Following a relatively brief spell, Metaphor: ReFantazio has finally unveiled new gameplay details to shed light on how some of its basic systems will work. As part of the Atlus Exclusive showcase, Metaphor: ReFantazio offered a glimpse at what moment-to-moment gameplay looks like, whether players are racing through a town’s streets atop their sword like it’s a hoverboard or journeying to distant lands aboard the gauntlet runner. Combat is also an interesting mixture of real-time and turn-based efforts, and Atlus seems to have gone to great lengths to ensure Metaphor is littered with quality-of-life features that’ll help make each second of combat and exploration efficient.

The end of the Atlus Exclusive broadcast revealed that pre-orders are now available, either for the standard base game edition or Metaphor: ReFantazio’s collector’s edition, which comes with an assortment of physical and digital goodies and memorabilia. There is even content included that celebrates Atlus’ 35th anniversary, marking Metaphor’s launch this October as a momentous occasion for the Atlus brand, especially as it follows Persona 3 Reload, Unicorn Overlord, and Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Collector’s Edition Explained

• Base Game
• Steelbook
• Soundtrack
• Artbook
• Homo Tenta Metallic Pins
• Sticker Sheet
• Kingdom of Euchronia Cloth Map
• Costume and Battle BGM Set DLC Voucher
• Atlus 35th Anniversary Digital History Book and Atlus 35th Digital All-Time Best Soundtrack
• Pre-order Bonus Voucher (Archetype EXP Chest Set and Adventurer’s Journey Pack)

It may seem obvious that the collector’s edition would include the actual base game, but that’s become an old notion as multiple AAA games have released collector’s editions without copies of the game they’re marketing. It’s doubly nice, then, that Metaphor’s collector’s edition also comes with a steelbook display case for the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 copy of players’ choosing.

Metaphor’s soundtrack, composed by Persona and Shin Megami Tensei’s illustrious Shoji Meguro, is accompanied by a physical artbook; Homo Tenta metallic pins accompany a sticker sheet; and a large cloth map of the Kingdom of Euchronia depicts the setting players will be exploring, as well as an enormous octopus creature in the surrounding body of water. The digital goods are equally exciting—a costume and battle background music set DLC voucher is a lovely touch of customization for protagonist cosmetics and ambience, particularly with in-game music explained as being in the protagonist’s head thanks to a spell cast on him by Gallica.

The pre-order bonus voucher is allegedly available for either edition and includes an archetype EXP chest set, presumably exhausted to gain XP toward a certain archetype, as well as an adventurer’s journey pack. Last but not least, Atlus is tossing in two digital commemorative treats for fans of the brand and its banner of diverse franchises and IPs: a history book and an all-time best soundtrack.

Unlike Persona 3 Reload’s Aigis Edition, however, Metaphor’s collector’s edition does not come with a figure of its voiced protagonist. Metaphor: ReFantazio is hoping to make a splash in an oversaturated high fantasy space and the RPG is already illustrative of the remarkable presentation, UI, and music Atlus commends itself for.

It’s impossible to overlook Metaphor’s Persona and Shin Megami Tensei inspirations, but carving out its own place in Atlus’ rich catalog would be phenomenal. In the meantime, anyone highly anticipating the upcoming title only has less than six months to wait for Metaphor and the collector’s edition will likely make a great companion piece to that excitement.

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Developed by Atlus' Studio Zero, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a fantasy RPG set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, a medieval world that mirrors the modern-day "real world." It takes inspiration from the Persona series with its turn-based combat and social sim elements.

Platform(s)

PS4 , PS5 , PC , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Developer(s)

Studio Zero

Publisher(s)

Atlus

Genre(s)

RPG