Metaphor: ReFantazio proves Persona 6 should embrace real-time combat

Turn-based combat has remained a video game staple for good reason. In its various forms, the ‘you go, I go’ battle format offers tactical satisfaction that real-time action can’t quite replicate, and drives both experimentation and experience. Besides being a core part of Atlus' own Persona games, it’s so effective that even the Like a Dragon series pivoted to being turn-based and was clearly improved thanks to it (but that’s a discussion for another time).

Metaphor: ReFantazio is another strong example of turn-based skirmishing done right, with its press-turn setup both rewarding and punishing in pleasing measure. If you exploit enemy weakness or land a critical hit, you’re rewarded with an extra move in the same turn. If your attack is resisted by the foe, or just plain misses them, then you lose an action. It’s a neat way of emphasising the importance of learning. But familiarity breeds contempt, and Metaphor presents a useful alternative that Atlus should absolutely carry into their next mainline Persona entry.

Turn’s over

Despite my appreciation for going one after the other, I do love real-time combat too, as there’s a different kind of joy to be found in having full control in the moment. Metaphor: ReFantazio may not go down this route, but it clearly understands some of the benefits because it has a handy compromise.

While roaming the open areas of Euchronia – where Metaphor: ReFantazio is set – the player is able to engage foes in melee-based scuffles. For tough opponents, this serves as a prelude to a full-on turn-based battle, with our party starting with an advantage if they make use of their initial blows. But if your target is of a low-enough level, you can eliminate them in the opening encounter.

This feature is a huge positive because it means you don’t get bogged down fighting the same old enemies. You can choose to have a turn-based exchange instead, but the speedier melee option still yields rewards like EXP, so you don’t need to suffer through contests you aren’t interested in. The direct result is that traversal feels more fluid and dynamic, with dungeon exploration never being slowed to an uncomfortable pace.

It’s essentially the next evolutionary step in the Persona series’ instant takedown mechanic. In games like Persona 5 Royal, you eventually unlock the ability to basically delete foes at the push of a button, if they’re considered weak enough. Metaphor has taken this feature and removed the lengthy wait time to acquire it.

This quality of life enhancement is so welcome that it feels like it should always have been in Atlus RPGs, and it’s for this reason that Persona 6 should incorporate it. As phenomenal a game as Persona 5 Royal is, time waits for no title, and the 2020 release (itself an updated version of a 2016 game) is showing its age in the year 2024, if only slightly.

To keep staying ahead of the curve, Atlus has to prioritize the player experience above all. There are many ways to do this, such as including multiple protagonists like in Persona 3 Portable. The most obvious, though, is respecting the player's time, and Metaphor: ReFantazio's melee combat allows you to be as efficient as you choose. It's a small change, but it's a big time save for those of us who don't always have the gaming hours our youth once offered.

Even the rumored Persona 4 remake should get in on the act, because it’s just that handy, and we know Atlus is happy modernizing both ported and remade titles, as clearly visible in Persona 3 Reload's updated combat. In the original, your teammates acted of their own accord, but this isn't the standard in later versions, such as the 2024 remake. It's a massive improvement, and clear evidence that the player experience is ever present in Atlus' decisions. At least partially because some of the content choices in Persona 3 Reload are less beneficial.

Of course, we’ve no idea when either of these games will come out, but Metaphor: ReFantazio makes it clear that Atlus has the power to improve their systems with each release. So when the time comes for Persona 6, or the Persona 4 remake, this new real-time combat feature should be a vital inclusion.

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