Metaphor: ReFantazio is a refreshing experience that preserves the charm of Persona. I was very excited for this game, especially knowing the studio behind Atlus’ masterpieces was returning with an entirely new journey built on the same formula we love. Now that I’ve finished Metaphor, I can say the studio truly succeeded in their new adventure

First of all, the strongest new element here is the story and the world-building. The narrative talks about diversity and what it means to create an ideal country. The way they present and explore these themes is amazing, all inside a beautifully designed fantasy world with deep lore and well-written characters. I especially want to highlight the main villain: every time he appears, the team makes the cutscene feel special, showing his aura, personality, and his belief that what he’s doing is right

If I divide the story, I’d say it has three parts: the first part is very interesting and hooks you immediately; the second part is slower, personally, I didn’t enjoy this section much, and the third part progresses very quickly, reaching an intense peak and delivering a strong ending

The only remaining issue with the story is the main dungeons. They are part of the narrative, but after the first two excellent dungeons, the rest become very short. Yes, they each have a special idea and move the story forward, but some of them barely feel like dungeons at all.Overall, the dungeon design could have been much better

Now for the gameplay. The gameplay focuses on two major pillars. These two elements shape the whole experience

The first pillar is the Traveler Simulator. Here you increase your Royal Virtues, which are important for talking to certain characters. You raise these Virtues by doing activities, for example, speeches increase Eloquence, bounties increase Courage, and so on. The activities themselves are really good. There’s even an NPC who tells you the history of their tribe, which is interesting and increases the protagonist’s Wisdom

Another part of the system is the quests. In general, they involve bringing items you find while traveling, exploring sub-dungeons, or visiting villages, or doing certain activities. The sub-dungeons are very fun and actually more well-designed than some of the main dungeons, both in exploration and combat. Yes, they can become repetitive, but they’re still enjoyable. There’s also a cool mechanic when you start traveling toward a dungeon: the available activities change depending on the journey, and you must pay attention to the weather because it affects the difficulty of the sub-dungeons

Finally, there are the Bond hangouts with party members. These are well-written, and for some characters I wanted even more depth because their themes were interesting. However, the main issue is that the Bond events feel like they progress in a completely different direction from the main story

The second gameplay pillar is the battle system, which is divided into two parts. But before that, the most important mechanic to understand is the Archetype system, basically your classes. Archetypes define each party member’s role and abilities, and you can switch them freely before entering turn-based battles. The strategy here is incredible. You can merge skills from two Archetypes, build teams with strong synergy, and experiment in ways that are much more flexible than in Persona. All party members can change Archetypes, and you’ll need to do this constantly to counter different enemy types. About half of the strategy comes from choosing the correct Archetypes before the battle even starts

Once inside a turn-based fight, you apply your strategy based on the Archetypes you selected. The turn-based combat is very fun. The overworld battles are designed to save time, you can instantly kill weak enemies without entering turn-based combat. But if enemies are your level or higher, you need to stun them first to gain an advantage or you’ll be at a disadvantage

Overall, the gameplay is refreshing and full of deep management and strategy

About the UI, OSTs, and presentation, if I summarize it in one word, it’s Atlus. And if you know what ‘Atlus’ means, then you know: top-tier visuals, smooth and stylish UI, incredible soundtracks, and presentation that perfectly fits the game’s fantasy theme. The voice acting is also very strong and matches each character perfectly

I’m really looking forward to seeing what new games this team will bring us after the big success of Metaphor

Atlus has its own style, so if you've played Persona, you'll definitely like it. However, playing Persona will make Metaphor feel a little less impressive.

Despite loving them i dont typically finish RPG's. Often times the newest and shiniest thing grabs my attention or my friends want to play a multiplayer game. So when i say that this game in all its wonder managed to keep me for the entire 90 hour journey i had with it please understand that this really is an epic. This game is magnificent, there is an undeniable amount of love, care, affection and soul put into the story of this game that is hard to find in many other titles. From the individual Bonds you have with each character to the main overarching story there is something here for everyone.

Thats not even speaking of the gameplay, a massive refinement of the mechanics Atlus has spend the better half of 20 years. The Archetype system is hands down my favorite "persona swap" we have had period. Most Archetypes feel unique and with the Inheritance mechanic you can make your own unique version of those archetypes. Every moment i spent playing the game was another moment i spent learning to love each and every character i came across in my Journey.


So would i recommend this? Absolutely a hundred times yes a game of this caliber comes rarely and it stands among the titans of the genre like Chrono Trigger. This is hands down going to be the type of game i come back to every now and then to replay over and over again. So if you are considering buying the game please it is worth every Reeve to have a moment to wield the power of FANTASY