Metaphor: ReFantazio review – better than Persona

Up until the release of Persona 3 in 2006, most people in the West had never heard of publisher Atlus or Persona’s parent franchise Shin Megami Tensei. It was easy to imagine that both would continue only to see success in Japan – after all the Persona series stretches back to 1996 – but here we are in 2024 and Persona 5 is one of the most popular Japanese role-playing games in history.

The announcement for Persona 6 is likely not far away but after the recent release of remake Persona 3 Reload, their latest game is an entirely new IP that has nothing to do with Persona. Well… it’s a new IP anyway, set in a fantasy world riven by racism and the prospect of a very strangely fought election.

Despite that, the actual gameplay and presentation is still very similar to the Persona games and that’s both a benefit and an occasional distraction. But despite the similarities to developer Studio Zero’s previous work this is one of the most enjoyably strange role-players we’ve played in a long time.

What’s the story of Metaphor: ReFantazio?

Although Metaphor is set in a medieval fantasy world it avoids the usual Tolkien-esque cliches, with steampunk elements and the main capital being portrayed as almost Victorian in nature – with no sign of elves or dwarves. Instead, there’s lots of other humanoid races, most of which have only minor physical differences, like horns or pointy ears. Nevertheless, racism runs rampant, with the biggest divide being between the three ruling races and the other ‘lesser’ ones.

The main character (you have to name them but unlike Persona they’re not mute) is part of a race that is discriminated against more than any other – albeit for religious reasons rather than because of any physical differences – and is so rare that many people assume they’re extinct. You’re pals with a fairy called Gallica, but although fairies are also said to be rare most people pay her surprisingly little attention.

The two of you are trying to assassinate a nobleman who has put the prince of the realm into a curse-induced coma and, in the opening sequence, follows this up by murdering the king. The game’s plot takes a swerve early on when the dead King floats his castle into the air and calls for an election to decide his successor, whose front runners include a purposefully boring continuity candidate, the king’s very obviously evil murderer, and… you.

It’s a peculiar set-up, and no mistake, and to be honest the first five or so hours don’t make a good impression, especially give the very heavy-handed social commentary. What keeps your interest though is the combat system and the fact the main enemies are ‘humans’, which are given amazingly bizarre monster designs inspired by the work of Hieronymus Bosch.

How similar is Metaphor: ReFantazio to Persona?

Even before that, there’s implied to be some sort of connection between Metaphor’s reality and an idealised version of our real world, with the protagonist carrying around a fantasy book which describes a world of skyscrapers with no war and no magic. You meet the author in your dreams, who fulfils the role of Igor from the Persona games, in terms of giving you some background to your powers and introducing new abilities.

The most important of these powers are Archetypes, which look and function very much like a persona, as you transform into them in battle in order to use magic. In Metaphor they’re just class types though and while each character is associated with a particular one you can also unlock them for anyone else in your party. That requires a fair amount of magical in-game currency, and each character always starts from level one with each Archetype – so some specialisation is required, especially as levelling up can unlock new classes.

Although the ‘press turn’ combat system is very similar to Persona it’s so fast-paced and efficient it almost feels like an action game. Enemies that are clearly below your weight category can be dispatched in real-time out in the field, so there’s no need to waste time with them, but more serious opponents require real thought to defeat. Everything’s a breeze up until the first boss, who’ll make mincemeat of you if all you do is the turn-based equivalent of button-mashing.

Metaphor: ReFantazio screenshot — Metaphor: ReFantazio – this is what the game calls a human (Atlus)

Metaphor’s structure is also very similar to Persona. Obviously, there’s no school year to limit your actions but the election is running on a timetable, and you only have a limited amount of time each day and night to devote to following story missions, pursuing side quests, and socialising with your allies to improve your relationship and gain boons during combat – essentially social links from Persona, except without the romance aspect.

Side quests don’t just provide material rewards but also improve one or more of your five ‘royal virtues’, which are characterised as Courage, Wisdom, Tolerance, Eloquence, and Imagination. These are key to everything from winning the election to convincing a shopkeeper to sell their items to you, making side quests vitally important to your overall progress.

Metaphor doesn’t start off as particularly inspiring but it’s that rare game that gets better and more intriguing the more you play it, in terms of both gameplay and story. The initially clumsy social commentary becomes gradually more nuanced and while the game makes sure not to draw any direct parallels with the current US elections its broader points hit harder than you might expect.

We were afraid that, like so many Western titles, the game would be too timid to offer any real-world social commentary, but its name is not as nonsensical as it first appears. By the end it’s unexpectedly uplifting and thoughtful, as it posits the value of fantasy and aspiration in a less than perfect world and how it can lead to positive change.

Also, it lets you fight a giant duck with a human face while you take the form of a colossal mecha-knight that would give a Dark Souls boss nightmares. The many similarities to Persona seem disappointing at first but if that’s what’s needed to ground the game and make it something fans are willing to take a chance on then so be it. The end result is certainly very similar to Persona in one other way: it’s one of the best Japanese role-players of the modern era.

Metaphor: ReFantazio review summary

In Short: An excellent Japanese role-player that is at least the equal to Persona, with an engagingly thoughtful story and enjoyably fast-paced combat.

Pros: Despite the bonkers plot the storytelling has real depth and meaning. Excellent turn-based combat system and some fantastic (in both senses of the word) boss battles. Mountains of content and genuinely meaningful side quests.

Cons: The first five hours or so are easily the worst. Graphics are at least a generation behind the curve and having only partially voiced dialogue is a shame.

Score: 9/10

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £59.99
Publisher: Sega/Atlus
Developer: Studio Zero
Release Date: 11th October 2024
Age Rating: 16