What lessons can we draw from the fiction we love the most? Do they only serve as a way to have fun and escape reality, or can they make a difference in our lives? I have played almost every role-playing game produced by Atlus, therefore the answer to your last query is definitely “yes.” Metaphor: ReFantazio explores these issues via the prism of a politically charged fantasy role-playing game, addressing them in both concrete and abstract ways, demonstrating the true power of the narratives that video games can convey. Even if it seems familiar at moments, it also explores uncharted ground with a clear message and empathy that permeates its terrible reality. A metaphor makes a strong message that is timeless and relevant to our society today, examining the greatest and worst aspects of humanity, from its most private moments to the grand gestures in its main tale.
You are placed as a young man in the heartless Kingdom of Euchronia with little to no pretense. After the assassination of the current king and the subsequent coma of his only son, with whom you share an inexplicable bond, an enchanted election ensues in which contenders, including you, vie for the vacant throne. The inner workings of the election process and your role within it change and evolve as the roughly 80-hour story unfolds, but this setup serves as the compelling drama that propels you through a land plagued with racism, inequality, poverty, religious extremism, and exploitation.
These are the fundamental themes of Metaphor, and they are not only decorative elements; a cursory reading will reveal how it unabashedly conveys its essentially progressive political viewpoint. The narrative constantly shows an awareness of the mechanisms that give rise to such an awful world as you make alliances, engage with those who represent these fights, and travel across the country to win the favor of civilizations that appear to be at odds with one another. It is not interested in subtext, which is advantageous for a game named Metaphor because it makes Atlus’ position clear.
It would be absurd to reject the reality that Persona and Shin Megami Tensei are RPGs that serve as the foundation for metaphor. Especially the Persona framework is very useful for delving into its topics and enabling you to form deep connections with the people and events at the ground level. You follow a daily calendar system; as time passes and the coming of age of a new king approaches, decisions about how to spend your divided afternoons and evenings become just as important as ensuring that you fulfill the primary goals that propel the main events of the game.
As a result, you manage to establish relationships, go through dungeons crawling with monsters, meet the deadlines for the main objective, and do all of that within a constrained time frame. It maintains a sense of momentum that makes sense within the framework of the tale since it uses noticeably less fluff than other Atlus ventures.
There’s both a comfort in old systems and an excitement in how they are thrown up.
Consider the Royal Virtue and Bond/Follower systems, which are essentially sophisticated versions of Persona’s social numbers and connections. Since the requirements for leveling up bonds are made more apparent and progress in virtue stats is displayed, there is less uncertainty about how and when you rank up. It is one method Metaphor uses to more effectively and efficiently offer solutions that are already compelling. You will connect with people from different walks of life who are all victims of an unjust society in one way or another, which encourages you to see its entire message. Furthermore, spending time to assist in lifting those who have been left to rot in their sorrow has a thematic coherence for a story about winning the trust and support of people all around the world.
Sidequests are a great way to pass the time in between missions; they transport you to several optional dungeons throughout the realm under the pretense of finding bounties or helping out an NPC. These offer additional variety in combat, with challenging opponents strewn across these carefully designed dungeons. Dungeon layout formulas can become a bit monotonous after a while, but they provide a satisfying challenge that counterbalances the social components of Metaphor. Rewarding incentives will also be given to you; these could include cash, better gear, a ton of experience points for leveling up, or a social standing ranking.
You have a limited amount of time in the calendar system, so planning days out of your schedule to explore dungeons and sidequests is more thoughtful than making an impulsive trip to Persona 5’s Momentos. You are also continuously moving, which contributes to the primary story’s sense of a traveling experience. It is such a great idea to have your home base be a sleek, steampunk-inspired spacecraft with mechanical legs that you use to roam around as your home base since it will help your traveling band bond. In the intervals between locations, it can also be used as a hub to enhance specific relationships, virtues, or battle stats… Metaphor excels at keeping you engaged and providing goals to strive for, allowing all of its gameplay elements to logically reinforce one another.
However, Metaphor would not be complete without a tough, turn-based battle. It is based on the SMT press-turn system, which grants extra actions for taking advantage of elemental weaknesses and assigns turn icons to both your team and your opponents. These well-known structures provide a sense of security, but there is also excitement in the way metaphors alter things. Archetypes, essentially a class-based job system that offers entertaining tools to fill various positions in your party of four, is largely to blame for that.
Because each party member can specialize in any of the Archetypes and carry over talents from past characters they have leveled up, it offers a level of flexibility not found in other Atlus RPGs. Additionally, the way your party is assembled can lead to some really interesting combat scenarios. As the game progresses, you will find more complex Archetypes with incredibly inventive mechanics, particularly when you take into account the Synthesis attacks. Each Archetype has a unique move set, but you can also use Synthesis attacks, which can be crucial in taking down the hardest bosses. These attacks can unleash potent spells for multiple hits or give you a significant strategic advantage through special buffs.
Synthesis attacks, elemental affinities, and archetypes are combined with tried-and-true mechanics that have been updated or redesigned to produce something new. Even though many of Metaphor’s most difficult encounters resemble turn-based puzzles, coming up with a strategy to defeat opponents who have unique traits or are just extremely strong is extremely exciting. Learning how to use the tools within the system’s flexible RPG development gives you a sense of satisfaction that goes beyond feeling like you are manipulating it.
A few more improvements lessen the sometimes-boring grind that comes with turn-based role-playing games. A straightforward real-time action component is woven in to liven things up, allowing you to outmaneuver opponents early on and gain the upper hand when engaging in a fight. Additionally, because you can hack and slash low-level adversaries without ever having to engage in a turn-based battle, it greatly reduces the boredom of sifting through fodder. In addition, Metaphor is kind in providing you with items to level up your Archetypes outside of battle. It rewards you with these items for employing max-level Archetypes, which you may use to strengthen your other alternatives. Metaphor is a clever development that condenses the finest elements of Atlus’ RPGs in terms of gameplay, including its social sim and combat systems.
Verdict
Metaphor: ReFantazio is somewhat recognizable, but Atlus takes the ideas from its already fantastic role-playing games and polishes them so you can navigate its harsh—and occasionally exquisite—new fantasy world with ease. The social features have been simplified to more effectively convey the key plot points of the stories they tell, and the Archetype system and all the new nuances it brought to the turn-based fights are built upon a solid foundation. Its remarkable journey sets itself apart from many that have come before it because of the sense of adventure you get from exploring the kingdom and the strong sense of purpose you have to do so. After spending eighty hours finishing the book on Metaphor, I was struck by the message’s distinct warmth—one that is fueled by the principles of a just society deftly placed within a distinctive metanarrative. Metaphor: ReFantazio is utopian and poetic at moments, but it also recognizes the complexity of the situation, the need for effort to bring about change, and the fact that even fantastical tales can inspire us to improve the world.
