Metaphor: ReFantazio aims to be among 2024's best RPGs
The last time I had a chance to check out the upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio was during Summer Game Fest back in June, and while I walked away pleased with what I played, I had a number of lingering questions left on my mind. 45 minutes was not nearly enough time to get to grips with Metaphor's gameplay loop, doubly so when that time was itself split into 3 separate demos. I got a taste of the game's combat at its most basic form, its visuals, and a very tiny taste of the story - and not much else, accordingly. Trade Show demos for games are intensely limiting at the best of times, and never is it more apparent than when trying to get a feel for an upcoming RPG that will likely take the player close to 100 hours for completion.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the second time around was a much different affair. While the artstyle impressed me last time, this go around the demo both looked and ran noticeably better. We had roughly 4 hours worth of playtime which we could tackle mostly at our leisure, and indeed the first half of the event was focused entirely on the opening hours of the game. Metaphor wastes no time getting your hands dirty; by the end of the first 2 hour session, I'd already amassed a party of 3 characters, each with multiple archetypes under their belt, and having dealt with mutliple bosses - including an optional dragon. All along the way you quickly learn the backstory for your main character, why they have a connection to the Royal Tournament in the first place.
I won't go into too much details about the finer elements of the story; even in those opening hours there are hints at what the otherwise simple story of succession might turn into, yet at the same time any theories will doubtlessly be woefully incomplete with so little time invested in the game. While the story implications intrigued me, that's not exactly what has me chomping at the bit to play more - that would be the gameplay loop.
The second half of the preview event dropped us into a later save, with the Royal Tournament well under way. We had just recruited the party member Heismay, but he has a few loose-ends to deal with before the story can progress. Much like in Persona, however, there is a time limit that allows you to complete other side objectives before necessarily being forced to complete the next main scenario mission. To that end, I opted to procrastinate, and see what else the world may have in store for me. Around town I could find any number of sidequests to accept, but it wasn't too long after I started accepting tasks that would take my gauntlet runner - imagine an airship, but with legs - away from the village that a party member reminded me to be careful when prioritizing which quests to do, and in what order.
While previous Atlus games have toyed with the idea of time management, the entirety of Metaphor's gameplay loop revolves around an emphasized version of the system. Sure, I could take on a quest that takes me directly East from town; but if the distance is so long, it may not be worth it if there's only one point of interest relating to one objective along the way. If even using the gauntlet runner will cost me precious time that I could spend doing anything else, it's best to ensure you're truly prepared - and that you're not simply throwing good time away that could be better spent elsewhere.
To that end, there is a truly astonishing amount of side-objectives on display at any given moment. I opted to take a quest that would drive me south from a village to an ancient tomb, in search of treasure; along the way, I crossed paths with another guantlet runner, leading to an all-out brawl between myself and another competitor for the throne. Even knowing what you want to accomplish and where sometimes isn't enough; and you'll have to consider not just what you intend to do, but perhaps what other NPCs might be doing, too.
Before I had made my trip, I was able to purchase information from a broker in the villages tavern, which alerted me to a specific quirk of a boss enemy in the very same tomb I opted to face. This particular dungeon was full of mimics, and these can be especially dangerous without the right preparation. They can put you to sleep if you aren't wearing equipment that will protect against it, and while they have their weaknesses, they can hit surprisingly hard - requiring full attention to the status of your party. However, thanks to the information I'd purchased, I knew something that otherwise wasn't immediately obvious - some enemies have specific weaknesses to particular Archetypes, and vice-versa.
Mimics, being fake treasure chests, have a particular love of gold, and the Merchant Archetype's attacks that use currency as fuel can leave them enraptured; skipping their turn at random. With the main boss of the tomb being a particularly strong mimic, it was the difference between life and death. Information is clearly the player's most consistent weapon in Metaphor, and during a round table Q&A it was confirmed that many enemies will have unique reactions to specific Archetypes and their skills, even divorced from the existing Press Turn system. Some will be weak to specific archetypes, but what stood out to me was the acknowledgment that the opposite is just as true - with some enemies being particularly adept at challenging specific Archetypes.
If I'd wanted, there were many other paths for me to take - bulletin boards list particularly strong enemies that can be found in specific areas, bounties for which you can be rewarded for slaying. Obviously, other sidequests with specific objectives in mind - or even, yes, the main scenario. One theme of Metaphor was said to be the feeling of anxiety, and overcoming that primal fear; it's not hard to see how the game was designed with that theme in mind at its very core. You're always having to choose one thing over another, and while I'm sure that won't appeal to every RPG player out there - finally getting a chance to see how that plays out in action has me sold.
For a 2024 already absolutely packed with RPGs, Metaphor has managed to stand out from the crowd. Atlus' bid to make a brand new fantasy RPG was already off to a promising start, yet after what I've played I can tell that this one has a real chance to be something special. Stay tuned for our full review once we get closer to the game's October 11 launch for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam).