia is. The protagonist’s unconventional entourage and his apparent yearning for the throne, despite his societal stigma as an Elda, are more than believable justifications for these characters to open up to him.

Metaphor doesn’t shy away from emphasizing discrimination toward the protagonist himself, illustrated by monuments throughout towns that display the popularity of the most prominent candidates. Given the racism targeted at the Elda Tribe, it takes quite a while for the world to even consider supporting him, making the progression toward the throne a satisfying goal to strive for. Granted, the growth of the main character’s popularity isn’t handled as pristinely as it could have been, with strides in popularity sometimes appearing abrupt in the main story. However, if you participate in debates against other candidates and complete side quests that individuals of renown purposely sideline, it all still clicks.

In the realm of gameplay, Metaphor has plenty to offer, particularly its layered combat system. The most immediately noticeable aspect is the coexistence of both real-time action and turn-based systems. The real-time action is more than just an accompaniment; it’s more fleshed out than you might expect. For instance, your equipped Archetype—or class—determines the weapon you use in battle, including in these action scenarios.

Enemies react differently to weapon affinities, making your gear choice crucial even outside the core turn-based encounters.

Real-Time and Turn-Based Combat Explained

Regarding how the transition works, striking an enemy on the field enough times will reduce their break gauge, allowing you to initiate a preemptive strike in a turn-based battle with the click of a button. Alternatively, you could wait for the enemies to remain stunned on the field and attack them repeatedly in real-time action, but that would waste countless minutes.

Metaphor: ReFantazio blends real-time and turn-based combat, delivering a fresh and strategic gameplay experience.

This general system is comparable to The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak, but it’s handled far more elegantly and balanced here. In that title, you could easily annihilate every mob in action combat with little thought. In contrast, the brief action bouts in Metaphor are dangerous and require meticulous movement. Failing to dodge an incoming enemy attack can result in a devastating ambush that pushes you to the brink of a game over, making every new dungeon moderately tense. Conversely, enemies significantly lower in level can be eliminated on the field altogether, preventing needless time waste. Overall, these meshing genre ideas click magnificently.

The turn-based fights operate under the Press Turn system, also used in other Atlus titles like Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Simply put, turns are represented by icons at the top of the screen, with each action consuming at least one symbol per phase; players and enemies have their own separate sets of turn icons. The strategy in this system is rooted in managing the number of turn symbols.

The Archetype System: Customizing Your Playstyle

Evading attacks or nullifying incoming affinities can cause a loss of multiple turn icons. Beyond the typical RPG considerations of stats and attack types, this makes the choice of your equipped Archetypes paramount, especially since they can’t be swapped mid-battle. It’s a high-risk, high-reward concept executed brilliantly, instilling a thrilling balance of chance and strategy. Decision-making is key.

Speaking of which, let’s dive into the Archetypes. Essentially, this is a class system and the crux of combat. For the most part, each party member has access to every Archetype, which are obtained either throughout the story or from character-bonding episodes. When performing skills in turn-based battles, characters transform into what their Archetypes represent, granting a slew of skills corresponding to that build. For example, you have a tree of mage Archetypes specializing in different magical aptitudes and a Merchant Archetype that deals almighty damage at the expense of currency.

The sheer variety of Archetypes is exceptional, and the inability to switch classes mid-combat prevents them from becoming overwhelming. Similarly, you can retry any turn-based encounter at any time, except in the New Game Plus exclusive Regicide difficulty. Regardless, there’s a sense of finality and commitment when entering combat, and that’s where the true difficulty lies. Strategy can only take you so far if your toolkit and chosen Archetypes aren’t up to par. As a sort of compromise, you can attach skills from one Archetype to another at a cost, building greater synergy and choice.

The protagonist’s journey from an outcast to a leader of a diverse party is handled with emotional nuance.

Another notable feature is Synthesis—multi-character skills available only depending on your equipped Archetypes. At first glance, these techniques may seem overly powerful. Yet they inherently embrace the high-risk, high-reward nature of the Press Turn system, as they can consume multiple turn icons on their own. Interestingly, depending on the action performed and your equipped skills, the Press Turn icons can be consumed in halves instead of wholes. This still counts as one icon functionally but provides opportunities for doubling up on turns if you play your cards right.

In essence, thanks to the numerous well-presented options and the efficacy of various strategies—with player individuality at its core—everything about the combat flows smoothly. These strengths are further enhanced by the challenging difficulty of Metaphor. While the first two-thirds of the experience are reasonably straightforward if you understand the combat essentials, the final third feels like a fitting test that demands intricate understanding of the builds you’re pursuing.

Continuing to explore the realm of choice brings us to the quintessential aspects of cities and traveling. Throughout Metaphor, beyond growing your bonds with key characters and progressing the story, you have ample opportunities for other activities.

Exploring a Vast and Dynamic World

Tasks like giving public speeches as an election candidate or simply people-watching can raise Royal Virtues, which are necessary to boost the ranks of your bonds in their later stages.

You can also take on bounties that lead to entirely dedicated optional dungeons, making the world feel grander than ever. Granted, these areas are noticeably recycled in theme and layout, but the number of secret passages and side paths mitigates potential tedium. Generally speaking, Metaphor excels at dungeon design that requires thought without being overly contrived, even if you’re aiming to find all the treasure.

Exploration extends to the Gauntlet Runner, a massive mount that the cast travels in, giving off road trip vibes. This mechanical marvel contains its own slew of facilities and tasks that can raise your Royal Virtues and stats, including gardening, cooking, fishing, and more. In a sense, the Gauntlet Runner feels like its own mini-town, and I grew quite attached to it. Thankfully, you can eventually fast-travel to previously visited cities without the passage of in-game days, implementing clever convenience that doesn’t dilute the joy of adventure and discovering new places.

Exploring new cities during the election tournament ensures each chapter of the story feels unique and exciting.

Honestly, the journey’s feats are most transparently conveyed through the Gauntlet Runner. Not only do you see the party making their way around the vast map to new landmarks, but there’s also a narrator who imparts lore as you arrive. Speaking of which, all lore information is neatly compiled within a well-organized glossary. It’s well worth reading for the mix of subtle and direct expansions on characters and the world. A balanced approach is struck here; none of the encyclopedia entries are required reading for basic comprehension of the story—they’re there for those increasingly curious about the world.

A few last notes: the English voice acting for Metaphor is phenomenal, with every casting choice excelling in diction and tone.

Stunning Visuals and Immersive Soundtrack

Additionally, the soundtrack is easily Shoji Meguro’s best work in quite some time, further bolstering the distinctiveness of this new Atlus property with Esperanto chanting—particularly notable in the endlessly catchy battle theme. Regarding performance, the native PlayStation 5 release has a few perceptible frame drops during loading screen transitions, but these are quite minor.

In just about every way, Metaphor: ReFantazio checks all the boxes for a masterful fantasy epic. Between the addictive gameplay design, endlessly strategic combat, and gripping narrative propelled by a compelling cast, this is undeniably guaranteed to be Atlus’s next big hit. In a year already jam-packed with notable releases, Metaphor: ReFantazio still manages to stand out as a must-play.