Summary
Updated digital store and wishlist pages for Atlus' upcomingMetaphor: ReFantaziohave described how its dungeon crawling and social simulation gameplay loop differs from thePersonafranchise.Metaphor: ReFantaziowas first announced in June 2023as a brand-new IP from Atlus, tackling a pure high fantasy setting instead of the urban fantasy genre like in theShin Megami TenseiorPersonafranchises. Despite the setting change,Metaphor Re:Fantaziohas been shown to share DNA with Atlus' past works.
Trailers and screenshots ofMetaphor: ReFantaziofeature a number of familiar gameplay hooks and quirks fromPersonaandShin Megami Tensei. These include a day-night cycle and social simulation elements fromPersonaand a unique iteration of the Press-Turn battle system from the mainlineShin Megami Tenseigames, among others.Atlusrecently gave a rundown on how these elements are utilized inMetaphor: ReFantazioand how its gameplay loop differs fromPersonaspecifically.
These details were shared on updated versions ofMetaphor: ReFantazio’s PlayStation Storeand Steam pages. Both descriptions give some insight intothe differences betweenMetaphor: ReFantazioand thePersonaseries. 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 previousPersonagames that allowed players to interact with them during the day.
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Key Features:
Much like thePersonaseries, time management is key inMetaphor: ReFantazio. Screenshots show a look at the game’s main menu, listing features like Calendar and Memoradum, which areMetaphor: ReFantazio’s iterations onPersona’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 screenshot shows one ofMetaphor: ReFantazio’s social stats, Eloquence, which can be increased by the player giving a speech that wins the citizens over. Other social interactions with the game’s party were also featured in these screenshots, such as training with Hulkenberg or cooking with Strohl.
Metaphor: ReFantazioalso allows the player to explore a number of different dungeons and towns, with the gauntlet runner being described as a means of transportation between towns. In terms of dungeon crawling and combat,Metaphor: ReFantaziohas the Archetype system, which seems to be a combination of RPG job classes and thePersonaseries' titular Personas. These differences between these two games should make for interesting comparison discussions whenMetaphor: ReFantaziolaunches later this Fall.
