From Announcement to Release
From its announcement to its release, Metaphor Refantazio was my most anticipated game of 2024. “A turn based RPG made by the Persona developers set in a high fantasy setting”. If asked to describe my perfect game this would be it. One full playthrough later I am happy to say that despite my extraordinarily high expectations, Metaphor did not disappoint. In fact, Metaphor still managed to exceed my hopes and has quickly become one of my favorite games of all time. I’m also glad to say that I’m not alone in my admiration for Metaphor either. At the annual Game Awards, Metaphor managed to take home Best RPG, Best Narrative, and Best Art Direction. So, what is it about Metaphor Refantazio that has garnered such critical acclaim and more importantly, should you play Metaphor Refantazio?
Fantasy Begins…
First things first, a quick synopsis of Metaphor’s plot. The story of Metaphor Refantazio begins with the cunning Count Louis assassinating King Hythlodaeus V the sole ruler of the land. With no rightful heir, a power vacuum opens up and many are unsure of the future of their land. Elsewhere, the protagonist, Will, heads to the Royal Capital Grand Trad on a mission with his fairy companion, Gallica, to meet up with an undercover soldier within the city and deliver a message to them.
Will enlists in the army, and encounters a young noble named Strohl, who stands up for Will when a bigoted recruit gives him a hard time. The new recruits are sent to a nearby fortress under attack by a grotesque monster. Will and Strohl do their best against this beast but are overwhelmed, it is then that Will awakens to a mysterious power called an Archetype. Using this new power Will is able to defeat the beast and save Strohl.
After the battle, Grius, the undercover soldier Will and Gallica were searching for, appears. Will and Gallica relay their message to Grius, that the purpose of their mission is to assassinate Count Louis. It is revealed that the prince who is presumed dead is actually still alive but cursed to an eternal slumber until the caster of the curse is slain. Grius, who was part of the royal guard and who was present the night the prince was cursed, is confident that the young Louis was responsible for the prince’s affliction. Strohl overhears the trio’s plan and asks to join their cause due to his personal grudges against Louis.
The Start of The Grand Tournament
At the royal funeral, Louis appears and presents the corpse of a giant monster he has slain and proclaims to the people that only he can protect them from such grand threats. After this proclomation from Louis, the spirit of the late King Hythlodaeus appears. The late king reveals that prior to his death he used the Royal Magic to organize a Grand Tournament where anyone can inherit the throne.
This sparks the start of the race for the throne where anyone from any origin could become king. People from all around the world of Metaphor begin gearing up for the Grand Tournament while Will and the rest of their group believe that the best way to get to Louis is to join the race under the guise of his supporters. So, Will and the others enter the Grand Tournament with their true mission to assassinate Count Louis, save the prince from his curse, and reinstate him to the throne.
The Gameplay
Metaphor Refantazio is a love letter to fans old and new of turn based RPGs. Metaphor incorporates elements from fan favorite games while also adding its own unique spin. Like many other RPGs, Metaphor has a job system for each of your party members in the form of Archetypes. Archetypes are the different classes you can have your characters equip and level up. Archetypes grant unique abilities depending on the class you choose. After learning skills from an Archetype, you’re able to have another Archetype you’ve acquired inherit previously learned skills. This allows for near endless customization and optimization for your party members.
Having skills not be Archetype exclusive means that every class has the ability to cover its own weaknesses with the strengths from another Archetypes. Players are also able to switch what Archetype they have equipped as long as they aren’t in combat. The ease of switching Archetypes further encourages trying out builds players otherwise may not be inclined to.
Damage Types
Every attack in Metaphor has a different damage type, such as slashing, piercing, or elemental kinds, like fire and wind. Archetypes and the enemies you face all have different affinities for the different damage types. Some enemies may be weak to fire, while others may be outright immune. Striking an enemy’s weakness rewards the attacker with an additional action on their turn. This rewards having a versatile party that can strike a variety of enemy weaknesses. If players are smart, they can often wipe out an encounter before the enemies get a turn. Of course, this holds true for you as well, if an enemy strikes one of your weaknesses they’ll get an extra action.
The combat of Metaphor is turn-based combat at its finest. It encourages players to try different party compositions by utilizing different Archetypes depending on the situation. Metaphor also rewards players who can mitigate their Archetype’s weaknesses with careful skill selection.
The World of Metaphor
The world of Metaphor is just as fun to explore as the combat. You can find many optional bosses and treasure chests with a little bit of exploration. The rewards for these quests are almost always worth the effort it takes to complete them. There are also plenty of side quests that you can take for more rewards. These quests can range from clearing out powerful monsters or gathering resources for recipes. Either way, Metaphor’s side quests offer enjoyable and varied content.
Like the Persona series, Metaphor has an in-game calendar and doing anything in Metaphor takes time, which you have a limited amount of. In Metaphor, you have a daytime action and a nighttime action, which they can do whatever they want with. Certain activities can only be done in the daytime or nighttime respectively. But, you only have a certain amount of time before reaching any given deadline.
Without spoiling anything, the story relevant missions Metaphor provides have deadlines and failing to complete said story missions before the deadline results in a game over. In order to complete these missions you’ll have to make your way through some sort of dungeon and beat the boss waiting for you at the end. But there is more to Metaphor than the dungeon crawling and turn-based combat. Like other Atlus RPGs, what you do outside of exploration is just as important.
Supporters and Bonds
You are able to use a daytime or nighttime action to spend time with one of your fellow party members or one of your Supporters. Spending time with any one of your allies levels up your bond with them. As you level up your bond with your allies you unlock abilities that either help out in battle, or the overworld. Leveling up your bond with your Supporters is optional but not doing so means missing out on some of the best stories Metaphor has to offer.
Each Supporter has eight unique hangouts, each hangout is a piece of one larger story. In these stories, the protagonist helps his Supporter with some sort of problem. These scenes with the protagonist and their Supporter typically provide the most insight to the characters you spend time with. By allowing the player to choose who they hang out with they aren’t forced to spend time on a storyline they aren’t invested in. This makes it far more likely that the player always care about the characters they’re spending time with. Certain quests and opportunities to increase the bond between the protagonist and their Supporters are locked behind another aspect of Metaphor that has been carried over from the Persona series.
Royal Virtues
Royal Virtues are social stats that can be increased and leveled up by completing side quests or by spending an action on increasing them. Certain dialogue options, side quests, and the ability to spend time with Supporters are occasionally locked behind Royal Virtues. Increasing Royal Virtues is one of many daytime and nighttime actions you can spend time doing. Balancing spending time with supporters, doing side quests, exploring dungeons, and leveling up your Virtues is a key aspect of Metaphor. Being able to plan out how you want to spend each day as your deadline is approaching can take genuine planning to optimize, but learning how to is very satisfying.
In Conclusion…
Metaphor Refantazio has so much to offer, it balances engaging gameplay with a compelling story and characters. Its soundtrack does an excellent job at immersing the player in its environments in a way that few games are capable of. If you enjoy any of Atlus’ previous titles then you are sure to enjoy Metaphor. For any new gamer who hasn’t tried any of Atlus’ previous works and are looking to get into RPGs, Metaphor is a great place to start.
If you’re a fan of RPGs, Metaphor is a true love letter to the titles that came before it while also standing out among many great games of its genre. If you’re unsure about trying Metaphor due to its 70 dollar price tag there is a free demo available as well, but rest assured that it is worth every penny. Metaphor has quickly become one of my favorite games of all time and I am absolutely ecstatic that it’s been getting the recognition it deserves. You should undoubtedly play Metaphor Refantazio.
