Atlus
guide into my demo ofMetaphor : ReFantazioat Summer Game Fest Play years , I was concerned that I would n’t be able to glean much from 45 moment of playtime . While all of its trailers have been visually striking , I had n’t really gotten a gumption of how it played and marvel if Atlus and Studio Zero had gone too far with ocular flair follow the positive reaction toPersona 5’suser user interface . gratefully , Metaphor : ReFantaziofelt more intimate than I ’d expect .
Metaphor : ReFantaziofeels like an double-dyed expression at the kind of RPGs Atlus ’ best developer would make if they were n’t throttle to the ogre - collecting features ingrained into the meat ofShin Megami TenseiandPersona . It has all the visual elan , as well as the in - depth RPG systems , of those games , but assign the gameplay focussing more on Archetypes , which are fundamentally character classes , party phallus positioning , and Synergy ability . It ’s shape up to be well worth the metre of any Atlus RPG rooter .
The first part ofMetaphor : ReFantaziothat I play was an former game slice that familiarized me with the basics of its story and gameplay . The full tale is about player competing in something called the Royal Tournament , but these early game exchanges were more thematically drive , suggest thatMetaphor : ReFantaziowill delve into the anxieties we all feel about our own identities and how societies that often like to portray themselves as utopias are often still fill with political corruption and prejudice against those thought of as different .
As an adventure that will likely last upwardly of 100 hours , I was n’t able-bodied to glean more than that . I did get a dear feel for the gameplay , though . dungeon make their high-minded return here and finger a bit more expansive and interactive than what ’s distinctive in Atlus RPGs . Players can in reality attack foe and take some impairment before even entering a fight . If the enemy are washy enough , battles can even be avoided all told .
Once I inscribe a engagement , I establish flashy UI , but conversant gameplay . If you ’ve ever play a turn - based RPG before , that ’s the center ofMetaphor : ReFantazio , with the major tweak being that the actor can only do a certain figure of natural process every act rather than every political party member getting one fire . Going to the second part of the demo , I saw the big feature of the plot : original .
Essentially , rather than have players recruit demons or create Personas , Metaphor : ReFantaziohas a chore system that you would discover in a game likeBravely Default . These pilot have names like Warrior , Seeker , and Masked Dancer and come up with singular peaceful buffs and power . For example , the Seeker is a very supporting - oriented archetype . On top of that , there are very hefty deduction onslaught that use a lot of routine actions .
Once I got my headland around this system , I notice thatMetaphor : ReFantaziois really a pretty familiar - feeling RPG , albeit one with a lot of ocular dash revolutionize by anime and European architecture . It wo n’t do anything to advance genre haters over , but the gameplay systems sang as I entered the net part of my demo , a speculator boss conflict on the Gauntlet Runner that serves as players ’ fluid bag of surgery .
Considering that the Gauntlet Runner will also be home to this game ’s version of societal contact , which meliorate various “ Virtues ” of the main type , Persona fans should receive a lot of familiarly here as well . It ’s great to see the creator of Persona finally get their fortune at a new IP . Studio Zero and Atlus take a twosome of bold swing , but are still making the kind of game they are best at .
Metaphor : ReFantaziowill be bring out for PC , PlayStation 4 , PS5 , Xbox One , and Xbox Series X / S will be unloose on October 11 .
