When the time came to do Metaphor: ReFantazio, developer Atlus had one guiding principle: create a video game that was the culmination of all the beloved role-playing games the company had created before. “We decided to challenge the fantasy genre,” director Katsura Hashino said this week during an online demo of the game. Atlus has been making games for about 35 years and wanted to put together an all-star team to commemorate the anniversary.
Hashino has been instrumental throughout the Persona series; following Persona 5Following its release, he left P-Studio (the team working on the Persona games) to start Studio Zero, another internal Atlus group. For Metaphor, Studio Zero brought in Persona character artist Shigenori Soejima and composer Shoji Meguro. They also brought in guest developers Koda Kazuma, concept artist for NieR: automataand Ikuto Yamashita, one of the artists behind the beloved anime. Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Metaphor: ReFantazioe, scheduled to arrive on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X on October 11, will combine many of the social elements of the Persona series with a faster combat system and a new fantasy setting.
In Metaphor, the assassination of a king begins an election that will allow anyone to be the next ruler, as long as they gain enough support. That means the protagonist, who has his own quest, will need to form bonds with potential followers, earn rewards for killing monsters, explore dungeons, complete side jobs, and generally gather support.
Like the Persona games, there’s a social element at play, whether it’s building relationships with fans or hanging out with the game’s cast. There is no quick travel between destinations; Instead, players move around in mobile bases equipped with everything from living rooms to libraries to places to cook or do laundry. It’s reminiscent of Persona’s incredibly satisfying and totally mundane tasks that make the game feel more alive.
Hashino says that Metaphor allows players to build their squads using a job system based on powers called archetypes. “By facing their anxiety, the protagonists acquire these archetypes, a special power,” he said during Tuesday’s demonstration. “His powers manifest in various ways throughout the game.” They may sound similar to the enemies of the same name from the Persona games, but they are more akin to traditional battle styles. A seeker is a complete fighter, for example, while a mage fights with magic. Players can mix and match their groups as they like, including creating squads entirely with the same job.
Atlus is currently enjoying a renaissance thanks to the great popularity of games like Persona 5 in 2016 and Persona 3 rechargereleased in March. Rechargea remake of a PS2 title, became the best-selling game in Atlus’ history within its first week. Metaphor It retains much of the series’ flashy style and inventive combat. It’s a huge game, Hashino says, that “questions the power of fantasy, a power we all possess.”