When discussing the top JRPGs of the last several years, it's impossible to leave out Persona 5. The latest installation in the Persona series from developer Atlus was a huge hit, helping Persona's international popularity skyrocket and fuelling the success of ensuing projects in the franchise, like the PC version of Persona 4 Golden. Persona is far from Atlus' only project, though. It's known for a variety of franchises, from Persona's sibling Shin Megami Tensei to the surgery simulator Trauma Center, and someday soon it could be known for yet another IP. That's because a team within Atlus has been working on something called Project Re Fantasy for about five years.
In late 2016, Atlus fans first heard word that the studio had created a new development team called Studio Zero, which would create a wholly new fantasy RPG. That game came to be known as Project Re Fantasy. While not much is known about this potential new Atlus IP, a handful of teasers for Project Re Fantasy exist, hinting at a combination of traditional European fantasy concepts with a different look at what exactly "fantasy" means. Details about Project Re Fantasy are very scarce, but since Atlus insists that the game is still in the works, it's worth knowing about.
What's Known About Project Re Fantasy
To date, Atlus fans haven't seen any Project Re Fantasy gameplay. It's likely to be a turn-based RPG playing on Atlus' experience from Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, but it could always break the mold with a new RPG style. Certain members of Studio Zero's staff offer some of the most concrete details on the game. Project Re Fantasy's director is Katsura Hashino, who directed Persona 5, and he's joined by fellow Persona veteran Shigenori Soejima, who has worked on art for Persona 3, 4, and 5 with Hashino.
While Atlus hasn't released gameplay details for Project Re Fantasy, a couple of concept trailers tease core concepts of the game. For instance, a trailer from late 2017 features an unnamed narrator speaking in abstractions about a world of rival tribes on the brink of war, where magic is a tool of destruction and people hope for better days. Oddly enough, a few actors in medieval garb appear alongside names of common RPG classes like Cleric and Warrior, plus descriptions of their nature and aspirations. It seems likely that these actors represent Project Re Fantasy's playable characters, but their exact roles in the Atlus project aren't made clear.
Remarkably, the trailer also makes reference to a modern society, where the narrator praises its social unity, technological advancements, and prosperity. Atlus has made it very clear that Project Re Fantasyisn't another Persona game, so it's strange to see this medieval fantasy game's teaser trailer reference the modern world. It could simply be a way of hinting at Project Re Fantasy's central theme of rethinking the notion of fantasy, or perhaps it's a direct reference to elements of time travel or vast societal change within the game. That's one detail that's impossible to nail down until Studio Zero says more.
Project Re Fantasy's Long Development
While Project Re Fantasy seems like it could be a compelling new direction for Atlus, there's no clear sign of when fans will finally learn new things about it. Studio Zero has worked in silence for five long years, and yet there's still no word. Atlus itself certainly isn't hurting from the game's extended development cycle, considering its enthusiastic celebration of Persona's 25th birthday, but Atlus fans still can't help worrying that Project Re Fantasy will never see the light of day. Atlus reportedly plans on releasing a major game in 2022, so maybe it'll finally be Project Re Fantasy's time to shine. At the very least, though, it'd be nice to hear some news before 2023.
Project Re Fantasy is in development.