Metaphor: ReFantazio’s builders aren’t being refined in regards to the themes they’re looking for to deal with on this sport. The upcoming RPG takes place in a medieval setting that could be a mirror to our up to date world. The world-within-a-world depiction of a utopia, illustrated as a contemporary metropolis throughout a cutscene, is taken into account an anomaly. The sport’s characters examine it in a ebook, wherein it’s informed that no soul is born into discrimination, and all lives are equal. “It actually does sound like a fantasy,” says Gallica, the protagonist’s companion.
The Persona collection has all the time woven real-life points into worlds riddled with fantasy. These efforts have faltered and never all the time caught the touchdown, with Persona 5 Tactica being a current instance. Now, as key ex-Persona builders put together to launch Metaphor: ReFantazio later this 12 months, the stakes have by no means been larger, as they take a brand new step with a daring angle, albeit additionally with some clear familiarity.
Throughout a hands-on demo at Summer time Sport Fest 2024, I performed three totally different sections of Atlus’ upcoming RPG, totaling about an hour. The primary was set early within the sport earlier than the protagonist summons his powers, appearing as a tutorial of types that launched the story and a few of the key design standouts when in comparison with Persona.
For one, the protagonist is voiced. This would possibly sound like a small element, however in comparison with earlier Atlus video games that usually had extra of a self-insert hero, the voice appearing provides authority and a extra particular sense of persona to the alternatives you make throughout conversations. From my time with the sport, it appears not each single dialogue bit is absolutely voiced, however moderately those that happen throughout most important story-related sections in addition to convos with key characters, which is honest. At different occasions, equivalent to when taking up actions with companions — much like hanging out along with your fellow college students to extend your Social Hyperlinks — the protagonist mentioned a couple of phrases as an alternative, like Joker from Persona 5 does when performing sure actions.
The construction of the story is one other outlier. You’re primarily occurring a highway journey whereas recruiting individuals and taking up requests. There are most important goals that function deadlines, however apart from that, you’re free to discover and spend time as you see match. The demo supplied a glimpse of this within the second part, as I traveled to a dungeon looking for a lacking individual. The overworld map, which is superbly drawn, has indicators for the time of day and climate circumstances as properly.
Once more, in the event you’ve performed Persona earlier than, you’ll be capable of hit the bottom working on this sport. As I explored the dungeon, nonetheless, I witnessed some standout options that shake up the standard technique of attempting to get a bonus assault on enemies to provoke fight. In Metaphor: ReFantazio, there are a number of methods to do that. If you happen to spot a stronger enemy, you’ll be able to carry out a number of real-time assaults to weaken them earlier than diving right into a basic turn-based encounter. Don’t count on full-on hack-and-slash gameplay, although, because the protagonist can solely do a couple of units of assaults, however these did really feel passable every time.
If you happen to handle to sneak round an enemy with out them seeing you, you’ll carry out one sturdy assault as an alternative, leaving them surprised. For smaller or weaker enemies, you’ll be able to simply take them down in actual time with out the necessity to do an precise encounter for what would primarily be a fast flip. The dungeon I did wasn’t too massive, nevertheless it was refreshing to have the ability to deal with teams of foes with ease and get some expertise and loot as I labored my approach to the target.
Talking of which, exploiting weaknesses continues to be the bread and butter of each turn-based battle. The important thing distinction right here is that you just now not have Personas at your disposal. Fairly, Metaphor introduces Archetypes, which work in an analogous approach — you tackle the qualities of the Archetype as you battle, gaining totally different abilities to make use of in battle. The Archetype lineup is made up of the standard RPG courses that you may count on (mage, warrior, and so forth). Everytime you meet a key companion and create a bond with them, you’ll unlock a brand new Archetype. I used to be in a position to see a glimpse of the Archetype’s corresponding talent tree, and it appears a few of these courses will be leveled as much as rank 20, so it’ll probably take you some time to unlock the total potential of every.
These Archetypes can carry out joint assaults with different occasion members, including one other layer on prime of the standard fundamental assault and magic skills. Some are centered on dealing injury with a particular ingredient (hearth, ice, and so forth) whereas others can heal occasion members or add a debuff to a number of foes directly.
A lot of the skills and objects carry the identical naming conventions as those in Persona and Shin Megami Tensei at massive, which makes it simpler to select issues up. Even within the demo, fight obtained fairly onerous quick, particularly with enemies with the ability to inventory further turns themselves as properly. I used to be stocked up with an absurd quantity of therapeutic objects, however I dread the considered assembly a few of the foes I fought with out stopping by the closest service provider store first. (In case you’re questioning, sure, the protagonist can die throughout fight, and you’ll proceed utilizing your occasion members as an alternative of getting a sport over display.)
From my brief time blitzing out and in of fight, the visuals of Metaphor: ReFantazio look much more flashy in movement. I used to be anxious that common artwork design would mimic Persona 5 too carefully, compromising its personal imaginative and prescient in favor of overly pushing for stylization like Persona 3 Reload did. Whereas it may be a bit overwhelming at first, Metaphor’s artwork path is continually cementing its personal tone, which is partly complemented by way of anime-style cutscenes, which occur extra continuously throughout story beats and likewise seem once you’re getting into turn-based fight.
As I recall my time with the demo, there’s an extended record of causes to be enthusiastic about Metaphor. The enemy designs, the potential round Archetypes, all of the refined refinements to methods which have been in iteration for many years throughout the Shin Megami Tensei universe at massive — all really feel like each a end result of concepts and an all-hands-on-deck method to create a brand new collection. However I hold coming again to the story themes, and their potential to showcase whether or not or not this group of veteran builders has mirrored on the legacy they’ve constructed over time with their groups at massive.
After I first entered the dungeon, it was made clear that someone had attacked a gaggle of guards, and we have been tasked with in search of any survivors. The primary one we discovered, who was on his final breath, mentioned he’d moderately die than communicate to the protagonist’s form. As the principle construction of Metaphor revolves round creating bonds with characters from all around the realm, every with their very own backstories and races, I’m curious to see how the sport will deal with the idea of equality, or lack thereof, that its characters see as such a rarity. The usage of totally different voice dialects for companions, in addition to the story placing these themes entrance and heart even in an hour-long demo, are promising. I’m hoping these themes are a facet of the sport that manages to interrupt from the familiarity we’ve grown used to up to now few years.