Metaphor: ReFantazio is just as much Game of Thrones as it is Persona
If Persona was a little too modern for your tastes, Metaphor: ReFantazio might be the JRPG fix you're looking for.
Lloyd Coombes
28th Aug 2024 14:00
Images via SEGA
Persona 5 and its Royal follow-up have left an indelible mark on the RPG genre, with an influence that arguably rivals the best of the Final Fantasy franchise.
And, while a sixth instalment appears nowhere close just yet, this year will see the arrival of Metaphor: ReFantazio. I played some of the game's earliest chapters and found it to be a refreshing change of pace from Persona's flashy style, while still leaning into ATLUS' strengths.
Persona Non-Grata
Metaphor: ReFantazio begins with the murder of a king, shown through a typically gorgeous animated cutscene. It's a jarring start, albeit one perhaps not all that surprising given how unsettling the beginning of some Persona stories can be, and from there we're introduced to a power vacuum in the kingdom.
Players take on the role of a blue-haired protagonist tasked with a secret mission which I won't spoil here, but actually makes less sense the more you think about it. Still, they're finally voiced, a big step up from the Persona series' much quieter leads.
Whereas Persona 5 was full of vivid reds, Metaphor: ReFantazio has a more painterly look, feeling a little like a storybook come to life. Early moments in the story suggest literature will play a prominent role throughout, but in what way I couldn't tell after an hour or so.
Still, the game wastes no time placing narrative chess pieces across the board for the player to begin interpreting, and I feel like there's likely to be more than a few twists throughout the campaign/
So little time
In fact, there are already plenty of dangling narrative threads I can't wait to grasp - including just how the Protagonist is able to summon a new form, which is, for all intents and purposes, another way of using a Persona.
Combat is turn-based and revolves around magic usage via devices called Igniters, and you'll use a party, too. In my time with Metaphor, I tackled a boss that was a sort of living tree, complete with apples it would consume to heal.
The multi-stage boss fight felt, fittingly, right out of Persona - but that's no bad thing. It's just very difficult to get a bead on what's new when it feels so close to what came before, and I only got to play for an hour. In that time I didn't get a glimpse at the social link system, dubbed Bonds, or ride the Gauntlet Runner across the plains, but I can't wait for the chance to do so.
Final Thoughts
A short preview, then, but one that has certainly whet my appetite for whatever could come next for Metaphor: ReFantazio.
If it can be even close to ATLUS' prior work, then RPG fans are going to have an absolute blast.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is slated to launch on October 11, 2024. For more on Gamescom, be sure to check out our preview of Two Point Museum.
About The Author
Lloyd Coombes
Lloyd is GGRecon's Editor-in-Chief, having previously worked at Dexerto and Gfinity, and occasionally appears in The Daily Star newspaper. A big fan of loot-based games including Destiny 2 and Diablo 4, when he's not working you'll find him at the gym or trying to play Magic The Gathering.
