Fans of Atlus’ long-running relationship simulation RPG series won’t stop asking when Persona 6 it will come, but the truth is this Metaphor: ReFantazio it seems to cover an awful lot of the same bases, from brilliant turn-based combat to friendship meters, while also evolving the formula in some exciting ways. It’s also a visual feast that, if nothing else, can really look like too cool.
I had a chance to play a decent chunk of it at Summer Game Fest earlier this month, and my time with Metaphor: ReFantazio convinced me of two things: it feels like a creative yet surprisingly familiar spin on the existing Persona games and also every screen shines with so much flair that it got a bit overwhelming at times. It’s shaping up to be more of an evolution than a revolution, but what’s there definitely looks like a deep, mellow RPG experience that can rival anything Atlus’ in-house teams have done in the past.
A metaphorout on October 11 for PlayStation, Xbox and PC, forgoes the modern urban setting of Persona series about a mirrored medieval fantasy realm full of castles, monsters, and magic. The United Kingdom of Euchronia is in the midst of a succession crisis after the assassination of its king. The resulting turmoil proves to be the perfect fodder for a band of warriors who travel between different villages, explore dungeons, and learn each other’s fears, dreams, and personal quirks while accumulating bond points.
My demo was mostly limited to combat, so I didn’t get a clear picture of it A metaphorthe progression of or how the ebb and flow of the research will feel. It still has a daily calendar system that assumes every location explored and decision made will come at the cost of something else. And until there will be no romance, using social interactions to build your character’s core stats will still be a pillar of the game. One thing we’ve seen from the trailers is that you’ll be skating along cobblestone roads with what looks like a much more open ride compared to the sheltered areas of Atlus’ other RPGs.
What I was able to experience firsthand was the feeling A metaphorthe real-time action and turn-based combat structure. Players can now engage in combos on the map to take down weaker enemies with a sequence of sword strikes just like they would in an action game, while hitting stronger enemies takes characters into a turn-based encounter. It wasn’t exactly the hybrid reveal I was hoping for, but it’s a smart way to move dungeon interactivity forward. Now, instead of just searching for treasure chests and fighting battles to reach objectives, you can get the satisfaction of slicing through lower level mobs with ease.
Meanwhile, turn-based combat replaces Personas with Archetypes, which are essentially class-based medieval mechanics. In addition to magical abilities, characters can choose attacks from their equipped archetypes to hit allies, debuff enemies, and perform combo attacks that deal much more damage. The Archetypes skill tree also feels like a much more streamlined leveling system for abilities compared to the card-based customization alchemy found in Persona games. Most of the time though, I was still in the usual cycle of trying to exploit enemy weaknesses to launch bonus attacks while watching magic points so they didn’t deplete too quickly.
A metaphor is being made by Studio Zero, a more recently formed team at Atlus led by Persona series director Katsura Hashino. As you dive deep into fantasy RPG territory, Hashino said Game Informer and other that the purpose of A metaphor was to take on universal themes surrounding the human imagination and idealism versus reality. It also feels like a much more open game, from where on the map players decide to explore to whoever they decide to go into battle with them from a total of seven different party members. The Archetype-centric job system also seems to have the potential to do so A metaphor feels more like an exercise in free-form experimentation than calendar management and stat optimization.
But in one place the game does not deviate from Persona the formula is in its electrifying art and presentation, down to every single UI element you’re likely to encounter during gameplay. Party menus crackle, dialogs vibrate, and at least two or three things seem to be moving on screen at all times, even when the scene is otherwise completely still. To escape the anime feel of Persona artistic style, many of these elements appear to be modeled after the pen and ink scribbles of medieval scrolls. Yet, even though you’re transported to a world of gray rocks, brown wood, and dirty armor, color pops up everywhere. Sometimes A metaphor it feels like playing a cartoon in the best way.
Speaking recently with Gamesradar, Hashino seems to conjure up the image of great RPG UI as a vehicle that makes the mundane exciting, like a sports car that makes commuting a lot less boring. “RPGs are so focused on gear and party setup and skills and using all those menus, so because you spend so much time in an RPG focusing on those aspects of the game, you want to make sure they’re as polished and as beautiful as possible, he said. “It’s such a basic element. That’s one thing that inspired us to put so much effort into the user interface.”
As pumped as I am for Persona 6i came out of my practical time with A metaphor even more excited that Atlus is experimenting with something new. It’s not a radical departure, but it looks bold with plenty of design choices to set it apart from its predecessor and provide a more classic feel D&D-inspired campaign that happens to come with a lot of Personabells, whistles and overconfident style. The current field of new and old RPGs has never been more crowded, but A metaphor does more than enough to establish its place in it.
.
