Although Metaphor: ReFantazio's combat system strongly resembles that of Persona, one change makes it much more compelling. The newest RPG developed by Atlus, Metaphor: ReFantazio, takes and combines many familiar elements from the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, placing them in a medieval fantasy world that serves as a departure from the modern-day settings of either franchise. However, while many of Metaphor's mechanics will be familiar to fans of Atlus's other RPGs, a few changes make the game's combat an improvement on its predecessors'.

While most players will probably be more familiar with Persona, Metaphor's combat system actually takes a significant amount from Shin Megami Tensei as well - in particular, Metaphor's "press turn" system more closely resembles SMT's than Persona's, punishing missed or nullified attacks with lost turns in addition to the usual extra turns rewarded for hitting weaknesses or critical hits. Where the game does resemble Persona more closely, though, is in its Archetype system, where party can study and equip different Archetypes that decide their abilities in battle.

Not Changing Archetypes Mid-Battle Makes Combat More Interesting

Metaphor's Archetype Mechanics Make Its Combat Better Than Persona's

However, unlike in the Persona games, where only the protagonist can switch between Personas mid-battle, Metaphor instead allows any character to switch between any Archetype, but only outside of combat - which makes teambuilding and preparing for tough encounters much more interesting. In a game like Persona 5, the ability to have Joker swap between a variety of Personas mid-battle, along with the more strictly defined abilities of other party , make it possible to be prepared for any encounter without needing to adjust anything outside of combat.

In contrast, the inability to swap Archetypes mid-battle in Metaphor places a heavier emphasis on preparation, forcing players to more carefully consider how their team is built and whether it can handle the fights. Instead of being able to swap mid-combat to for enemy weaknesses, or other needs like healing or buffing teammates, players instead choose the right Archetype ahead of time - for example, making sure that there's a Knight or Gunner in the party when facing enemies weak to Pierce damage.

Ultimately, this makes for a combat system that's more punishing than Persona - bringing the wrong Archetypes can, in the absolute worst-case scenario, leave players in an unwinnable battle - but that also makes it more rewarding, letting players feel smart for building a team that effectively counters an boss fight. By making it harder to build a single character or team composition that can handle every possible scenario (at least until later in the game), Metaphor, and its Archetypes, encourages players to think more carefully about combat.

Metaphor's Other Systems Its Combat Well

Various Mechanics Mitigate Metaphor's Potentially Most Frustrating Moments

While being stuck with the "wrong" Archetypes for any given battle can be frustrating, many of Metaphor's other systems do a good job of ing the game's approach to combat. Most notably, the informants that can be found in major cities give vital intel on many (but not all) of the game's bosses, giving players the opportunity to figure out which Archetypes to bring to which fight before actually engaging in combat. Additionally, if luck doesn't turn out in the player's favor, even with the right Archetype lineup, Metaphor also allows players to restart any battle from the very beginning.

Metaphor's informants mostly give information on optional bosses associated with side quests - most bosses that are fought as part of the story cannot have their weaknesses revealed by informants.

Metaphor's Synthesis system, which allows certain combinations of Archetypes to make use of powerful abilities, also encourages players to more carefully think about how they build their teams. Even if a team can exploit a certain enemy's weaknesses, lacking the right Synthesis combos can deprive the player of a powerful edge in combat, and it can often be worth fitting in certain Archetypes just for the Synthesis combinations they can provide.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of reasons why Metaphor's combat system changes might not fit in a prospective Persona 6 - for one, after three games in the series which allow the protagonist to swap Personas, taking that ability away in a direct sequel might not feel good to longtime fans. In Metaphor: ReFantazio, though, the change to allow all party to swap Archetypes, but only outside of combat, makes strategizing, preparing, and teambuilding for specific fights a much more interesting and involved prospect than in Persona, and the game's systems are well-built to its combat as well.