Summary
- Metaphor: ReFantazio offers a more challenging and rewarding gameplay experience than any Persona game.
- The game requires strategic planning, utilizing formation mechanics, turn icons, and Archetypes for combat advantages.
- Persona 6 should replicate Metaphor's difficulty to provide engaging combat encounters where decisions truly matter.
Metaphor: ReFantazio has been taking off since its release despite its increased difficulty compared to the beloved Persona series. Metaphor: ReFantazio is certainly not the most challenging game to release in 2024, but it has proven to be a much more harrowing experience than any Persona game has ever been, and it's arguably for the better.
The Persona series has never been easy, per se, but Metaphor: ReFantazio takes things to an entirely different level with mechanics that require players to strategize and thoroughly plan out their attack before rushing headlong into battle. While there is still much to be known about the next mainline game in the Persona series, Persona 6, Metaphor: ReFantazio has arguably established a formula for difficulty that Persona 6 should replicate, as it offers a highly rewarding experience, though it does require a bit of patience, strategic planning, and perseverance.
Every Metaphor: ReFantazio Tribe Explained
There are nine tribes in Metaphor: ReFantazio, all of which make up the people and fuel the many prejudices of the United Kingdom of Euchronia.
Persona 6 Should Be as Difficult as Metaphor: ReFantazio
Metaphor: ReFantazio Requires Players to Strategize More Than Persona Ever Has
Generally, in a Persona game, the difficulty of encounters steadily increases in tandem with the player's progress through the story, so long as they take some time here and there to ensure their party's level and equipment are up-to-date. As such, Persona games aren't too grindy, requiring players to spend countless hours leveling up their party and acquiring the best gear available. Metaphor: ReFantazio, on the other hand, can be a bit more grindy than any Persona game, even with its real-time combat system that allows players to attack and kill enemies without ever entering a time-consuming turn-based battle.
Of course, Persona's grind tremendously increases on higher difficulties, but it is usually more than manageable on Normal or below.
There are numerous mechanics players need to be aware of before entering combat in Metaphor: ReFantazio — mechanics that make it more of a chess game than a mere power contest. Firstly, Metaphor features a formation mechanic that affects party members differently depending on which row they are in. Party members in the front row deal increased melee damage but also receive more damage in exchange. In the same way, party members on the back row deal less melee damage while receiving less damage from enemies.
Metaphor: ReFantazio's repel and block mechanics also make things quite a bit more challenging due to how costly they can be to the party. If players attack an enemy and that enemy either evades or repels the attack, players will lose two turn icons. To make matters worse, if an enemy blocks a player's incoming attack, they will lose four turn icons. As turn icons are a valuable resource in Metaphor's turn-based battles, finding ways to hold onto them — like exploiting an enemy's weakness and only consuming half of a turn icon — is the best route to take.
In fact, turn mechanics are yet another difference between Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona. In past Persona games, players have essentially been able to have nearly an unlimited number of turns if they are able to exploit an enemy's weakness. This is due to a mechanic in Persona that grants players an extra turn. Metaphor, however, has taken that mechanic and refined it to level the playing field by only using half of one turn icon rather than granting them an entire additional turn.
There are numerous mechanics players need to be aware of before entering combat in Metaphor: ReFantazio — mechanics that make it more of a chess game than a mere power contest.
Finally, players are encouraged to take advantage of Metaphor: ReFantazio's Archetypes and the combat advantages they provide, as they can turn the tide of battle. However, this, too, requires plenty of strategic planning outside of battle, especially after learning an enemy's weaknesses, failing, and getting an opportunity to try again. Just as is the case in Persona games, Metaphor's enemies have various strengths and resistances, but also weaknesses that can be exploited by Archetypal skills. To strategize effectively, players are encouraged to use Metaphor's Archetype skill inheritance system, which allows them to use skills from other Archetypes they've unlocked but don't have equipped.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Relies Heavily on Its Ambush Advantage
While it might be considered a bit of a double-edged sword, Metaphor: ReFantazio's ambush mechanics can give players an overwhelming advantage against the enemy. Unfortunately, the party in Metaphor can also be ambushed by enemies, and there is always a high potential that it will either end up being a fatal encounter or the party will walk away severely wounded, thereby requiring players to spend precious MP and consumables to regain health. Whereas players have to attack enemies in the field and build up their stun meter to effectively ambush them, enemies only need to hit players once to trigger an ambush that grants them the advantage.
One of the biggest disadvantages to being ambushed by enemies in battle is that there is a chance for the player's party members to be inflicted with Metaphor: ReFantazio's Anxiety status effect. Once they are afflicted with Anxiety, party members behave semi-erratically, unable to control Archetype skills. Furthermore, enemies who attack Anxiety-afflicted party members won't use a turn icon in doing so.
The Persona series also features ambush mechanics for players to take advantage of, but Metaphor: ReFantazio almost makes ambushing its enemies a requirement.
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Leon Strohl Is the Game’s Breakout Star
Of all the characters in Metaphor: ReFantazio, Leon Strohl is arguably the best on account of his kindness, compassion, strength, and leadership.
Persona 6 Should Take a Cue From Metaphor: ReFantazio's Approach to Difficulty
Persona 6 is still little more than a rumor, as it has yet to be officially announced. That being said, plenty of rumors and leaks have suggested that it will be revealed by the end of 2024, and there is very little reason to suspect that it might never see the light of day at all after the massive success of Persona 5. In light of that, Persona 6 may have its hands full after the difficulty of Metaphor: ReFantazio's gameplay, as it is now arguably obligated to provide players with a more challenging experience than the Persona series ever has.
All in all, Persona 6 should take a cue from Metaphor: ReFantazio and ensure it is just as challenging, not for the sake of artificially increasing its length, but to provide players with more engaging combat encounters where it feels like every decision they make actually matters. Again, it's not that the Persona series has been far too easy, but that Metaphor's refreshing change of pace when it comes to difficulty makes it a much more rewarding experience.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 93 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- 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
WHERE TO PLAY
From the creative minds behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 comes Metaphor: ReFantazio, a unique fantasy world, where your protagonist will journey alongside his fairy companion, Gallica, to lift the curse from the kingdom’s lost prince.
Control your destiny, face your fears, and awaken magical Archetype powers that lie dormant in your heart. By awakening to an Archetype, you will unlock the power to channel and combine the abilities of unique job classes. Strengthen your bonds and build your party to take down powerful foes and discover the kingdom’s true nature.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
