Metaphor: ReFantazio TGS 2024 Hands-On Preview And Gameplay Video – The Next Fantastic RPG

ATLUS has produced numerous spectacular and beloved role-playing games over the past few decades. A lot of those titles have been part of the Shin Megami Tensei or Persona franchises. Persona 3, 4, and 5 director Katsura Hashino established a new studio in 2016, named Studio Zero, with the goal to create and work on new IP. The first one was announced as Project Re:Fantasy. This would later be renamed to Metaphor: ReFantazio, and it was the star of the ATLUS’ lineup at parent company SEGA’s Tokyo Game Show 2024 booth.

Metaphor: ReFantazio has a number of major Persona alums working on it, such as character designer Shigenori Soejima, composer Shoji Meguro, writer Yuichiro Tanaka, and designer Azusa Kido. And not least of all, Katsura Hashino stepping back into the director’s chair for the project.

Basically, imagine if the Persona team made a high fantasy RPG filled with an epic journey and a kingdom at stake.

The official premise synopsis reads:

“This is a story of how people must find unity to elect a new king.

Our story takes place in The United Kingdom of Euchronia, where the assassination of the king brings chaos and unrest to the land. Then, one fateful day, a magic known only to the king called the Royal Magic is invoked, and the world becomes embroiled in a royal tournament for the throne.

In the midst of this, the protagonist, together with his partner, the fairy Gallica, must find a way to break the curse that has been placed on the prince that the kingdom believes to be dead. To do so, they depart on a journey across the vast land.

They will discover that in order to achieve their goal, they must participate in the tournament for the throne, and this great task shall require them to ally with many friends and followers of the various tribes inhabiting the world.”

Metaphor is filled with dungeons to explore, various characters to discover and get to know, and a grand adventure for you to go on. Combat is turn-based but like recent Persona games, it’s fast and snappy, with slick menus and animations. The presentation and pacing make the turn-based combat all the more engaging, responsive, and satisfying. Simply put, the combat is plenty fun and rewarding, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t often like turn-based battles.

As probably expected, Metaphor: ReFantazio is oozing with style and a very unique one at that. There’s a fair amount of European fantasy aesthetic, joined with more anime-style character, creature, and mechanical designs. The end result is a style and flavor that feels like an awesome fusion of east and west to create something that feels fresh.

This couldn’t be represented any better than Metaphor’s battle theme, which is a mostly orchestral and operatic but then also features a fast-paced chanting by Keisuke Honryo, chief priest of Myojoji in Kanagawa, Japan. It’s one of the most wildly unique video game tracks I’ve heard in a long time, and you can’t help but feel epic and amped up simultaneously when you hear it.

Immediately after from my hands-on time, I knew Metaphor: ReFantazio was going to be something special. It seems my gut instinct was right, as early reviews glowing with praise and a Metacritic average sitting at 94 at the time of writing. This is a game that is not only looking to be one of the best JRPGs or RPGs of the year, but downright one of the best games of the year.

If you’re still skeptical, you can download the demo available now or you can watch my gameplay from TGS 2024 below.

Metaphor: ReFantazio releases on October 11, 2024 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series consoles, and PC.

Thank you to SEGA for having me at their booth at Tokyo Game Show 2024.

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