Metaphor ReFantazio review: "An evolution of Atlus' best RPGs"

In all my years of playing JRPGs, Metaphor: ReFantazio is the first that's made me shed a tear for the pure, simple reason that it's so good. There's little I love more than spending arguably far too many hours getting lost in the world of enormous games like Xenoblade Chronicles or Persona 5 Royal, and developer Studio Zero has delivered everything I could have asked for with its debut fantasy epic, even if it does take a while to grow into its full splendor.

From the moment it fills the screen, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a spectacle to behold. Beyond the delightful anime-style cutscenes, the in-game world is beautifully illustrated – it's as if the landscapes have been pulled straight out of a classic fairytale book, and the skies delicately painted, adorned with fluffy clouds. If you look closely, even the character models have been etched with blotchy markings to match the art style, and this is further enhanced by the painted appearance of the ridiculously pretty menus and character portraits that populate them. 

Our tale takes place in the United Kingdom of Euchronia – a land home to a diverse population of people from various tribes, from the powerful Roussainte with their long elf-like ears to the mysterious Mustari with magic-sensing third eyes. Sadly though, the world itself is one full of discrimination and division, and arguably no one feels that more than our protagonist: an extremely rare Elda whose tribe is totally shunned by the state religion and most of the country as a result.

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Mercifully, not everyone is a fan of this prejudice-filled society, and that includes the prince of Euchronia himself. His ideals of creating a united, equal land were inspired by a fantasy story, but he was tragically cursed and left in a comatose state as a child, and the land now assumes he's dead. After the fall of the king, and the start of what's essentially a magic-fuelled popularity contest to determine the next ruler, it's more important than ever to break the prince's curse, stop the growing threat of the nation being led by a regicidal murderer, and ultimately strive towards the society the prince dreamed of. This is exactly what our dear blue-haired protagonist sets out to do, entering the tournament for the throne himself in the process.

Jumping off the page

Metaphor: ReFantazio isn't just a pretty face, though. Look beyond that breathtaking backdrop and you'll find a complex story, impressive world-building, and vast, expansive dungeons begging to be explored. Throughout my journey, I wandered around forests, caves, and castles – the appearance of stealth sections and hidden passages help keep exploration interesting, although a handful of the simpler dungeons found in side quests end up looking very similar. Whether I was hunting for a bounty or investigating the next main labyrinth, I could always expect to find plenty of treasure, as well as monsters – including particularly powerful, twisted amalgamations of limbs called 'humans' – lurking within. Weaker foes can be swiftly struck down in the overworld with a satisfying swing of a weapon, while beefier enemies will pull you into proper battles, which Shin Megami Tensei fans are sure to recognize. 

Metaphor: ReFantazio uses a 'press turn' combat system like that seen in SMT 3 through 5. Combatants are each assigned a set number of 'turn icons' for each round of combat, and once you've used all of yours up, it switches to the opposing side. Generally speaking, you can expect your team to have one icon for each member of your active party, but things like the powerful 'Synthesis' team-up moves will use up two icons, so you have to strategize carefully.

Real dynamics are introduced to combat through Archetypes. This is Metaphor: ReFantazio's twist on traditional class or job systems that you may find in other JRPGs, and there are loads of them to pick between too. From generic sword-swingers to mages and buff-slinging commanders, each Archetype has access to their own unique weapons and abilities to ensure there's plenty of scope for experimentation. 

Archetypes are unlocked throughout the adventure as you develop your relationships with various characters. Experimentation is thoroughly encouraged as all party members can give any Archetype they want a whirl, and thanks to the option to 'inherit' skills – equipping a few from any mix of the classes even when you're not using them – you can whip up some unique character builds to wreak havoc on the battlefield. What's more, Archetypes can eventually be changed on the fly outside of battles to suit whatever boss or dungeon you're about to take on, or just for a change of pace, which keeps combat encounters exciting throughout.

Living your fantasy

When you're not frying giant eggs with legs in dungeons, there's still plenty to do out and about in Metaphor: ReFantazio's various cities that'll make veteran Persona fans feel right at home. The entire story plays out over a set number of months on an in-game calendar, with deadlines to complete certain story-related dungeons. After completing your tasks and waiting for those deadlines for the next chunk of plot to unfold, you have free time to spend on side quests, boosting your Royal Virtues (Persona fans will recognize these as Social Stats), or deepening your bonds with the characters. 

Bond conversations are exactly like Persona Social Links, which isn't a surprise given that the development team is composed of veterans of the Persona series. Characters have eight ranks to unlock, with progression revealing new side-stories, passive abilities, and Archetypes. That's all well and good, but you'll want to spend time improving bonds because every character is just so damned likable – a joy to hang out with in this vibrant world. 

From the stern merchant Brigitta to the adorable (but devastatingly lonely) Maria, Metaphor: ReFantazio's characters all stand strong thanks to a combination of thoughtful writing and fantastic voice acting, and the world feels fuller for the range of accents and dialects included. Powerful performances elevate characters – the justice-driven Clemar, Leon Strohl, quickly became my favorite for this exact reason. If there's anything to criticize here it's that the vast majority of the bond conversations aren't fully voiced, which feels like a missed opportunity given how much emotion and heart each of the actors bring to their roles. 

Familiar features 

It's frankly difficult not to draw comparisons between Metaphor: ReFantazio, Persona, and Shin Megami Tensei. Game director Katsura Hashino has spent around 30 years at Atlus, leading production on some of the best Persona and Shin Megami Tensei games – it's easy to feel the influence of that work on this new production from Studio Zero. That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but it does at times feel as if Metaphor is playing it safe, relying on familiar elements that it knows fans will love as opposed to reinventing everything for this new fantasy setting. In this sense, Metaphor feels more like an evolution of Atlus' best rather than a totally new venture, which is fantastic if you click with those familiar systems, but means the result isn't something that feels entirely new, either.

The aforementioned calendar system also plays into a slight issue with Metaphor: ReFantazio's pacing in its opening acts. Without getting into any spoilers, it took around 20 hours to get my fourth party member so I could run into battle with a full squad, and almost double that before I reached a major plot beat which sees the story shift from engrossing to utterly captivating. Don't get me wrong, everything up to this point is still great, and the overall runtime doesn't feel bloated, but I just wish it could have made that shift to phenomenal maybe 10 or even 15 hours sooner than it does by moving some earlier story events closer together on the calendar. 

That aside, Metaphor: ReFantazio manages not to get lost in the shadow of Atlus' previous JRPG behemoths despite lifting certain elements from its ancestors. Its overall vibe, from the characters themselves, to the chunky story, and unique setting deliciously rich in lore thanks to the details tucked away in the dialogue and ever-expanding memorandum, let Metaphor stand firm with its own distinct identity. So much so that I've become utterly entranced with its world. What determines the design of the masks worn by the Mustari? Would Clemar paint their horns like nails if they were particularly fashionable? I can't stop thinking about these tiny little questions, and not because Atlus didn't already deliver, but because the devs did such a fantastic job that I'm somehow still hungry for more. Metaphor: ReFantazio is an adventure that's going to remain stuck in my head for a long time to come.