If it is not abundantly clear, Metaphor: ReFantazio is the upcoming new JRPG by ATLUS – marked with fingerprints of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona design influences all over. After all, it is a game brought to you by the veteran developers of the Persona series, such as the likes of director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro.

Despite surface similarities, Metaphor: ReFantazio has so much more “beneath the mask” and is walking its own path – taking the best of both franchises to carve out its own identity that will stand alongside the two ATLUS giants. While at ATLUS FES in Bellesalle Akihabara, Tokyo, last weekend, we got to spend some time with the game, gleaning as much as we could as its stylish UI and art direction seduced us further.

This is a game of style, with ATLUS once again showcasing to everyone why they are the best when it comes to UI design. Not only is the information concise and clear but every bit and stroke of the UI is filled with personality – singing to you alongside the catchy rhythm of Shoji Meguro’s much more fantastical and orchestral score than his usual works as you made decisions in a tense turn-based battle.

In this demo, there are 3 available modes to try and we opted for the boss challenge run where we face the grotesque yet intriguing Sea Horror Homo Sabara. Fans of ATLUS titles will feel right at home, as Metaphor: ReFantazio houses a rather familiar combat system that takes cues from ATLUS’ past titles.

The turn-based battle system of Metaphor: ReFantazio adopts many elements from the Shin Megami Tensei series, particularly the Press Turn system, where the number of actions per turn increases when enemy weaknesses are exploited or critical hits occur. Of course, as a new franchise, your past knowledge of the demons in Shin Megami Tensei and Persona will no longer be applicable and you will have to figure out enemy weaknesses.

This is where the core highlight of Metaphor‘s gameplay comes in – the Archetype. Think of them like Personas but you can assign and change one for each party member, giving them a specific role to play around, especially in combination with the formation system. By default, the demo sets my entire team in the front row, and characters have abilities that only affect other allies in certain rows. For example, Hulkenberg only heals characters who are in the same row as her. Archetypes are varied and fall in line with what you would expect from standard fantasy classes –  mage, magic knight, swordmaster, magic seeker, and so on, each boasting a very different skill set, from tanking capabilities to the ability to lash out wide AoE physical attacks.

Furthermore, there is the Synthesis system, where two Archetypes can combine strength together to execute a special technique. One thing for certain is that to execute such a technique, characters have to be free of ailments and you will also need enough actions. Thus, plenty of planning is required to unleash a Synthesis attack.

Much like some of the bosses from Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games, the bosses in Metaphor: ReFantazio also have tricks up their sleeves if you are not careful. The Sea Horror Homo Sabara, for instance, could create 4 extra press turn actions out of nowhere in one of its turn and almost annihilates my team.

Hymn of ReFantazio 

In such a short demo playtime, Metaphor: ReFantazio already left a remarkably strong impression on us through its stellar and visually striking presentation, familiar yet fresh combat system, and catchy soundtrack of symphonies. In practice, lots of elements and details in the combat system would no doubt grow in depth, especially the varied Archetype system and what it can offer.

It is just great seeing ATLUS dipping their toes at a new IP after so long and everything of Metaphor: ReFantazio so far shows nothing but a highly promising JRPG, and it is one game worth looking forward to.

Metaphor: ReFantazio launches for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam on October 11, 2024.