Highlights
- Metaphor: ReFantazio heavily leans on successful Persona mechanics, blending elements from Persona and SMT for a unique combat experience.
- The game's distinction between Squad and Fast combat sets it apart, addressing pacing issues often found in traditional JRPG battles.
- The fantasy RPG takes a risk with action gameplay, offering players flexibility and more depth of strategy in defeating enemies.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is set to launch later this year as Atlus' first new JRPG IP in years, and it appears to lean heavily on the existing framework of the company's existing titles. Following recent combat showcases which revealed the mechanics of Metaphor: ReFantazio's Archetype System, Atlus has made clear that the game takes heavy inspiration from the successful formula which Persona 5 utilized to landmark success. Persona's DNA can be felt in nearly every one of Metaphor's major combat features, but the combat system in Metaphor: ReFantazio is also split between turn-based and real-time battles.
While the distinction between Squad and Fast combat in Metaphor is its main difference from Persona on the surface, it has ties to the broader Shin Megami Tensei franchise's mechanics. Now that the Press Turn Battle system has been confirmed to be returning alongside similar names for the magical skills used by its Persona-like Archetypes, it seems that Metaphor is fusing elements from various parts of SMT while still establishing a world of its own. There might be a complete lack of romance in its social simulator features, which play an important role in Archetype progression, but Metaphor seems to be taking even more of a varied and experimental approach in how it handles its two varieties of enemy encounters.
Metaphor: ReFantazio's High Fantasy Genre Hopefully Won't Dull Persona's Edge
High fantasy is a large departure from Persona’s usual urban fantasy setting, and Metaphor: ReFantazio must take care not to lose steam because of it.
Metaphor: ReFantazio's Battle System Iterates on Mainline Shin Megami Tensei Over Persona
Persona's Influence is Primarily Aesthetic
It's undeniable that Metaphor shares traits like designs by Shigenori Soejima, a calendar time passage system, and even the base premise of awaking magical avatar-based powers with Persona, and it also seems set to build on the concept of P5's unique dungeons through its own linear levels. There's an almost identical core to the options available to the player in battle within Metaphor compared to some recent Atlus releases, but it doesn't use the same One More-based approach to turns.
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne's Approach to Turns
First utilized in SMT3, the Press Turn Battle system operates on different rules from what Persona has become known for. While turns are distributed to each party member in Persona, the Press Turn system gives the player one turn point for each character and allows these to be used on actions with more flexibility. Now set to appear in Metaphor's turn-based combat, this setup sees skill usage rewarded with "half turns" that can allow for successive attacks and dominate battles.
Metaphor's Distinction Between Fast and Squad Combat Firmly Sets it Apart From Persona
Stepping Outside of Persona's Fully Turn-Based Formula
The interplay between turn-based Squad and real-time action Fast battles is the most original contribution that Metaphor seems to bring to the Atlus JRPG catalog, and it has the potential to remove an area of frustration that some players have had within the genre. In many previous games, and especially monster catcher titles, it's not uncommon for repetitive battles with low-level foes to frequently halt the pacing of certain zones. Metaphor directly addresses this through allowing players to quickly defeat enemies who are of a lower level using Fast combat, while more difficult foes see Squad battles taking place.
There's still an incentive to attack creatures of a higher level than the player in Metaphor, despite the necessity of using Squad combat on them, as there are benefits to catching enemies off-guard using the different Archetype movesets available in Fast combat. While this might seem to make the experience easier, especially when coupled with the apparent ability to replay battles freely, it also appears that the Human monsters of Metaphor are able to use the same tactics to attack the player's party as well. There has been some experimentation across Persona in recent years when it comes to random encounters, but Metaphor: ReFantazio's implementation of action gameplay is an even bigger risk that could pay off.
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
- Released
- October 11, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Studio Zero
- Publisher(s)
- Atlus
- Genre(s)
- RPG
