TechRadar Verdict
Whether you’re familiar with Atlus’s flavor of turn-based RPGs or not, Metaphor: ReFantazio is an essential play. The developer has built on its legendary ‘press turn’ combat with the innovative Archetype system, allowing for an unprecedented amount of customization and party composition when compared to its other popular series. Throw in a constantly gripping, politically-charged narrative and a diverse cast of wonderful characters and you have what is absolutely the best RPG of the year and a certified modern classic.
Engaging and challenging turn-based combat
Fantastic plot and characters
Impeccable user interface design
A strong feeling of constant progression
Optional dungeons are pretty dull
Very choppy performance in larger city areas
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Platform reviewed:PS5Available on:PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PCRelease date:October 11, 2024
Shin Megami TenseiandPersonaseries developer Atlus is back with its first original franchise in years in the form ofMetaphor: ReFantazio.This new game trades in the modern-day Japan backdrop for a decidedly dark fantasy setting - something we haven’t really seen from Atlus since theEtrian Odysseyseries.
However,Metaphor’stake on fantasy is remarkably different from its peers - and it’s highly ambitious. The game presents a world racked by discrimination and a broken class system in which church and state very much operate hand in hand. It explores how peoples’ fear and anxiety can be weaponized against them - and how that can cause people to confidently act against their own best interests time and again.
This - paired with an evolution of Atlus’s challenging ‘press turn’ battle system that merges the best elements of the developer’s other franchises - makes for a constantly engaging role-playing game (RPG) that never once grew stale across its mammoth 80-hour runtime. With all that said,Metaphor: ReFantaziois easily the best RPG of the year, one of Atlus’s best games to date, and shouldn’t be missed whether you’re familiar with the developer’s back catalog or not.
Fight for your right
Metaphor: ReFantazio’sworld is inhabited by numerous humanoid tribes, each with their own defining features such as horns, wings, or facial markings. Most of the tribes tend to keep to themselves, with rarely a nice thing to say about one another. Most have also fallen into the teaching of the Sanctist Church, which also acts as the world’s primary governing body.
Our protagonist hails from the eldan tribe, a near-extinct race defined by the fact that they have no, well,definingphysical features at all. They are the closest to resembling real-world humans and thus are the most shunned of all ofMetaphor’ssocieties. What the game refers to as ‘humans’ are instead towering, demonic monstrosities that roam the land, terrorizing countryside and communities both. You can see a bit of meta-commentary starting to form there, then, but to divulge more here would be to encroach on spoiler territory.
The story inMetaphorbegins as the world is thrust into a rite of royal succession. The culprit is a high-ranking military man known as Count Louis. After assassinating the king in cold blood and placing a curse on the prince that puts him into a coma, we, as the prince’s aide, are tasked with bringing the Count to justice. However, that’s much easier said than done; while the populace knows Count Louis to be the culprit, discontent with the royal family and the Sanctist Church have made him a popular figure and thus a frontrunner to succeed the throne.
The battle system inMetaphor: ReFantaziois its crown jewel. Archetypes are a phenomenal evolution of both Personas andShin Megami Tensei’shighly customizable demon builds. Being encouraged to change up your party and archetype composition between quests and dungeons means you’ll constantly have your thinking cap on when it comes to clearing content as efficiently as possible.
Much ofMetaphor’snarrative revolves around the ‘Tournament for the Throne’- a contest set into motion by the deceased king. It’s here where our protagonist and his band of comrades must make a name for themselves in order to be considered worthy of Louis’ attention.
It’s an eclectic and diverse bunch, too. There’s Strohl - a nobleman’s son bent on killing Louis after razing his village to the ground - as well as Hulkenberg, a decorated royal knight who blames herself for being unable to protect the family in her charge. And that’s just the first two party members; the rest each have their own vibrant personalities, motivations and backgrounds that are equally rich and tragic. I’m also a huge fan of the wide variety of British accents used in the game’s English dub, ranging from East London ‘cockney’ and Welsh to Irish and Liverpudlian.
Overall,Metaphor: ReFantaziopresents a constantly gripping story that I found incredibly difficult to step away from. It’s a veritable virtual page-turner where I often found myself playing into the wee hours of the night just to unfurl the next chain of unpredictable events.
Royal beggars
The flow of gameplay inMetaphor: ReFantaziofeels like a broad mixture of systems from other Atlus games. Like thePersonaseries,Metaphorfeatures a calendar, but it only covers about four months as opposed to a year. The tradeoff there, then, is that you’re not attending school inMetaphor,and therefore there’s more you can do in a single day. Days are broadly split into two halves; day and night. Performing an activity consumes one of these halves, unless you’re exploring a dungeon, which will take up the whole day.
MetaphorrepurposesPersona’ssocial link system as ‘Followers.’ There are 14 of these that’ll gradually unlock over the course of the game, and includes your party members and non-player characters (NPCs) that play a key role in the narrative. Improving your standing with your followers is crucial, as you can unlock various benefits such as increased battle experience, cheaper rates at shops, and new Archetypes to take into combat (more on those later).
You’ll also have opportunities to perform activities that increase the protagonist’s five Royal Virtues. These are Courage, Wisdom, Tolerance, Eloquence and Imagination, and upgrading them is essential to unlocking further bonuses with your Followers. My tip would be to spend your free days improving these, if you don’t have any dungeons to explore or present Follower conversations to see to.
Tasks like these will most often be done in the days you have before a plot-crucial deadline, which usually comes in the form of clearing one of the game’s major dungeons. I often found myself planning out my days in advance, and there’s a great deal of satisfaction in clearing up your to-do list with enough time to spare.
What’s your Archetype?
