Metaphor: ReFantazio Reveals New Details on Story and Setting

gamingbolt.com:

With its promise of a unique new fantasy setting, and with the game being billed as Atlus’ next big property, expectations are naturally high from Metaphor: ReFantazio, and new tidbits revealed by its developers continue to paint a promising picture of how it’s shaping up.

In a recent stream hosted by Atlus – which also featured director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro – new details were revealed on upcoming fantasy RPG’s story and setting (via ResetEra).

Metaphor: ReFantazio is being billed as an epic high fantasy story, and it will see players stepping into the shoes of a protagonist who diverges from the heroes you may have grown accustomed to seeing in Atlus’ RPGs.

“With this protagonist, there was a feeling of wanting to depict somebody we haven’t been able to in our past games, because of their modern settings,” says character designer Shigenori Soejima (transcription via Gematsu). “Overall, we wanted an androgynous and heroic protagonist—someone who looks like they’re about to change the world—with a design that emphasizes their firm, resolute gaze.”

The protagonist will be accompanied by Gallica, a fairy who is described as “classically fantastical in many ways”, but has “a more modern aesthetic” where her character design is confirmed. According to Soejima, the development team at Studio Zero got the “initial creative momentum” it needed to design the game’s characters according to its setting after it had nailed down the look for Gallica.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s story will revolve around a kingdom where the king and his son have died, leaving a power vacuum and an ensuing bid from many to step in as the new ruler. The protagonist is one such character vying for