How Metaphor: ReFantazio's Combat Features Strike the…

Metaphor: ReFantazio's rich fantasy world is fraught with tribal differences and monsters alike, coupling its political intrigue with excellent combat that takes from the best of SMT and modern Persona. Its battle system, making use of press turns and a host of other features, is one woven into every aspect of Metaphor's mechanics, from studying new Archetypes with the help of bonds to purifying equipment and managing the player's inventory. While the dungeons of the United Kingdom of Euchronia can be challenging, the way that Metaphor keeps accessibility in mind helps strike the perfect balancing act, providing all the right resources for the party's success.

The Archetypes of Metaphor: ReFantazio are a fantastic foray into combat experimentation. With the party not restricted to any one Archetype class, the ability to study other lineages makes formations as versatile as the player desires, working alongside inherited skills to consider healing, offensive skills, buffs, and more. Both weaponry and skills are tantamount to success on the battlefield, which Metaphor considers through its many enemy and dungeon gimmicks, signposting certain weaknesses and affinities through Euchronia's informants, who make up the MVPs of the game.

Metaphor: ReFantazio's Combat May Be Challenging, Though Resources for Success Are Plentiful

Considering Enemy Intel, Inclement Weather

Given the more stringent movesets of Archetypes before leveling up and inheriting skills, players need to take a calculated approach to what classes they're utilizing, made easier through the intel offered by informants. Metaphor is quite accommodating in this regard though, as even if intel hasn't been acquired beforehand, there are often NPCs in dungeons that tell of definite rules that should be followed; staying away from the Healer or Mage Archetypes when fighting Goborns, for example, keeps the enemies from going into a frenzy and gaining extra press turns. This gimmick extends to other enemies and formation rules, considering row placement among the standard elemental and weapon affinities.

As with the SMT games, press turns are vital to success in Metaphor's combat, though there are ways in which they can be disrupted beyond battle itself. Inclement weather on the day of dungeon exploration keeps the party from gaining press turns even when striking enemy weaknesses, though this comes with the boon of extra EXP, which is especially rewarding when challenging a dungeon's boss. With resources like the fortune-teller and, later, a character on Virga Island with the power to clear up bad weather, players can strategize to avoid these conditions or go for it for the sake of leveling up. The same holds true for some optional bosses in dungeons, like the dragon of the Nord Mines, who are often worth the challenge for experience and loot.

Versatile Equipment Makes for Versatile Builds

Metaphor's equipment is highly customizable, considering stat increases, evasion rates, and more for the party that keeps builds versatile. With bosses' proclivities to inflict status ailments like malady or curse, equipment that nullifies certain afflictions becomes especially important, alongside gear that raises evasion against elemental types to cover Archetype weaknesses. Purifying equipment goes a long way in making both weapons and armor more powerful, too, and even the use of igniters can help party members equipped with Archetypes more attuned to physical skills or buffs who might not have dabbled in the Mage's lineage. The use of items or meals that the player has cooked helps plenty to cover elemental bases and healing, which Metaphor keeps in ample supply through its shops and the gauntlet runner's kitchen.

Synthesis Skills, 'Turn Back the Clock' Mechanic

Synthesis skills in battle are also a key to success, considering which Archetypes are equipped on the battlefield to provide access to devastating attacks, buffs, and defensive abilities. Though they use two press turns and MP for both party members teaming up, synthesis skills can often be the difference between victory and defeat, with defensive skills like Magic Guard and offensive skills like Vorpal Blade or multi-hit magic being especially powerful. Striking weaknesses with such skills can help tremendously with press turns, provided they don't miss. A bad spot of RNG can always be fixed with Metaphor's most accessible feature, however, with the 'turn back the clock' mechanic being a way to rewind and reconsider actions should the battle take a turn for the worse.

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 93 /100 Critics Rec: 98%

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Released: October 11, 2024
ESRB: T For Teen // Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
Developer(s): Studio Zero
Publisher(s): Atlus
Engine: GFD
Number of Players: 1
Steam Deck Compatibility: Playable