Metaphor: ReFantaziohas beennominated for Game of the Yearat The Game Awards, and although I think it deserves this recognition, I also can’t seem to finish it. This starkly contrasts its competitor and fellow JRPG,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, which I’ve sunk several days’ worth of playtime into. I’m also a big fan of Atlus’ RPGs,having playedPersona 4 GoldenandPersona 5 Royalmultiple times. Sowhy isMetaphor: ReFantaziogiving me so much trouble?
It’s certainly not because of any technical failings. In many ways,Metaphoris a much more engaging experience than some of Atlus’s other games. It also has a topical story that feels almost perfectly timed. As a fan of political stories, it also happens to align with my personal interests. And yet,the game just can’t seem to hook me.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Is A Major Step Forward For Atlus
Metaphor: ReFantazio Improves On Atlus’s Formula From Previous Games
While Atlus RPGs are a personal favorite of mine, it’s hard to ignore that they have some flaws. Common complaints about thePersonaseries in particular include overly long intro sections and the need to grind random encounters in each dungeon to advance. Older entries in the series also made it difficult to know which NPCs could be interacted with on a given day, forcing players to waste time running around the map to check their usual haunts.
Metaphor: ReFantaziohas managed to keep all the attractive elements of Atlus games while also addressing these complaints. For starters, the introductory section ofMetaphordoesn’t seem to drag as long. It also helps that Atlus allowed players the chance toplay through the introduction for freedays before the official release. This meant that when the actual game came out, players could jump right into the action.
Perhaps the greatest ofMetaphor: ReFantazio’s innovations on Atlus’ formula is how it handles random encounters. Once players have exceeded the level of an enemy on the overworld, they no longer have to enter a full turn-based battle to defeat them. Instead, players can hit them with basic attacks that are now available during exploration, quickly taking them out and earning some XP. This makes retreading ground to level up a much less tedious experience, as players can quickly farm XP without having to go through an entire battle full of long attack animations.
Metaphor: ReFantazio: Every Follower, Ranked From Worst To Best
Metaphor: ReFantazio has 14 different followers for players to get to know, however, you may not have time to bond with all of them, so choose wisely.
Metaphor: ReFantazioalso adds several good quality-of-life improvements. This includes menus that easily show which NPCs are available for quests or interactions, so it’s no longer necessary to walk around looking for them. The game also allows players to switch up the class of their party members in the middle of dungeons, making it much easier to get the right party composition without having to return to a safe point and swap out characters. These improvements to Atlus’ formula likely went a long way toward earning the game its award nominations.
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Story Perfectly Aligns With Today’s Political Climate
Metaphor: ReFantazio Critiques Power-Hungry Populists & The Electorate
Another possible reasonMetaphor: ReFantazioearned its GOTY nomination is its timeliness.The game’s story centers around an election, with the player attempting to stop antagonist Louis Guiabern from taking control. Louis is a populist who uses the idea of a meritocracy to further his own selfish desire for power. It’s hard not to see parallels between the game and current political movements, especially whenMetaphor: ReFantaziowas released less than a month before the U.S. General election.
It would be wrong to suggest that Louis is an easy one-to-one metaphor for a specific real-world politician, but his tactics are not unfamiliar. His focus on meritocracy, for instance, mirrors many talking points of right-wing populist movements in the United States that profess the idea of the American Dream as one of their selling points. Louis’ open antagonism to Sanctism is also not unlike the anti-elitist and anti-establishment sentiments that are major talking points for politicians like Donald Trump.
It seems highly unlikely that Atlus wasn’t trying to make the game relevant to today’s political climate; after all,the game is literally calledMetaphor, so not reading into its story and message would be a mistake. The game’s political commentary likely earned it some extra consideration from critics and helped it earn its nomination. In terms of my own taste, this should again mean thatMetaphor: ReFantaziois right up my alley. After all, a big reason I enjoyFinal Fantasy 7so much is its radical takes on environmentalism and capitalism. And yet…
Despite Its Accomplishments, I Can’t Seem To Finish Metaphor ReFantazio
In a lot of ways,Metaphor: ReFantaziofeels like an updated version of thePersonaseries, some of my favorite games. It also has an engaging and topical story that ties into my interest in politics. And yet, I can’t seem to bring myself to play the game for more than a few hours at a time, spaced out across long gaps. I don’t have nearly the same drive to finish the game as I do withPersonatitles, and when I eventually do finish it, I find it unlikely I’ll be replaying it.
I was surprised to find myself so uninterested inMetaphor: ReFantazio’s characters, when Atlus has always had a talent for making me care about my party members.
One major reason I thinkMetaphorhas struggled to keep my attention is that its characters feel bland. This is ironic, as their visual design is unique. TakeHeismay, an adorable little bat ninjawho is mourning the loss of his son. While visually Heismay is unique to the world ofMetaphor, the character feels very much like a one-note, wise mentor figure. Perhaps his character becomes more interesting at some point in the game, but so farMetaphorhasn’t given me a reason to care enough to find out.
I was surprised to find myself so uninterested inMetaphor: ReFantazio’s characters, when Atlus has always had a talent for making me care about my party members.Persona 4’s Kanji Tatsumi, for instance, initially seemed like the exact type of stock bad-boy character I would hate, but I quickly discovered that he was much more nuanced and he eventually grew to be one of my favorites. In contrast, all of the party members I’ve met so far inMetaphorstart out blandly likable and have thus far just continued to be that.
Should You Buy The Phantasmal Doll In Metaphor: ReFantazio
For a very expensive accessory early in Metaphor: ReFantazio, here is whether you should buy the Phantasmal Doll or if you spend your money elsewhere.
This blandness also bleeds over a bit into the game’s soundtrack. While the game’s menus are beautifully stylized, the music feels very generic fantasy. I can’t help but feel that I would be more invested in playing the game if it had a more stylish and engaging soundtrack, similar to thePersonagames. The music isn’t necessarily bad, but it just isn’t something that gets me pumped up enough to feel engaged in battles or exploration.
While I have my criticisms ofMetaphor: ReFantazio, I still wouldn’t consider it a bad game. On paper, it should be one of my favorites. Each time I pick it up, I do so with the hope that this play session will be the one that sparks the same obsessive urge to continue that I have felt with Atlus’ previous titles. However, as of now, I still haven’t had that spark of inspiration that I’ll need to get through the game’s full 65-hour runtime.
