The video game hype cycle is a cruel mistress. For me and my tastes, this year has been very front-loaded. We’ve been given some awesome games at the start of this year: Tekken 8, Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, Persona 3 Reload, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It’s curious that the industry released three massive JRPGs all within a couple of weeks of each other. Even more curious, these games were all released in January and February.
I thought there weren’t going to be any other games that would pique my interest for the rest of the year. Looking ahead at the release schedule, some games were of interest: Dragon’s Dogma 2, Stellar Blade, and even Dragon Ball Sparking Zero. Those weren’t games I’d pick up on day one, though. Then I saw Atlus’ new JRPG releasing in October, Metaphor: ReFantazio. This game looks like the next big JRPG.
The Persona Guys
This JRPG is being developed by Atlus. In particular, it’s from the same team that was in charge of making the Persona games. It looks like Metaphor: ReFantazio has Persona‘s DNA all over it just from a first look. Visually, aesthetically, and when it comes to the gameplay, it’s Persona. That franchise has a very clear cut between its RPG dungeon crawling, and its social simulator gameplay. It seems like Metaphor: ReFantazio will have a similar dichotomy when it comes to its gameplay.
There are dungeon-crawling elements, but also a seemingly social aspect, just like Persona. My details of this are limited because I want to go in as blind as possible, but Metaphor: ReFantazio seems to have a very similar design philosophy to the Persona games, as well as the Megami Tensei games by the same developer. The battle icons, abilities, and effects are all very similar to Persona and Megami Tensei, so these are all familiar.
Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s Art Design
I remember when I first saw Metaphor: ReFantazio. I had no idea what kind of game I was looking at, but I noticed two things. The main character has this cool skateboard-esque thing, and the art design is beautifully stunning. This instantly gave it away that this was made by the Persona team. Those games are so visually distinct in their design.
Their aesthetics are so well-defined and creative. The menus in Persona 5 Royal and Persona 3 Reload are gorgeous and hypnotizing. Metaphor: ReFantazio shares the same incredible aesthetic, but by doing its own thing. It has this cel-shaded, almost pop-art style aesthetic, but with a harsher edge in comparison to Persona’s floaty, light colors. Whatever magic they’re working here, I love it, and I can’t take my eyes off the menus and user interface here.
A Brand New World
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brand-new IP. Many game journalists have pointed out how this brand-new series could be a great spot for players who have never touched either a Megami Tensei or Persona game and want to get into the series. The game has been briefly playable at certain recent gaming events, and it has been getting very positive feedback.
What’s so exciting for me is the fact that this is completely new. Persona is a great series that I love, but the games have a formula that fans expect Atlus to follow. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brand-new series, so they don’t need to feel shackled by any existing formula. The gameplay looks tried and true, the aesthetic is incredible, and the characters and high-fantasy story seem super intriguing. This game is going to be big, and I can’t wait to play it in October!
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