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Review | Metaphor: ReFantazio

"Ever wondered how Game of Thrones might fit into the Persona or Shin Megami Tensei universe? Wonder no more—Atlus has blended these worlds into a game so compelling, it’ll make you fall in love with turn-based JRPGs all over again."

by Foggy, 28-10-2024, Edited by: No one (yet!)

A short review

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a 2024 role-playing game developed by Studio Zero (Atlus’s Creative Department 3rd Production, featuring several team members from the latest main Persona title, formed to work on games outside the Persona or Shin Megami Tensei universe) and published by Atlus in Japan and Sega worldwide. Announced in December 2016, the game went without updates until 2023 and finally launched on October 11, 2024, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S.

The team has done an incredible job—perhaps too good! It’s always hard to improve on near perfection, which this game nearly achieves, but somehow, they often manage to surpass expectations with each release.

On the PS5, the game runs beautifully. While early builds had minor hiccups in towns, patches have since resolved these issues. Metaphor is a technical marvel: it’s bug-free, crash-resistant, and consistently delivers an exceptional experience. I couldn’t be happier with how well this game turned out.


Metaphor is a beautiful game full of art, animations and breathtaking landscapes. It all fits in Atlus universe, even when they decide to try with Game of Thrones of their own.

Story and the characters

I didn’t expect another Game of Thrones-inspired game so soon after FFXVI. This time, though, Atlus steps up and shows how it’s done. It may not be as flashy as FFXVI, but it surpasses it in virtually every way. The journey unfolds in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, a medieval fantasy realm that reflects aspects of the modern world following the assassination of its king. Yes, there’s a familiar day-to-day progression, but without the usual school setting. English voice over is excelent, but I've found it a bit weird as it usually comes with British dialects. After some time, it was fine though. The only minus still is the protagonist and how he talks - short sentences here and there. It's one thing that is a bit better, but still bad if you ask me. 

The party includes members of different tribes, with the game’s premise being that humans are corrupt. When someone becomes fully human, they transform into a monster. I loved this concept, creating a parallel universe where tribes unite to eradicate humans. Altogether, this game weaves an excellent story of a kingdom and warring factions, each vying to see their kin ascend the throne.

I thoroughly enjoyed my 90 hours with the game. It’s a lengthy experience with twists and surprises. While it may not quite reach the narrative depth and character development of Persona 5, it’s on the right path. The story can feel a bit straightforward, with fewer unexpected twists, so you’re rarely caught off guard. There are also some pacing issues in the last portion of the game, and the 3rd quarter of the game is probably the lowest in terms on fun and expriencing new mechanics. It picks up soon after, but it's worth mentioning.

Matching Persona 5’s storytelling is no small feat, though. The villain is satisfyingly sinister, and the storyline is classic for the genre: saving the world, pursuing the throne, and dispelling false rumors. Certain moments and animations left a strong impression on me—they’re that impactful (and the fact this game has like 15h of custcenes and anime-styled animation is simply to be praised for).


Their is a lot to love here, especially when it comes to characters and their characterization. The story is great, but every side-story also fits perfectly into the whole picture.

Game design, exploration

As mentioned, you’ll still bond with teammates, boost personal stats like Wisdom, and explore dungeons to complete bounties and sidequests. I’ve always loved this concept, but it can feel overwhelming. Collecting everything, maxing out stats, and experiencing all the game offers is tricky. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry too much about your responses during conversations, as your ranks increase regardless (though some base stats require specific answers for max points). The towns are charming and visually appealing—I really enjoyed spending time in them.

This time, the game includes a map, which is your primary guide. Most quests lead to dungeons, and all major story events involve some form of dungeon. You’ll travel to these locations by boarding your ship, which acts as a hub, and each journey takes a day or two, so planning is key. Afternoon and night are designated times to get tasks done, with bonding with teammates being a top priority.

This setup might be one of Atlus’s best concepts yet, though the dungeon design could use improvement. The main story dungeons are well-crafted, though not quite on the level of Persona 5’s palaces. Optional dungeons tend to be linear and somewhat repetitive, though they often have hidden passages and rewarding exploration with useful items and weapons.

If I were to rank this experience, I’d say Persona 5 is still the best, followed closely by Strikers, then SMT V, and finally Metaphor. I enjoyed the challenges, though the exploration was just okay.


Villains, enemies, characters - their design and voice acting is awesome! It's a bit weird to listen to dialects under English voice over, but even that is great. 

Combat

Here’s the fun part—all the previously mentioned drawbacks disappear once you dive into combat and explore the job system. I think this is one of the best in-game job systems I’ve ever seen. There are no personas this time; instead, you level up classes (which function like personas) to rank 20, unlocking higher class tiers and, eventually, elite classes. Each class gains unique perks when you max out bonds with a follower or party member during the day. You can set up to four slots for any learned skill from any class in your roster.

This system is uniquely satisfying, offering a sense of rewarding progress. I constantly found myself micromanaging builds across characters, which was incredibly enjoyable. The variety of unique classes and skill combinations is impressive. Your choice of classes also affects combat, as you can unleash combined special moves if you meet specific requirements, often involving powerful, high-tier spells or skills that go beyond the base class. You can move in front or in the back during combat - I love this mechanic, it makes you think where you leave your teammates (front row means you receive and do more damage, while back the opposite).

One standout mechanic is the action-based combat for dealing with weaker enemies outside of full battles, inspired by the later Trails games. You can dispatch low-level enemies with a quick button mashing, skipping full encounters and saving time. This is ideal for when you want to grind quickly or avoid time-consuming battles with low-level foes. If this is the future of turn-based games, I’m fully on board. Of course, you can still enter traditional turn-based battles, which play similarly to SMT V. These battles are some of the best in the genre (where you raise turns when you crit someone or hit them with a weakness, or lose turns when you miss etc.), with a vast range of combinations that keep you engaged and make progress feel worthwhile.

Overall, combat is by far the game’s strongest feature. Some boss fights are especially challenging and well-designed, encouraging you to optimize your roster. You can also reset the fight if needed, a feature I used often. When it comes to combat, Metaphor truly shines! The only dowside are some limit breaks, but they will probably add that in the Royal version.


On your journey you will visit many areas, dungeons and whatnot. You can spend your days on the map by simply camping under the full moon, or doing something with your teammates.

Side Content

When it comes to side content, it feels like an extension of the main story rather than mere filler. None of it involves simple fetch quests; instead, each task adds depth to the overall lore. Some challenges are even tougher than the main story, rewarding you with unique equipment. The side content is absolutely worth pursuing, especially bonding activities and quests or bounties. With the class system added in, it all comes together perfectly.

If every game handled side content this well, I’d be thrilled. Nothing here feels like filler—it all contributes to a cohesive experience. It’s a shame that this version doesn’t have full voice acting for all cutscenes, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a ‘Royal’ version is in the works.


Maybe dungeon design is not the best, but combat is so good it easily fills the gaps you may have when comparing all of the game features. 

Conclusion

I think I've covered most of it so far. Metaphor is yet another Atlus game that shines bright in all of its segments, especially the combat and some challenges. It does not bring anything new to the table, but their refined their formula and placed the game outside of their confort zone. If the future looks like this, Atlus will rule the land of JRPG's. This is an excelent example how perfectly good game mechanis fits in totaly different direction.

If you want the best version of Game of Thrones wannabe games, Metaphor is by far my choice number 1.


The team survived, and yet another journey is over. That is too bad, because the game has so much to love.

"One of Atlus's best JRPGs, this game features an outstanding job-based Persona system set in a Game of Thrones-inspired world that exudes quality. The future of the turn-based genre has never looked brighter."
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