Metaphor: ReFantazioemploys Atlus’s ‘press turn’ style of battle system most commonly found in theShin Megami Tenseiseries. Essentially, on your turn, you’ll have up to four actions based on the number of characters in your party. By attacking, guarding,or using an item, you’ll consume one of these actions by default. However, hitting an enemy’s elemental weakness (or passing a character’s action onto another) will only consume ‘half’ of it, thus increasing the number of actions you can perform in a whole turn. On the other hand, if an enemy dodges, blocks or repels your attacks, you’ll lose precious actions or possibly even your whole turn.
As a result, battles will typically either be a resounding success or a crushing disaster. Mercifully, Atlus has thrown in some lifelines this time. You can choose to restart a battle at any time (with enemy weakness and resistance analysis carrying over), and the game isn’t instantly over if the protagonist dies in battle.
The real genius ofMetaphor’sbattle system, though, is Archetypes, which feel more like traditional RPG classes that each bring their own sets of skills and abilities.These arePersona-esque summoned entities in appearance, but they really feel more likeShin Megami Tensei’sdemons, with all the customizability and player expression those bring.
Also, there are zero restrictions on party members equipping different Archetypes. UnlikePersona,it’s not just the protagonist that gets free reign. As a result, different quests and dungeons will typically require you to change up your party and Archetype composition each time. For example, some enemies may be susceptible to a specific element, encouraging you to bring along magic casters. Others, rather humorously, might be enraged if they so much as see a staff, implying you should bring along a number of melee-based Archetypes.
Now, party members do have base stats to consider. Hulkenberg has high Endurance by default, making her excel with tankier Archetypes like the Knight or the Brawler. Heismay (a former knight hailing from the mouse-like eugief tribe) is physically weaker but has naturally high Agility, meaning Thief and Gunner Archetypes are perfect for him. Strohl is something of an all-rounder, making him handy for trying out specialist Archetypes like Merchant (which has attacks that literally cost money) and Faker (which specializes in applying debuffs to enemies).
Archetypes also have some leeway in which skills they can equip with up to four free slots with which they can inherit skills from others. This means that you can carry over skills that you regularly rely on should a quest or dungeon require you to change up your Archetypes. Each also has its own set of resistances and elemental weaknesses, which you’ll need to take into account to avoid enemies getting too much of an advantage.
To summarize, I think this is Atlus’s most rich and in-depth battle system to date. You simply can’t plow through the entire game relying on the same handful of Archetypes; you’re constantly asked to adapt to the situation at hand. This means you’ll get plenty of use out of every party member (there’s little room for choosing favorites here), and discovering which Archetypes are best suited to each - not to mention unlocking more powerful versions of them - is an adventure in itself.
Delightfully dystopian
While not the most visually stunning game on the market,Metaphor: ReFantaziononetheless sells its setting with incredible art direction. The brutalist architecture of the royal capital of Grand Trad is striking, as are its dingy alleyways where the least fortunate in society congregate. Even in more seemingly well-to-do areas like the castle town of Martira or the port of Brilehaven feel like they’re subtly stagnating, helped in part by the deliberately drab color palette that goes a long way to sell the grim fantasy setting. It’s certainly Atlus’s grittiest-feeling game - probably since the PlayStation 2’sDigital Devil Saga.
The game’s soundtrack is also a highlight with renowned composer Shoji Meguro returning for the score. Here, he trades in the infectious pop beats ofPersonaand the grimy rock sound of earlierShin Megami Tenseigames for something more orchestral and offbeat. The battle themes are the crowning achievement here, for sure; while they took some time to grow on me, the fast-paced, almost overbearing chanting really helps drive battles forward.
Unfortunately there are some performance issues that Atlus should look to iron out with future updates. Atlus targets 60 frames per second (fps) here, but it can chug as low as 30fps in busier city areas and when traveling between zones. It does hold up better in battles and in dungeons, but overall performance is currently a blemish on an otherwise pristine package.
Accessibility
Metaphor: ReFantaziohas no dedicated accessibility features, though it does have a robust difficulty selection for those who want to tailor their experience. Players can also choose to enable a network function that shows how others spend their in-game days, offering a handy bit of guidance in case you’re torn between multiple choices.
Should I play Metaphor: ReFantazio?
Play it if…
You want a truly unique dark fantasy RPGBy combining the best bits of its other series and marrying those with a firmly gripping narrative, Atlus has crafted a truly unique turn-based RPG that’s also among the best stories it has ever told.
You love highly customizable partiesMetaphor’sArchetypes mean that no two quests or dungeons are going to feel the same, and you’ll be constantly encouraged to switch up your composition, skills, and abilities for the best chance at success.
Don’t play it if…
You prefer modern settingsThe grim fantasy setting ofMetaphor: ReFantaziomay not be to your liking if you’re more at home withPersona’scomfier modern-day adventures.
You don’t like turn-based combatIf you prefer action RPGs or faster-paced battle systems, you might not get on with the relatively slower turn-based affair here - even if the UI and animations are perfectly snappy and responsive.
How I reviewed Metaphor: ReFantazio
My full playthrough from start to credits forMetaphor: ReFantaziolasted around 85 hours on the Normal difficulty setting. During this time, I was able to max out all Follower ranks, unlock most Archetypes and complete most side quests in addition to completing the main story.
Being a fan of the RPG genre and having played almost all major Atlus releases since the PS2’sShin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne,I’ve been able to experience the developer’s growth of its turn-based battle systems and storytelling over the years. WithMetaphor: ReFantazio,I found a relatively much more mature story and arguably its most refined battle system to date.
I played through the game onPS5on anLG CX OLED TV, using aDualSense Edgecontroller, occasionally playing with aJBL Quantum 910Pgaming headset which really helped the game’s soundtrack to pop.
First reviewed October 2024.
Rhys is TRG’s Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.
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