Metaphor: ReFantazio's Gameplay Loop is Different From Persona

Updated digital store and wishlist pages for Atlus' upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio have described how its dungeon crawling and social simulation gameplay loop differs from the Persona franchise. Metaphor: ReFantazio was first announced in June 2023 as a brand-new IP from Atlus, tackling a pure high fantasy setting instead of the urban fantasy genre like in the Shin Megami Tensei or Persona franchises. Despite the setting change, Metaphor Re:Fantazio has been shown to share DNA with Atlus' past works.

Trailers and screenshots of Metaphor: ReFantazio feature a number of familiar gameplay hooks and quirks from Persona and Shin Megami Tensei. These include a day-night cycle and social simulation elements from Persona and a unique iteration of the Press-Turn battle system from the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games, among others. Atlus recently gave a rundown on how these elements are utilized in Metaphor: ReFantazio and how its gameplay loop differs from Persona specifically.

These details were shared on updated versions of Metaphor: ReFantazio's PlayStation Store and Steam pages. Both descriptions give some insight into the differences between Metaphor: ReFantazio and the Persona series. They specifically state that during the day, players can participate in dungeon crawling, quests, and treasure hunting, while the nighttime is dedicated to «increasing virtues.» This means that the social sim elements like building bonds via social links will be during the night, contrasting previous Persona games that allowed players to interact with them during the day.

Much like the Persona series, time management is key in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Screenshots show a look at the game's main menu, listing features like Calendar and Memoradum, which are Metaphor: ReFantazio's iterations on Persona's own calendar and social link systems. One screenshot shows how the days are tracked, counting down towards a mission deadline, along with the weather and current day on the right side. Another