Metaphor: ReFantazio Review (PC)

On concept alone, Metaphor: ReFantazio works. This new IP from Atlus attempts to reinvigorate the classic fantasy JRPG genre by introducing the familiar calendar of the popular Persona series and the press turn combat from the mainline Shin Megami Tensei series. Through a modern lens, Metaphor reexamines tropes like the job system, the mythological journey of the hero, and the purpose of fantasy itself, building an intriguing world full of magic, wonder, and strife. This isn’t to say that the game doesn’t have any weaknesses, but by and large the game is a masterstroke in imagination and ideas, daringly improving upon what makes Persona so exceptional.

A metaphorical extension 

Metaphor explores the power of dreams, or fantasy, to inspire change by way of a war of succession in the tumultuous kingdom of Euchronia. The protagonist, a blue-haired boy guided by a fairy and carrying an unusual book, seeks to dispel a thorny curse placed on the rightful prince after King Hythlodeaus V is assassinated by the ruthless, power-hungry general Louis Guiabern. However, this is much easier said than done, as the country’s society, particularly in the royal capital of Grand Tran, is oppressively stratified by class and race, with the lesser tribes facing open discrimination in a caste system supported by the Sanctist Church. Worse, the protagonist hails from the elda tribe, a race so maligned that it is said to be the cause behind all of the world’s problems, including the giant “human” monsters ransacking the kingdom.

While Shin Megami Tensei fans will likely have a sense of where the story leads, Metaphor introduces enough twists and turns to keep the main plot fresh. The first month in the game feels bleak, deliberately so, as it mostly takes place in Grand Tran, but this thankfully subsides once the hero is able to travel to another city. At this point, the objective interestingly turns into a debate over what is the best form of government, while using the hero’s book as a way to describe a utopia based on the democratic ideals of our real world. Metaphor understands well enough that our world has its problems, but in the context of the game’s world, it is still a “fantasy” with ideals worth pursuing. 

By this point, the cast is bolstered by several allies who provide much-needed levity on the journey. All of the main party members are likable, and unlike social links in Persona, players don’t need to worry about picking the wrong dialogue option to advance their bond. It’s also easy to find out when a follower is available and what bonuses will unlock when their bond grows. So long as the player continues to develop the hero’s kingly virtues, essentially the social stats from Persona, it’s not difficult to max them out and complete every bond several weeks before the last day of the calendar.

The age of a new king is already here

On normal difficulty, Metaphor comes with the expectation that players have some past experience with Shin Megami Tensei and is generally more difficult than Persona. The press turn system provides extra turns for hitting an enemy’s weaknesses, and attacking monsters enough times in overworld combat stuns them at the beginning of battle. On the harder difficulties, enemies that catch the party off-guard can sometimes wipe everyone out in a few turns in battle, but every attack is telegraphed and easily dodged. By the endgame, focusing on abilities that deal non-elemental Almighty damage, raise or lower stats, or give an enemy a weakness will clear most challenges, including optional bosses. Better yet, making a party member who explicitly taunts enemies and dodges attacks makes bosses waste a lot of turns.

In lieu of Personas, the party unlocks powerful Archetypes that have a tremendous amount of flexibility. At the cost of a currency called MAG, the player is free to assign any Archetype to an ally and inherit any skill that character has learned. It’s still important to pair the right Archetype with party members who have the appropriate stats, like Strength for a Warrior or Agility for a Thief. Still, mastering Archetypes provides bonus stats, and some are worth building simply for skill inheritance. The Mage and Merchant archetypes are especially useful for restoring MP while in a dungeon and earning extra cash from easy fights, both of which makes grinding worth the effort.

On the downside, the major dungeons are less imaginative than those in Persona 5, and the side dungeons recycle the same ideas and tilesets. If there’s a sequel to Metaphor, which the game lays the groundwork for, the developers should consider creating dungeons based on the melancholia from magla crystals instead of being confined to caves, waterways, and castles. Some mundane activities, like reading a book and growing plants, are strangely locked behind travel. Also, Regicide difficulty should have been unlocked from the start instead of making it tied to New Game+ where Archetype progress and almost every item are carried over.