Metaphor: ReFantazio Deserves Its GOTY Nomination, But I Still Can't Play It

screenrant.com:

has been nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards, and although I think it deserves this recognition, I also can’t seem to finish it. This starkly contrasts its competitor and fellow JRPG,, which I’ve sunk several days’ worth of playtime into. I’m also a big fan of Atlus’ RPGs, having played and multiple times. So why is giving me so much trouble?

It’s certainly not because of any technical failings. In many ways, is a much more engaging experience than some of Atlus’s other games. It also has a topical story that feels almost perfectly timed. As a fan of political stories, it also happens to align with my personal interests. And yet, the game just can’t seem to hook me.

While Atlus RPGs are a personal favorite of mine, it’s hard to ignore that they have some flaws. Common complaints about the series in particular include overly long intro sections and the need to grind random encounters in each dungeon to advance. Older entries in the series also made it difficult to know which NPCs could be interacted with on a given day, forcing players to waste time running around the map to check their usual haunts.

has managed to keep all the attractive elements of Atlus games while also addressing these complaints. For starters, the introductory section of doesn’t seem to drag as long. It also helps that Atlus allowed players the chance to play through the introduction for free days before the official release. This meant that when the actual game came out, players could jump right into the action.

Perhaps the greatest of ’s innovations on Atlus’ formula is how it handles random encounters. Once players have exceeded the level of an enemy on the overworld, they no longer have to enter a full turn-based battle to defeat them. Instead, players can hit them with basic attacks that are now available during exploration, quickly taking them out and earning some XP. This makes retreading ground to level up a much less tedious experience, as players can quickly farm XP