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Upcoming JRPG Is One of the Highest-Rated Games of 2024

By Dominik Bošnjak

Published Oct 7, 2024

Dominik Bošnjak is a freelance writer from Croatia. He has been writing about games for as long as he can remember and began doing so professionally circa 2010. If he was forced to pick a favorite genre, he'd go with RPGs, but he wasn't, so he didn't.

Summary

Metaphor: ReFantazio reviews have opened with a 92 aggregate score on OpenCritic.
Atlus's new JRPG is hence currently the fourth highest-rated game of 2024.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is scheduled for release on October 11.

The Metaphor: ReFantazio review embargo has been lifted, with the ensuing wave of reviews immediately positioning the JRPG as one of the highest-rated games of 2024. Based on this initial reception, it would appear that Atlus managed to create yet another standout role-playing experience with Metaphor: ReFantazio.

The upcoming RPG has been in pre-production since at least December 2016, when it was announced as Project Re:Fantasy. Atlus then treated it to a full-fledged reveal during the June 2023 Xbox Games Showcase. Metaphor: ReFantazio is scheduled to hit the market on October 11.

Metaphor ReFantazio combat and animated cutscenes

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By Eduardo Ariedo

Metaphor: ReFantazio Reviews Open With an Aggregate Score of 92

Ahead of its release, the game's review embargo was lifted on Monday, October 7. The ensuing wave of Metaphor: ReFantazio reviews has been overwhelmingly positive, as underlined by the fact that the game currently boasts a "Mighty" rating on OpenCritic. This elusive label is derived from an aggregate score of 92 and a near-perfect 98% reviewer recommendation rate, which makes it the fourth highest-rated game of 2024 so far. Since the review embargo was only lifted a few hours ago as of this writing, it's possible that the JRPG's place in OpenCritic's yearly rankings will change in the coming days.

As things stand right now, Metaphor: ReFantazio is rated higher than numerous critically acclaimed 2024 games, including Balatro, Fate/Stay Night Remastered, and Tekken 8. The JRPG might still feasibly leap over Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon, Type-Moon's visual novel that has the same aggregate score but a perfect recommendation rate on OpenCritic. Doing so would require it to at least match Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's average score of 93.

Top 10 Highest-Rated Games of 2024 So Far, According to OpenCritic

No.	Game	Top Critic Average	Recommendation Rate	Release Date
1.	Astro Bot	95	99%	Sep 6
2.	Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth	93	99%	Feb 29
3.	Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon	92	100%	Jun 27
4.	Metaphor: ReFantazio	92	98%	Oct 11
5.	Fate/Stay Night Remastered	92	92%	Aug 7
6.	Balatro	91	100%	Feb 20
6.	Satisfactory	91	100%	Sep 11
8.	Castlevania Dominus Collection	90	100%	Aug 27
8.	The Crimson Diamond	90	100%	Aug 15
10.	Tekken 8	90	99%	Jan 25

The Best War Games's own review of Metaphor: ReFantazio praised the game for its awe-inspiring art direction, thought-provoking and thematically rich narrative, and extremely compelling combat with "one of the best RPG job systems" ever conceived, among numerous other qualities. Similar sentiments were echoed by many other reviewers, with the game receiving widespread plaudits for delivering a meaningful evolution of Atlus's gameplay formula that the company has been refining with the Shin Megami Tensei franchise and all of its numerous spin-offs across five decades by now.

In terms of rare complaints, some reviewers have seemingly taken issue with the fact that Metaphor: ReFantazio plays too similarly to the Persona series, labeling its overall design as too derivative to merit a perfect score. But Atlus fans might perceive this as a pro rather than a con, not least because Persona has been the company's most successful franchise for a while now. Review minutiae aside, it would appear that Atlus's first attempt at making a new IP in over a decade has yielded some masterful results, and that JRPG fans thus have much to look forward to on October 11.

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JRPG

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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

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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
Genre(s): RPG, JRPG, Action, Adventure
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

Fighting a battle in the Regalith Grand Cathedral dungeon in Metaphor ReFantazio

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