Metaphor: ReFantazio takes place in the fictional United Kingdom of Euchronia, where the king’s assassination brings chaos and unrest to the land. Upon an attempted coup, a magic known only to the king called the Royal Magic is invoked, and the world becomes embroiled in a royal tournament for the throne. Your character, the protagonist, accompanied by a fairy and a few allies you pick up early in-game, seeks to prove to the people of Euchronia that a better future is possible should they turn away from the leadership of Louis Guiabern.

Louis is a familiar antagonist in today’s world. In cutscenes and early-game sequences, we see Louis rely on fear and the promise of protection to rally citizens around his wish for a fascist, all-mighty regime. The anxieties of living in Euchronia leave the kingdom’s people scared and willing to hear Louis out. Like any fascist dictator, Louis sees the people as pawns in his quest for ultimate power, and he’s willing to use everyone and everything to get his way.

As you exit the intro chapters and get into the heart of Metaphor: ReFantazio, familiar Persona-like gameplay loops emerge. Conversations with your party members allow you to increase your relationship with them and further develop your Virtues, a system in which your impact on the world and its people increases your abilities. Virtues include things like wisdom or courage and fit nicely with the philosophical themes of the game. It’s this seamless integration of story and gameplay that Atlus has mastered so well but executes more effectively than ever in Metaphor: ReFantazio.

In Persona, you have Personas, but here, we deal with Archetypes. Archetypes are essentially powers that come from heroes of the past that equip you with the ability to power up and become stronger. You can assign an Archetype to each party member, focusing on things like magic, healing, or fighter attributes. Utilizing these Archetypes within a fantasy setting feels so natural and effective. Atlus’ ability to lean on fantasy storytelling tropes but infuse them with the Persona game systems is a match made in heaven.

As you power up your Archetypes, increase your Virtues, and further the story, a familiar loop of dungeon-crawling, side quests, and conversations with your party and citizens of Euchronia runs smoothly over the game’s long run-time. How Long To Beat lists the average completion time for the game at 75 hours. That said, there is a lot of Metaphor: ReFantazio that doesn’t actually involve player action. Cutscenes are a predominant force in this experience, seemingly even more so than in the Persona games.

Whether turn-based combat is for you will likely determine your interest in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Through my time in the game, I found battles to be forgiving should you pay the slightest attention to weaknesses and the power each Archetype offers. The same goes for leveling up the 20 potential levels of each archetype. I found it fun to swap Archetypes frequently around my party to keep things fresh. I fear that not doing so would likely leave the combat feeling stale.

This Atlus JRPG formula works on a combat level for me, but it’s the step up in story and world that feels like the real triumph in Metaphor: ReFantazio. There is a massive fan base for the Persona series. Still, I feel that Metaphor builds on elements those games introduced and applies it to a setting and story that show a real prowess in Atlus’ ability to combine a JRPG experience with a story you think about hours after you finish a play session.

The art style of Metaphor: ReFantazio and its score make the game’s stakes feel more dire and sizable. Metaphor has unexplained integrations of magic and mystery around every corner. While Persona titles invite the protagonist to bend their way into another dimension of sorts, Metaphor brings the titan qualities of the Archetypes. It entwines them with a hero’s journey worth seeing through to the end. The core gameplay experience is not new enough to distance itself fully from the Persona formula, but it’s so enjoyable in this setting.

While this doesn’t feel like a brand new generation of Atlus JRPGs, this is a well-executed translation of the Persona experience into a fantasy realm. I can’t imagine this is the last we see of the Metaphor universe, and that’s a great thing. A mix of slice-of-life sci-fi and fantasy titles alternating their title releases could be a strong and successful future for Atlus. While lukewarm opinions of JRPGs might not be changed by Metaphor: ReFantazio, those who love this style of video game have a real gem awaiting them.

An Xbox Series X|S review copy of Metaphor: ReFantazio was provided by SEGA for the purposes of this review.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!