The sun-soaked streets of Brilehaven are bustling with the sea breeze and the buzz of vigorous discussions about who will be the next king of Euchronia. The nobility prepare for a grandiose soirée held by Count Louis Guiabern, the runner-up for the throne. And I’m going to stop him.
Twist a thing or two, and this scenario in Metaphor: ReFantazio might as well be an assignment for the Phantom Thieves in Persona 5. That’s hardly a surprise: Atlus’ latest RPG proudly hails from the creative minds of Persona 3, 4, and 5, with tons of shared DNA and themes between the two franchises.
While the similarities make this game a natural choice if you enjoy Persona, it’s the distinctions between the two that allow Metaphor: ReFantazio to flourish. It’s undoubtedly good enough to carve its own spot as a must-play, even if you haven’t tried an Atlus title before—and it’s innovative enough to hopefully be the first installment in a new, thriving franchise.
The king is dead. Long live the king
Like most medieval tales, ReFantazio’s story starts with a good old-fashioned regicide and quickly picks up from there. Boot up the game, and you’ll find murder, magic, treachery, and even some necromancy before you wrap up the first month.
The story has a simple start: you must pass a message to a hidden co-conspirator, telling him there’s a way to break the Prince’s cursebound comatose state and crown His Highness as the rightful heir to the throne following the king’s death. Two hours later, the royal palace was floating in the sky, the dead king’s face towered over the capital like a scarier moon from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, and the nearby catacombs were sprawling with undead.
ReFantazio’s riveting narrative is rarely at a standstill. Losing track of time was easy: the story kept escalating into bigger scenarios, and it constantly delivered. Every few hours, I looked back at the journey and thought how far our Protagonist had come, longing for the many twists that still awaited me in my 80-hour adventure.
For the most part, Metaphor: ReFantazio’s story gets a lot right, though it lacks the hard emotional impact I felt with the last few mainline Persona titles. Some of its narrative elements can also feel out of place, but these flaws don’t take much away from its triumphs.
Gripping as it may be, the main story is often overshadowed by your companions’ narrative arcs. Each supporter has their own tale, with different bits of anguish, tragedy, and beauty peppered among them. From a grieving father to a cat-eared bounty hunter fighting injustice, they all have one thing in common: their stories may make you put off that dungeon run for a couple of days just so you can see what’s next.
The balance between brawling and bonding
Metaphor: ReFantazio almost feels like two games in one. When you’re not saving the townsfolk, you have plenty of freedom to explore the cities, but managing your time is key. Spending an afternoon with Strohl meant I had to skip a dungeon that day. My road trip to a nearby monster den made my party too tired to go out at night, so I had to take a rain check with the city’s shady but well-meaning con artist. You can’t have your Indestructible Honey Cake and eat it, too.
Gaining levels and loot lets you take on bigger challenges, but talking to your supporters may also be a huge help. Improving your bonds can give you new powers or unlock other Archetypes to use in combat, so it’s hard to neglect it. At the same time, going into a dungeon may complete a side quest and give you some much-needed levels, gold, or gear.
Making the most out of your free time hinges on that balance. Fortunately, these trade-offs between exploration and combat weren’t too punishing. I had enough freedom to max out all bonds with my followers, complete every quest, get all my social stats to five, and still come out with a few weeks to spare before the end of the game.
ReFantazio hit both sides of this equation. The time spent in town felt just as good as taking down a man-eating manticore terrorizing a village, and the fact they’re interconnected makes each of them even more rewarding.
Innovative, vicious combat
Metaphor: ReFantazio truly shines when the swords are unsheathed and the magic starts flying. Combat kept me at the edge of my seat while exploring the monster-ridden Nord Mines early on, and it only grew after that.
The fighting occurs even before you’re in a turn-based squad battle. You can take on enemies in real-time combat in the “overworld,” weakening or stunning them before you engage. This grants you a considerable edge in battle, though you risk getting hit and starting at a disadvantage.
Don’t expect the constant medieval clash of steel on steel, however. The magla that permeates Euchronia is your biggest weapon, letting you draw from the near-mythical powers of Archetypes—which embody heroic virtues—to use different abilities. You and your teammates can also borrow abilities from other Archetypes they unlocked, so cultivating Archetypes felt rewarding, like growing Pokémon or collecting Personas for my Compendium.
Each fair fight in Metaphor: ReFantazio felt decisive. I couldn’t swap Archetypes in battle or resort to Shift/Baton Pass or All-Out Attacks like in Persona. If I was in a bad spot, there were only two ways out: attempting to escape or doubling down.
Having the right team composition was also paramount, mostly due to the powerful Synthesis attacks I could unleash with the right combinations. Those abilities let you punch way above your category, though usually with a hefty MP cost. Occasionally, I even contemplated taking more than a day for longer activities: spending too much MP is easy, especially early on.
A new beginning on a sturdy foundation
If this is your first Atlus game, Metaphor: ReFantazio is an amazing journey, and odds are you’ll add a Persona game or two to your wishlist after the credits roll.
On the flip side, if you’ve played Persona 5 Royal or Persona 3 Reload, Euchronia and Tokyo will feel surprisingly alike. ReFantazio scratches a similar itch while adding new, refreshing systems. Getting sucked into the game is so easy that you may find yourself wishing the day had an extra hour just to squeeze in a bit more playtime.
The latest RPG is a good adventure worth its salt but carries even bigger potential. It’s hard not to imagine a follow-up title based on scenarios like steampunk or drawing from darker horror. With ReFantazio, Atlus is mostly unencumbered by traditional tenets of Persona—and that may be its biggest strength.
- Stellar, unique combat systems keep the game fresh throughout your playthrough
- Relentlessly encourages experimentation with new Archetypes
- Makes a familiar foundation more forgiving without losing its edge
- Well-paced, generally gripping story
- Potentially difficult resource management, especially early on
- Some parts of the story don’t land as well as they could, but without marring the experience
- Lack of outfits and other cosmetic rewards feels like a wasted opportunity
- Interface can feel too polluted
Published: Oct 7, 2024 09:00 am