Metaphor: ReFantazio Is More Than A Stylish Persona Spin-Off
Following the success of Persona 5, game director Katsura Hashino sensed he and the series were going in different directions. Rather than follow the series’ trajectory to, presumably, another place of higher learning, Hashino rallied forth a team intent on venturing into a new genre: high fantasy.
Enter Metaphor: ReFantazio, a new IP being developed by a new branch of Atlus, Studio Zero. Yet despite working under a new name–and the desire to pivot away from Persona–my time with Metaphor: ReFantazio reassured me that the game will be familiar and every bit as stylish as the critically acclaimed RPG series. Even more importantly, however, it also proved to me that the team’s new IP will usher forth a new era for Atlus–one filled with the spirit of adventure and perhaps even more focus on the human condition.
The portion of the game I played at Summer Game Fest 2024 was divided into three sections: one focused on the game’s archetype system, one focused on the game’s dungeoneering (which Hashino told me will play a much bigger role than Persona dungeons), and a final chapter showcasing a boss battle.