Metaphor: ReFantazio is the latest JRPG from Studio Zero and Atlus, the latter of which is behind the beloved Persona franchise. Given that Persona was, in a way, an extension of an even earlier franchise for Atlus, Shin Megami Tensei, it’s no surprise that Metaphor: ReFantazio also has a familiar look and feel on the surface. That being said, this is not just a re-skin of the same old thing. Metaphor: ReFantazio is Atlus’ first step into true high fantasy, something a little less common for JRPGs, but a prime example of why it should be explored more.

Upon starting their journey, players are immediately met with a cutscene featuring the untimely death of a king, an event that will kick off the plot for the rest of the game. From there, we meet our voiced protagonist alongside his fairy companion, Gallica, who both begin their journey to save a prince and repair a desperate world. The kingdom of Euchronia is wrought with hardships that challenge modern ideas, asking players what a utopia is, and if such a thing is truly achievable when the world is already so corrupt.

A Story Within A Story

Atlus Explores The Idea Of A Utopia Amid A Kingdom In Ruin

As with other Atlus games, Metaphor: ReFantazio would be nothing without its story and world-building. Despite the emphasis on metaphors, there’s no mistaking the message Atlus is attempting to get across to its players as they explore a kingdom abundant with racism, classism, and religious fanaticism. To juxtapose this bleak society, players are occasionally given a peek at the protagonist’s storybook he carries around, which centers around a utopia in which everyone is equal regardless of tribe, lineage, or wealth.

While challenging the ideas of the modern world is not exactly new for Atlus, given that the majority of its games often confront the corruption of society in some way, the darkness overseeing this fantasy world is one that many players may find ways to relate to in one way or another. As the protagonist explores the various regions of this world to ensure the fate of the kingdom lands in the right hands, we see the desperation of people long forgotten by their leaders and those who have become nothing more than a pawn in political warfare.

Between the quiet moments where players will witness the brutalities that occur as a result of the state of this world, there will also be moments of hope. Riveting moments where the party will band together to make a change in an attempt to craft that utopia that seems just out of reach. Players will be pushed to confront whether a society, such as the kingdom of Euchronia, can be saved when it has already fallen so far and what that might mean for a world like ours.

Echoes Of Previous Atlus Games Are Apparent, But Not Overwhelming

Metaphor: ReFantazio Manages To Revamp Familiar Mechanics In New & Exciting Ways

Despite the fantastical differences, the weight of a heavy story isn’t the only thing Atlus games share. While this isn’t as similar to the others as Shin Megami Tensei and Persona were to each other, there are several mechanics familiar to Atlus players. Many of Metaphor: ReFantazio’s gameplay mechanics are polished versions of previous elements: Archetypes are the replacement for Personas, Royal Virtues are the replacement for social stats, and Followers are the replacement for Confidants or Social Links.

While it is obvious that these aspects are similar, Metaphor: ReFantazio does offer some quality of life changes and enough differences that combat has a uniqueness to it. While each party member does have a specific Archetype they’re linked to, unlike Personas in previous games, players have the freedom to swap things around and customize their party more than ever before. Perhaps the closest we’ve seen to this level of customization was in Persona 5 Tactica, where players could assign a secondary Persona to their party , allowing more overall versatility.

Metaphor: ReFantazio takes this idea one step further by allowing you to assign and change your party ' Archetypes on a whim. Given the loss of the complexity of the Persona compendium, this change leaves room for players to find satisfaction in customizing and adapting their party for the various dungeons they’ll encounter. As for the quality of life changes, unlike Persona where the current rank in social stats was somewhat of a mystery to players, Metaphor: ReFantazio eliminates any guesswork, allowing players to see exactly where they are in their social stat progress at any time.

Beyond that, while time must be managed consciously, knowing how and when you will be able to increase bonds with followers is presented in a way that is a lot more obvious than previous games have offered. Furthermore, Metaphor: ReFantazio operates on a similar calendar system in which players will have deadlines for major plot points. Juggling dungeons, social stats, and companions under a deadline is just as stress-inducing as any other Atlus game, but that is part of the appeal.

Every player has the freedom to approach their time as they see fit, resulting in unique playthroughs and a reason to return. However, fans may be disappointed to learn of a lack of Persona's beloved romance mechanics in this game. Metaphor: ReFantazio removes this feature, opting for an approach similar to that of Shin Megami Tensei, and so the protagonist is unable to develop anything more than a close bond with his Followers. Given the lack of normalcy for the main character, as opposed to Persona’s Joker who is otherwise a normal high-schooler, it’s understandable why this feature was removed.

Since Joker’s everyday life outside the metaverse is rather normal, as is everyone else's, it makes sense that he would engage in typical behaviors like romancing his companions. For our protagonist here, however, the dreadfulness of the world is occurring out in the open as opposed to in a Netherworld or Metaverse equivalent, making romance seem a little out of place as a priority right now, for not only him but the others of this world as well. The intimacy and closeness of characters remain, however, even if the technical aspect of dating is absent.

Turn-Based Combat With Some Real-Time Flare

Metaphor: ReFantazio Polishes A Familiar Feature To Streamline Dungeon Crawling

When it comes to combat, Metaphor: ReFantazio hasn’t completely abandoned Atlus’ knack for turn-based combat. However, there is a mix of real-time combat which helps to create a more streamlined combat system. Not only does it help break up some of the monotony that Persona games often fall subject to, but it also allows players to quickly gain experience while traversing areas heavy with enemies without expending too much of their own HP or MP. It’s quite comparable to the preemptive strike format throughout most of the Shin Megami Tensei lineup, but polished and improved in a way that will hopefully be carried into future releases from Atlus.

As for the turn-based mechanics, they operate similarly to Shin Megami Tensei and Persona in the sense that type weaknesses will affect damage output and turn order. Players still have the option of melee attacks or Archetype magic attacks. The key difference here is primarily the use of positioning in combat, wherein players will be able to position each party member before attacking. This position will affect how much damage players deal and take, giving you an additional way to protect the healers in your party, or even dodge hits entirely when enemies target a certain position.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

A Must-Play Fantasy JRPG

Metaphor: ReFantazio is as fantastical as players could’ve hoped and every bit as heavy as those familiar with Atlus will be expecting. With fun combat and charming characters sprinkled throughout an otherwise grim world, players are sure to come out of the story feeling satisfied and thoroughly challenged. Though there's little doubt that fans of Atlus will love this, I’d challenge those who perhaps didn’t enjoy the rest of Atlus’ catalog to give this one a shot, especially if you have an appreciation for high fantasy and moving tales. Despite a lengthy time commitment of nearly 100 hours, the value gained is priceless.

This riveting fantasy redefines the preconceptions of most modern JRPGs and takes players on an expansive journey beyond what they could've imagined. With polished mechanics and an improved player experience, it might just be enough to say that Metaphor: ReFantazio has the potential to knock Persona off its throne as Atlus’ most notable title. However, if the next mainline game for either Persona or Shin Megami Tensei carries over some of the positive changes we see in Metaphor: ReFantazio, then it's safe to say we can expect even greater things from Atlus in the future.

A PlayStation 5 code was provided to Screen Rant for the purposes of this review.