Metaphor: ReFantazio is another unforgettable RPG from the Persona creators

It would have been all too easy for Atlus to deny the creative forces behind Person 3, 4 and 5 the chance to strike out on their own.

While the Persona franchise enjoyed niche popularity on the PS2, the coming out party of Persona 5 and its subsequent spin-offs had made the series a mainstay of modern gaming. Persona 6 is surely in development as we write this, but with Metaphor: ReFantazio, Studio Zero has firmly established another RPG franchise that can stand alongside the Japanese school-em-up, and even improve future Personas.

For all the ways Metaphor: ReFantazio is like Persona, the game tries its best to establish its differences from the outset. The game takes place in a fantasy setting, about as far away from the busy streets of Akihabara as you can imagine. The aesthetics are lifted from fantasy books rather than the popping, harsh colors of manga and anime. The soundtrack, no longer built on J-Rock anthems and ear-worm beats, is instead full of orchestral scores and chanting.

If you’re a Persona veteran, your eye will catch more than a few similarities, and intentional references, but after a few hours, we stopped thinking about the game as simply ‘fantasy Persona’ and instead as its own confident, incredibly well-made RPG.

Metaphor: ReFantazio follows the story of a kingdom in chaos after the death of its monarch. The true heir is unable to ascend to the throne due to being inflicted with a curse, and it’s your job to break it. Each in-game day, players will be able to do one activity in the afternoon, and one in the evening. Major dungeons must be completed before the in-game deadline, or the quest will fail and you’ll have to reset several days. The challenge is fitting in all of the activities you want to do in the time allotted before the deadline.

The activities vary in scope from traditional side missions and optional dungeons to conversations with your party. These conversations increase your bond with your party which can lead to more combat options,