Following the success of Persona 5, recreation director Katsura Hashino sensed he and the collection have been going in numerous instructions. Reasonably than observe the collection’ trajectory to, presumably, one other place of upper studying, Hashino rallied forth a staff intent on venturing into a brand new style: excessive fantasy.
Enter Metaphor: ReFantazio, a brand new IP being developed by a brand new department of Atlus, Studio Zero. But regardless of working underneath a brand new name–and the need to pivot away from Persona–my time with Metaphor: ReFantazio reassured me that the sport shall be acquainted and each bit as fashionable because the critically acclaimed RPG collection. Much more importantly, nonetheless, it additionally proved to me that the staff’s new IP will usher forth a brand new period for Atlus–one stuffed with the spirit of journey and maybe even extra concentrate on the human situation.
The portion of the sport I performed at Summer time Recreation Fest 2024 was divided into three sections: one targeted on the sport’s archetype system, one targeted on the sport’s dungeoneering (which Hashino advised me will play a a lot greater function than Persona dungeons), and a last chapter showcasing a boss battle.
I kicked off my time with the demo with the archetype portion of the sport, which takes place extraordinarily early on. However whereas the main focus of this chapter was on the sport’s archetype system, the very first thing I observed have been its characters. There are not any people in Metaphor: ReFantazio. As an alternative, the forged and the world they inhabit is made up of faeries, elves, tiefling-like beings, and different fantastical characters. Moreover, our hero–the Touring Boy–is a voiced protagonist, a reasonably novel factor for Atlus. That stated, he nonetheless stays extra of an everyman who follows the steerage of his pixie-like companion, Gallica, who’s fortunately already far much less grating than Teddy or Mona.
After a brief cutscene revealing a few of the recreation’s narrative setup and that the most important risk to this world are “people,” which extra intently resemble biblically correct angels, I used to be free to wander round and interact in a couple of battles the place the archetype system was revealed to me.
Whereas it could be simple to dismiss archetypes as extraordinarily just like personas–and in some respects, they are–the system itself is extra just like a job system present in Bravely Default, Last Fantasy Ways, or maybe most precisely, Last Fantasy X-2. Your characters are capable of change between varied archetypes, resembling warrior, mage, brawler, and thief, through the primary menu. It will then grant them completely different talents and strikes they’ll use with their companions known as Synergy talents. Archetypes may also be improved upon through a spherical grid-esque menu, permitting you to tweak your characters to your play type.
I acquired an excellent higher take a look at how fight performs out within the demo’s dungeon portion, which takes gamers by way of a monster-filled fortress. Although Metaphor primarily makes use of turn-based fight just like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei (although I might say issue appears extra similar to the previous), it additionally provides a small little bit of fast-paced motion, as effectively. Whereas venturing by way of a dungeon, you may briefly hack and slash at wandering enemies, both weakening them previous to turn-based battle or killing them on the spot.
Based on Hashino, dungeons will play a significant function in Metaphor: ReFantazio. However do not count on to see all of them in a single playthrough. In comparison with the more-linear timelines present in Persona, Metaphor provides a bit extra freedom at the price of having to make arduous decisions and never solely the way you spend your time, however the place.
“Think about in the event you go on trip,” Hashino defined. “You go to a metropolis and you’ve got 10 locations listed in your journey log. A few of these may take two days to get pleasure from, whereas others may take half a day. Some may require a information or extra preparations, others is likely to be a bit extra secure. However you may’t do all of it.
“On this recreation, you journey loads, and if you get to your locations, you’ve got a alternative of a number of dungeons you are able to do. And all these dungeons have completely different issue ranges as effectively, so it is sort of as much as you on the way you select to spend your time. On this approach, there’s much more freedom.”
The sport’s fundamental story, nonetheless, stays mounted, and can presumably middle the identical antagonists–one of whom I acquired to combat within the subsequent portion of the demo.
Within the boss-battle portion of the demo, I teamed up with three of my companions to tackle a grotesque sea creature known as Sea Horror Homo Sabara. The tentacled-being was a problem, as lots of Atlus’ bosses are. A capability known as Soul Scream gave him 5 turns in a row, which he used fairly successfully, killing two of my social gathering members and really practically wiping my whole staff. But regardless of this–and his regenerating limbs–I used to be capable of take him down simply earlier than the demo’s quarter-hour ran out. My large takeaway is that social gathering administration, exploring weaknesses, buffs, and debuffs stay necessary in Metaphor, a truth that’s not all that surpassing given the staff’s historical past.
I additionally was capable of discover the Gauntlet Runner, the caravan-esque car the social gathering each travels and lodges in. There, the protagonist is free to speak and finally bond together with his teammates through elevating their social hyperlinks, or concentrate on honing his personal abilities. I requested Hashino why the staff determined to make the Gauntlet each a mode of transportation and the social gathering’s home–why could not they merely keep at inns or camp outside? Hashino then advised me this alternative was really fairly integral to the sport.
