Veterans of previous Atlus games will have a good idea of what to expect from Metaphor: ReFantazio in terms of difficulty settings because the game’s mechanics are nearly 1-to-1 copies of games like Persona, albeit with a new coat of paint.

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For new players, however, choosing the right difficulty can take some trial and error. It’s easy to find yourself breezing through Hard mode one moment before finding yourself stuck for hours against an enemy you have no answers for. It’s the Atlus formula; you’re either stomping everyone so hard they don’t even get a chance to move, or you’re out of options, stuck in a dungeon with no convenient save slots to turn back time.

All Difficulty Settings in Metaphor: ReFantazio

difficulty settings in metapahor refantazio

There are five difficulty settings in Metaphor: ReFantazio, each making the game progressively harder in certain ways. They are:

Difficulty

In-Game Description

Effects

Storyteller

For players who want to focus purely on the story. Battles pose no threat of death. Cannot be changed later on.

Enemy defenses are vastly reduced, player damage is vastly increased, and player defenses are vastly increased. Defeating enemies rewards players with additional MAG and XP.

Easy

For players who want to breeze through battles. This difficulty can be changed later on.

Enemy defenses are reduced, player damage is increased, and player defenses are increased.

Normal

The standard difficulty, where battles will thrill and challenge. This difficulty can be changed later on.

All stats are standard.

Hard

For players who want intense battles. This difficulty can be changed later on.

Enemy defenses are increased, player damage is reduced, and player defenses are reduced. Enemies gain an extra turn icon on their turn.

Regicide

A high-risk, high-reward mode for only battle-hardened players. Cannot be changed later on.

Enemy defenses are vastly increased, player damage is vastly reduced, and player defenses are vastly reduced. Enemies get an extra turn icon on their turn.

If Storyteller or Regicide difficulty settings are selected at any point during a playthrough, they cannot be changed later on.

How to Unlock Regicide Mode

regicide difficulty in metapahor refantazio

Regicide Mode is the hardest difficulty setting in Metaphor: ReFantazio. It can only be unlocked after you beat the game and get the true ending once on a lower difficulty. There are multiple possible endings for Metaphor, and only the true ending unlocks Regicide Mode in New Game Plus. Save your progress after beating the game, exit out to the main menu, load it again, and select Regicide Mode when prompted to choose the difficulty for New Game+.

Once selected, Regicide Mode cannot be turned off, and the difficulty cannot be reduced.

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How to Change Difficulty Settings

All difficulty settings other than Regicide Mode can be changed at any point during the story. It’s even possible to lower difficulty while inside a dungeon. Here’s how:

  • Open the pause menu.
  • Select Settings.
  • Choose System Settings.
  • Scroll down to Select Difficulty and choose the setting you want to change to.

Lowering the difficulty doesn’t have any downsides in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Players can use this function to make particularly difficult boss fights easier on themselves, which can be especially brutal if they’re running low on MP after a long dungeon run. This tactic is also handy for getting through the tough early section of the game, where the player doesn’t have access to all damage types and may encounter an enemy type they have no counter for.

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Metaphor ReFantazio Tag Page Cover Art
Metaphor: ReFantazio
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10 /10
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Released
October 11, 2024
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WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Developer(s)
Studio Zero
Genre(s)
RPG, JRPG, Action, Adventure
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty
Fighting a battle in the Regalith Grand Cathedral dungeon in Metaphor ReFantazio