Atlus has been having a strong 2024, which kicked off with the release of Persona 3 Reload and was followed by titles like Unicorn Overlord, Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, and most recently, Metaphor: ReFantazio. The JRPG juggernaut is highly regarded for creating expansive worlds and beloved characters for players to experience, and Metaphor: ReFantazio delivers those in spades. However, the game still seems lacking in one area compared to what Persona 3 Reload was able to achieve earlier this year.
Despite not being directly related to the Persona series, Metaphor: ReFantazio draws an easy comparison to Atlus' other popular franchises due to the similar mechanics the two share. Aside from the iconic Press Turn combat system from Shin Megami Tensei and the calendar system from Persona games, Metaphor: ReFantazio is the most similar to the latter series in its use of social mechanics that allow players to build bonds with characters to enhance their combat potential. While these Followers act like Persona's Social Links, Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn't feature the same magnitude of voiced lines for Follower rank-up events as Persona 3 Reload.
Metaphor: ReFantazio's Difficulty Sets a High Bar for Persona 6 to Clear
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a far more challenging experience than the Persona series has been, effectively setting the bar high for Persona 6 to clear.
Persona 3 Reload's Fully-Voiced Social Links Were a Tough Act for Metaphor: ReFantazio to Follow
As a remake of the PS2's Persona 3, Atlus went all-out to ensure Persona 3 Reload was the definitive version of the game, despite omitting the fan-favorite female protagonist option from Persona 3 Portable. In an effort to expand the content available in Persona 3 Reload, the game's iconic Social Links were given a major overhaul to include full-voiced lines of dialogue for rank-up events. As a result, Persona 3 Reload featured the most voiced lines of dialogue of any game in the series.
With the bar for voiced lines of dialogue set high by Persona 3 Reload, it's not surprising to see that Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn't make as extensive use of its voice acting as P3R. In particular, the lack of voice acting during the majority of Follower rank-up scenes can be felt when compared to the fully-voiced scenes in Persona 3 Reload. As a result, Metaphor: ReFantazio's excellent voice performances don't get as much of a chance to shine in-game as Persona 3 Reload' s do.
The initial scenes of forging a bond with a Follower in Metaphor: ReFantazio include voiced dialogue, but subsequent rank-up scenes are largely missing that same voice acting.
Metaphor: ReFantazio's Voiced Protagonist Lines Help Make Up the Difference
While Metaphor: ReFantazio may be lacking the same number of voiced Follower rank-up scenes as Persona 3 Reload's Social Links, it somewhat makes up for it by giving the protagonist more of a voice. Although Persona protagonists do tend to have voiced lines of dialogue, they are typically limited and mostly include the protagonist shouting the name of the Persona they are summoning. When it comes to voiced lines of dialogue in conversation, players usually only get to choose the response they want and the other characters react without ever hearing the protagonist speak it.
Metaphor: Refantazio, on the other hand, allows the protagonist to actually speak a line of dialogue based on the response selected by the player. This system helps the protagonist grow into more of a character that can be shaped to a degree by the player's dialogue choices, which goes a long way toward supporting the protagonist's role as a participant in the quest for Euchronia's crown. While Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn't go as far as Persona 3 Reload with its voiced dialogue, it uses voice acting in its own unique way that deserves to be a blueprint for future Atlus games, potentially including Persona 6.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
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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.
- PC Release Date
- October 11, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 11, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 11, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 65 Hours
- How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
- 104 hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 81.15 GB
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