“The factor that we wished to ensure was new [for Metaphor: ReFantzaio] particularly was that feeling of journey,” Hashino stated.
Hashino added that “a lot goes into RPGs,” resembling new places, touring, and new cultures. Having a continuing base of operations and a spot that these characters might really name house serves as a method to unify all this.
Trying previous Metaphor: ReFantazio’s basic gameplay, a couple of fascinating issues stood out to me: the sport’s artwork course and the inclusion of our world as a type of in-game parallel universe.
In brief, Metaphor: ReFantazio’s artwork and character design are gorgeous. Although the staff’s signature artwork style–the one utilized in Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, and Catherine–is nonetheless extraordinarily seen (and hey, I get it; do not repair what is not damaged), Metaphor embraces coloration and texture in a approach that units it aside from earlier Atlus video games. In lots of these, a single coloration comes half and parcel with its key theme. For instance, Catherine’s pink performs up the sport’s concentrate on lust and need; Persona 3’s deep blue completely mirrors the sport’s depth, melancholy, and proximity to loss of life; and Persona 5’s scarlet and black completely seize the sport’s spirit of rebel, punk-sensibilities, and teenage angst. In Metaphor: ReFantazio, nonetheless, the staff avoids choosing a single coloration as a type of illustration of the sport’s major themes.
“The Persona collection has these sorts of colours which are outlined. However it is a new recreation, it is not Persona,” artwork director Shigenori Soejima stated. “We’re mainly sort of build up a brand new coloration type from the beginning, so we’re making an attempt to tell apart it that approach. We did not wish to use the identical fantasy coloration palette all people makes use of now. We wish it to have its personal sense of identity–that was sort of our purpose right here.”
As such, Metaphor: ReFantazio trades in a singular coloration for a novel palette that, as Soejima stated, is just not sometimes related to excessive fantasy. The sport makes use of raspberry pink, teal, aquamarine, saturated leafy inexperienced, and deep cornflower blue all through its menus, with splatter results, fades, and distortions including a way of hysteria and violence to colours that in any other case do not feel notably aggressive. One other fascinating element is how the sport makes use of texture. Most noticeably, a type of misty movie grain may be seen in lots of scenes. Moreover, sure practically suffocating patterns add grandeur and a way of hysteria to the sport’s dungeons, whereas lighting exhibits off the coarseness and depth of a fortress’s bricks, banisters, and varied inlays.
That stated, my largest concern whereas enjoying Metaphor was that each one this flourish may very well be an excessive amount of for some. At instances, all the colours, textures, and animations felt like a barrage to the senses and appeared to make the display screen really feel as if it have been in fixed movement. It stays to be seen if an excessive amount of of a very good factor can damage Metaphor’s total expertise, however there was undoubtedly some trigger for concern there, as even I left feeling a bit overwhelmed.
One among my favourite components of Metaphor, nonetheless, was its option to make our human world a type of alternate universe, referenced in people tales and mentioned among the many recreation’s social gathering with marvel. After I requested Hashino why he established our world as a parallel universe to the one in Metaphor: ReFantazio, he laughed and stated, “Would you like the lengthy, boring reply?” Naturally, I did, and naturally, it wasn’t boring in any respect.
“One of many issues I assumed to start with was that we wished to outline this recreation with the concept of concern and anxiety–the concept that if you end up rising as a human being, you are confronted with these fears and anxieties they usually make it easier to develop,” Hashino stated. “And mainly, in the event you’re adverse or constructive in regards to the issues that happen–if your method changes–it will both take your life in a constructive or adverse course.
“Worry is one thing that was actually useful for people. If you left your territory, one thing might kill you and you would be at risk, proper? However not a lot within the trendy age. We do not actually need that sort of concern. We do not have the specter of being eaten by one thing. Previously, we have been afraid of bodily issues. Now, within the trendy world, we now have extra concern about how you can face our feelings.”
Hashino went on to indicate that, within the high-fantasy and strife-filled world of Metaphor: ReFantazio, human fears could be as summary to those characters because the palpable fears we observe now are to many people. It is an fascinating idea that seemingly asks us to take a deeper take a look at our fears and nervousness and query how they serve us, in addition to how the way in which we body our life can alter our notion of it.
“When gamers play this recreation, I need them to consider what it takes to develop into a hero and what it could take inside them. I hope enjoying this recreation will then encourage them to vary their very own lives,” Hashino added.
Although it stays to be seen if Metaphor: ReFantazio will certainly encourage me to get my life collectively, it’s a journey I am desperate to go on. Metaphor: ReFantazio releases on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Sequence X|S, and PC on October 11, 2024, including one other dazzling-looking RPG to a 12 months filled with them.