Metaphor: ReFantazio is a game from the developers that was founded by some of the folks behind the Persona games and it is being published by Atlus which makes it an important game. After Persona 5, the team set out to create a new world the result of which is this game. Think of it as a Persona game with dragons, knights, mages, and all the stuff that you would expect from a fantasy anime. The game is more complicated than being a simple fantasy experience.
I am going to say right off the bet, If you are a Persona lover, JRPGs, and these types of games then you are going to love it. It is also a good entry point for players who want to get into JRPGs and Persona-type games. It is a good story and all but the developers have stuck close to all the things that make these types of games such a good deal. There are no compromises just for the sake of including new stuff. All this makes you wonder Is Metaphor: ReFantazio worth it? Let’s find out.
Premise
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a solid and compelling yet lengthy JRPG so I will make that clear from the get-go. Players will play as a character called Will. Your character is on a quest to save a prince who is under a curse. The kingdom is in ruins since the King has been killed. Different factions are fighting for control of the throne. Your character goes out to assassinate what your character believes to be the person who killed the King. However, things get more complicated as you uncover more stuff.
It turns out that the King has put magic in place that will decide who the next King is going to be. There is also a roaming threat of monsters attacking the kingdom. It is a fantasy world and the developers are tackling a lot of social and political elements. The world of the game has different clans that are different races. The races include people with animalistic characteristics, such as characters with horns, elves, and other things like that. There is a lot of verity in character, with a lot of characters being non-human. The world is divided and different races have different levels of tolerance towards each other.
Every character has their beliefs and ideas. Metaphor: ReFantazio also highlights the class distinction between rich and poor. The world-building and story sheds light on different topics. The world is full of magic. Everyone can use magic but the game will surprise you with different magical stuff from time to time. It’s not all about grand schemes and world-building. A lot of it is dependent on gameplay elements and the main story.
The Narrative
The prologue lasts for 4 to 5 hours and that’s when the flow of the game kicks in. There is an emphasis on managing day and night as well as a calendar. The consequences of your choices play a major role. How you spend your time plays a major role. For instance, If there is a main mission dungeon that you need to complete in 4 days then how you spend that 4 days is up to you. You can complete different activities to get stronger or you can just jump ahead directly to the mission in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Every activity you complete will cost time so your decision has a major impact on the outcome of a scenario.
Combat
You will be exploring and talking to people while also engaging in battle. Battles are an important part of the game. Battles are turned based and different factor influences these battles. There are standard moves like attack, guard for a turn, and skip a turn or use an item. Positioning is also important so you have to position characters based on their abilities. Tanks stay at the front while range attackers stay at the back and stuff like that.
Archetype plays an important role in the gameplay. Your character will use these Archetypes. These are legendary powers of ancient heroes that can be used in battle. It lets you transform into a different entity. Turning into a steel-clad knight that acts as a tank, turning into a mage that uses range spells, or turning into a warrior for damage are all on the table. You also do connected attacks or synergy attacks if you have more than one character of a similar class.
As you progress you will unlock these heroes and all of them have their own uses. They can be leveled up and grown. You also have the option to use resources and let your other party members use them. You can also teach them new attacks and also make some changes to them. Metaphor: ReFantazio will temp and encourage you to change them.
Use Archetype
Different enemies have resistance to different attack types. Enemies will even react differently when they see a new type of attack. Metaphor: ReFantazio places importance on preparing for battle before getting in the battle. Think of it like a class system similar to how it works in JRPGs and anime. It feels unique just because of how well all this is connected to the story.
The design of Archetype is also pretty good. They look good and finding a new one always feels good. The game encourages you to find new allies to unlock different archetypes. It ranges from finding a friend, learning about their abilities, and then unlocking a good Archetype to find.
Battles
The archetypes also impact what your character equips when you are not transformed and are only navigating an area. It means that the type of Archetype you wield will define the weapon you wield while exploring outside encounters in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
In an environment outside of an encounter, you can dodge, and hack & slash the lower-level enemies without activating a full-on battle sequence. Hitting enemies before triggering a combat sequence also enables you to have an advantage over enemies. The fights are really good, especially in the large-scale battles. The design of some of the monsters is also pretty good.
The Persona Style
If you have played a Persona game and have liked it then this is pretty familiar. The style, weirdness, and creativity that it presents are spot on. It is not just some of the parts of the game that feel similar but the music, menu, and general feel of Metaphor: ReFantazio as well. Everything is on the front display and it gets the job done. At a glance, it feels exactly like Persona and one can even mistake it for Persona. It is the type of game that keeps your screen busy nearly all the time.
General Gameplay
Outside the combat, you will be managing the Archetype while also leveling up individual party members as well as your stats. Another thing that you need to focus on is getting better equipment and equipping it for you and your party members in Metaphor: ReFantazio. There is a lot of stuff to manage aside from normal ones like Popularity Ranking and Royal Virtue.
Royal Virtue stats start from zero, certain actions and activities you do as you progress through days will increase it. Royal Virure includes tolerance, wisdom, and other skills like that which can be improved. It’s all about getting more followers and getting people on your side in Metaphor: ReFantazio. You can level it up by helping people in towns, cooking, working just generic stuff that you would expect from an RPG. Building your royal virtue has advantages as it unlocks new quests.
One of the major downs for me was the prologue. It was long and not very interesting. Encounters were not interesting. It has the generic JRPG stuff that you would expect from such a game. Think of it like a strong introduction sequence that lasts for hours. The few hours were dull and there were too many tutorials. The enjoyment scale goes way up after the prologue is over.
Characters
Each character has its own unique personality and these characters stand out in the crowd. These characters are not done as well as Persona but it does feel unique and great. It is good because while playing the game you will spend hours with these characters. These characters feel good and have an impact on the story of the game.
Verdict (Is Metaphor: ReFantazio Worth It?)
There are other games that feature different stuff from what the game has to offer such as politics, towns, characters allies, and other things like that. A lot of the stuff that this game presents is already done in other games and even some JRPGs. Despite that, it feels different in Metaphor: ReFantazio. You can only feel that difference when you are playing the game and it’s something that you have to experience yourself.
One of the things that the game does best is delving into some deep topics similar to how Persona games handle these topics. There are a lot of different stuff discussed in the game such as politics, racism, religion, and stuff like that. Not only is it a good RPG but also a game with food for thought. Stuff does get out of hand and there is decent entertainment value in the game.
It is a good game for fans of Persona because if you like Persona then you will definitely like this one. If you like the idea of Persona attached to something else then this will feel right at home. It is a good story even if overwhelming in the beginning. However, once the game opens up it does become better. There is something good to be had if you are a JRPG lover or if you are delving into the JRPG genre for the first time.
Trailer:
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