6 Things You Need To Know about Metaphor: Refantazio Ahead of Launch

For a long time, Atlus was just known as that one company that made the Persona games. Don’t get me wrong, Persona‘s great, but watching this team create a new IP and venture out into new territory is a lot more exciting. Ahead of its October launch, here are a few key things you need to know about Metaphor: ReFantazio before jumping in.

The Story

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a fantasy game in every sense of the word. The game takes place in the Kingdom of Euchronia, and the story begins when the king passes away and various candidates vie for political popularity to become the next ruler. You’re a part of a group that’s aiming to rise through the popularity polls and battle against other candidates for the throne.

That being said, not everything is as it seems. While Metaphor: ReFantazio seems like a somewhat straightforward fantasy story about political intrigue, I get the feeling there may be more to it than we think. Is this really a pure fantasy story? Why are the monsters called humans? Why does the protagonist carry around a fantasy book that really just describes the Earth we know it? Is Atlus about to pull a NieR on us and tell us that we’re actually robots?

Anyway, if we just take it at face value, Atlus has clearly created a very rich and vibrant world in Euchronia. There are different races to contend with, and the story is laced with a thick tension that will undoubtedly unpack itself as you play.

The Protagonist Talks

One of the biggest differences between Metaphor: ReFantazio and the Persona series is that you are no longer in control of a silent protagonist. This is a very refreshing change in my view, as it’s going to be interesting taking on the role of a protagonist who has his own opinions and thoughts on things.

You will still be picking from multiple dialogue options whenever you engage in conversation with NPCs, but it’ll be nice to actually play as a character that others can bounce off of from time to time.

Archetypes Aren’t the Same as Personas

Speaking of big changes, Metaphor: ReFantazio also allows you to “equip” monsters to each character to help you fight in battle. However, whereas the Persona protagonists could equip multiple Personas at once, Metaphor only allows every character to have one Archetype at any given point in time.

To that end, it may be better to think of Archetypes as classes or jobs instead. Equipping an Archetype means taking on a new playstyle and weapon, and this could drastically change the way you approach combat. This also means there’s potentially more rigidity to the combat system, but that can also mean a higher degree of challenge.

There’s No Romance

I’m all about romance in video games, and knowing that there’s no romance system in Metaphor: ReFantazio physically hurts me. But I’ll keep an open mind.

To be clear, there is still a bond system in place in Metaphor: ReFantazio. You’ll still be able to spend time with your allies, learn more about them, get closer to them, and make them more powerful in the process. You just won’t be able to actually romance them and get into a relationship. Maybe there’ll be some romantic relations written into the story itself, but if you were hoping for an intimacy system similar to what we got in Persona, you’ll be disappointed.

Combat Is Still Largely Turn-Based

As you might expect, Metaphor‘s combat is turn-based, with a small exception. When you run into enemies that are way lower leveled than you, you can take care of them quickly with a swing of your weapon, like in an action RPG. But for enemies around or above your level, interacting with them will take you to a proper turn-based battle screen.

In addition to that, unlike in Persona, you won’t be looking to hit your enemies’ weaknesses until they’re all down so you can launch an all-out attack. Metaphor doesn’t give you an extra turn just for landing a crit or hitting a weakness, which also makes combat more difficult in theory. I’m particularly excited to see how Atlus handles these mechanics in-game, as they could make for a much more methodical and tactical experience if done right.

There Is a Calendar System

Finally, for folks who enjoyed the daily life activities of Persona, you’ll be glad to hear that Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s story is also structured around a calendar system. You’ll need to achieve certain story milestones before a deadline or get a Game Over screen, and you’ll also need to manage your time wisely and strike a balance between hanging out with friends, leveling up, and planning out your political campaign.

There’s also a weather system in Metaphor that’ll almost certainly affect the kinds of activities you can engage in on any given day. All in all, it’s very exciting to see how this system will work in a more traditional fantasy setting.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is set to be released on Oct. 11, 2024.