Metaphor: ReFantazio Is Already a Contender for RPG of the Year | Push Square
pushsquare.comMetaphor: ReFantazio is a lot. We were only allowed to spend around an hour with Atlus’ upcoming RPG at this years’ Summer Game Fest, but in that time, we ran into egg enemies wearing boots; we acted like an ass to our other party members; we made kebabs with one of or companions; we also fought squid Jesus which had a heart for a head.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Metaphor: ReFantazio is dripping in excess, then. It’s also ridiculously stylish, almost noisily, but it pulls it off with such confidence. Text boxes are fractured, and both enemies and characters get colourful transitions between turns. The game does all of this effortlessly, all while taking place in some blended Neo-Medieval world which mixes high fantasy with steampunk with skyscrapers. We can’t think of another game that’s been this confident and stylish since, well, Persona 5.
We know that’s really cliche to say, but Atlus’ first new IP in years does feel like it borrows from the developer’s Persona series the most. Importantly, it also feels like a culmination of not just Persona, but everything the company has ever developed in its 35 year history. It’s weird, loud, beautiful, and full-to-bursting with things to do. We think that it’ll appeal to not just Persona fans, but anyone into turn-based RPGs in general.
From what we saw of the world, it feels so different to anything Atlus has ever made before. Huge towering buildings – of which we only saw through flashbacks and additional trailers. A city walled off from a vast, barren landscape a la Attack on Titan. A gigantic Masoleum dungeon with crumbling brickwork and dilapidated structures within. There are also cosy hamlets with cobbled streets and brick stone buildings. After becoming so familiar and adjusted to the modern-day settings or post-apocalyptic worlds of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, Metaphor: ReFantazio feels so fresh. We can easily say there’s nothing else like the United Kingdom of Echronia.
There are plenty of
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