Metaphor: ReFantazio Preview - Worthy of Atlus' 35th Anniversary

When a new Persona game releases, it feels like a cultural moment within gaming. Though it might not be Persona in name, Metaphor: ReFantazio is about as close as it gets, which means this very well might be the top RPG of the year.

During Summer Game Fest, we got a hands-on preview of Metaphor: ReFantazio, including some dungeon-delving gameplay as well as a boss fight. I was excited for this game before I played it, but now I am ravenous for it. I need more.

Metaphor: ReFantazio's Combat is Fresh but Familiar

Metaphor: ReFantazio trades Persona's Japanese setting for a more fantastical world, and that is evident as I begin my dive into a dungeon. My task? Rescue hostages and defeat a necromancer. Classic fantasy, but it works. 

The dungeon feels appropriately ancient and fantastical, and has a stylized, almost hand-drawn look. This aesthetic extends to the characters and UI, which is especially impressive. Once again, Atlus has outdone itself in terms of overall look and feel.

If you've played Persona 3 Reload or Persona 5, the way our hero controls in this dungeon is quite similar to how you'd control Makoto Yuki or Joker. You're able to freely explore the dungeon, and if you see any enemy, you can attack it in the overworld.

Weaker enemies can be defeated by slashing at them in real time -- you do not have to engage them in turn-based battles, though the option to do so is still there. For larger foes, you're able to stun them by unleashing multiple attacks, thus starting a battle at an advantage.

Turn-based battles are very similar in feel to Persona, as well. Or really, most other turn-based RPGs, but what Metaphor: ReFantazio excels at is keeping battles flashy, entertaining, and it throws in a couple new twists, too. 

There's your standard weapon attacks as well as a defensive option, and items. Spells are, once again, akin to Persona in that you have elemental-based attacks and buff/debuff options. For the latter, these seem to share the same name as those from Shin Megami Tensei and Persona.

The Flow of Battle in Metaphor: ReFantazio

There's a smooth flow to the battle with the systems in place, said systems being synergy skills, the ability to position allies in the front of back, and turn icons.

Players are granted four turn icons, at least during my demo. Certain skills consume one, two, or possibly even more turn icons, so you might not even have a chance to use all your characters in one round. Deliberate strategic planning is needed.

By exploiting an enemy's weakness, you're able to gain a turn icon and keep the battle going. It creates this sort of cadence similar to "One More" from Persona 5. 

Positioning allies in either the front or back was a curious inclusion, but as I understand it, those on the frontline take more physical damage, while those in the back row take less. The trade-off is, those in the back also deal less physical damage. 

Synergy skills are where all these elements come together and create a wonderfully familiar, yet fun combat system. These are skills that require allies to be in the same row, and by working together, they unleash powerful attacks. 

These obviously consume more turn icons than other skills, but the benefit is usually worth it. Keeping track of and managing these turn icons while trying to unleash the most damage is going to delight RPG fans. 

All these skills came together and create a fun little dungeon-diving experience -- I tackled a minotaur and its minions without much issue, freed the hostages, and my party goes on its way.

We do see some cutscenes from companions I progressed. These are through cutscenes, and as one might expect, the protagonist has dialogue choices. This time, however, we control a voiced protagonist, which is a welcome pivot from the Persona series.

Another Day in the Life of a Hero

We also got a small taste of the social elements in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Our hero's base of operations in on this awesome ship (or maybe submarine) called the Gauntlet Runner, which has this steampunk vibe.

It has a bunch of amenities, from the pantry, to the toilet, and hey, even space to sleep. You can spend your time accordingly until it's the end of the day -- I decided to clean some weapons with one of my companions, thus earning this game's equivalent of social stats.

So yeah, it boils down to being fantasy Persona, but I am most definitely not complaining. I'm sure we'll be able to spend time in other ways, and the min-max gameplay fans of the series know and love will be prevalent here.

The end of my demo tasked me with defeating a boss on the deck of the shop -- this hideous beast with a human face and tentacles that'd smack my companions around. He gave me a right proper thrashing, so there is definitely challenge to the game's combat.

Rest assured, Metaphor: ReFantazio does have its own identity, though the Persona roots are still there. I can't wait to dive into more dungeons and explore the world and learn its lore, and we don't have to wait too long to do so!

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Metaphor: ReFantazio was previewed at Summer Game Fest.