Metaphor: ReFantazio: The Blood God Review

“Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.” – Lloyd Alexander

Metaphor: ReFantazio has a lot going for it. It’s a brand-new RPG from Atlus, with a veteran squad at the helm; the same people that played a major role in Persona‘s explosive popularity—director Katsura Hashino, artist Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro—now leading a new project.

But Metaphor is a new IP. It’s not Persona 6, nor a new Shin Megami Tensei. It certainly carries many of the hallmarks of previous Atlus RPGs, but it has to stand on its own. After somewhere around 70 to 80 hours, I can say it does much more than that. Metaphor: ReFantazio captures the feeling of setting out on your own fantasy journey, winding through twists and turns, building a party of trusted companions and navigating a world of anxiety strife the whole way.

Screenshot by AOTBG/Atlus

Metaphor: ReFantazio opens with a short inquiry of you, the player, and what you believe about the power of fiction and fantasy, before placing you in the shoes of the traveling adventurer. In a major departure for Atlus, your protagonist speaks. I named my hero Atlas, because I liked the imagery of him carrying the world’s weight on his shoulders, and over time, he quickly felt like a character I’d brought to life. You can still make choices and decisions, in how you spend your time or how you respond to questions and dramatic situations, but having a voice and more character behind my lead made a huge difference.

Atlas is a friend of the prince of Euchronia, a kingdom trying to unite the disparate towns and tribes of this world. Years prior, an attempt on the life of the prince left him cursed with evil thorns slowly encroaching on his body. Some time later, the ambitious general Louis takes the life of the king of Euchronia. Atlas and his fairy friend Gallica set off on a two-fold mission of vengeance and opportunity; if they can kill Louis, then the curse afflicting the prince will dissipate.

Gradually, Atlas gathers allies, and they are the highlights of this story. Strohl, the wayward noble of a town destroyed by a human (the name for the most dangerous and horrifying monsters of this world) and the prince’s sworn knight Hulkenberg make for a strong base. Heismay, found in a later quest, is maybe one of the most well-written characters I’ve seen in an Atlus RPG, and highlights some of the key differences in this party as an older, more world-weary warrior. More will join, though I’ll leave their reveals, and incredible awakenings, as a surprise.

The companions and social links of Metaphor: ReFantazio are incredibly compelling. The igniter merchant Brigitta is essentially a magical arms dealer, and breaking down her well-established walls to understand her motivations is moving. Cuculus, a cunning con-man, is easily one of the stand-outs of the entire story. Every character gets a moving, engaging tale told across their bond ranks, and the lack of romance works in Metaphor‘s favor. I won’t say there’s any lack of flirtation or hints of interest, but Studio Zero’s choice to leave it ambiguous at best leaves the focus purely on these characters and how they relate to the broader themes and issues of the world.

Screenshot by AOTBG/Atlus

And oh boy, does this world have its issues. Euchronia, and the world of Metaphor at large, is deeply engrossed in the politics and emotions of its people. Every tribe, whether it’s the horned clemar, winged ishkia, or downtrodden beast-like paripus, has their own perceptions, of their own tribes and others. While tribes like the clemar and rouissante hold power and authority, the paripus and eugief are looked down upon. Your first introduction to the towering capital of Grand Trad includes seeing a paripus hung on ambiguous charges, followed by several downtrodden members of the tribe begging your MC for pocket change. It is, to be frank, not exactly subtle.

But subtlety isn’t really called for, either. I was routinely surprised by how often Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t shy too far away from issues, and even shows how its own heroes grapple with topics like racism, religious persecution, and class struggles. Repeatedly, Metaphor: ReFantazio dives headfirst into topics, and then tries to explore what causes these sources of strife and anxiety.

In my favorite moments, Metaphor‘s side quests and bond stories dig into how these societal issues manifest. Early on, there’s a chef who wants to expand their palette, but needs you to acquire and bring him some cooking from the local inn; the establishment is seen as lesser because of its paripus proprietor, and so the idea of it being cuisine is laughable to the chef’s higher-ups. Little details, whether they’re a tribe’s funerary rites or the food and cultural practices they can share with the party, make the world feel richer and its themes more tangible.

These themes and ideals manifest further in the race for the throne. After a sequence of capital-E Events in the royal capital, some posthumous royal magic establishes a competition for royal succession. A popular vote of the people, assessed by magic, will name the next ruler of the kingdom. Louis is a clear favorite, as his platform of “survival of the fittest” appeals to the many downtrodden tribes and young upstarts; meanwhile, the embedded powers and maintainers of the castes of society favor Sanctifex Forden, who would see the monotheistic Sanctist religion firmly established as the ruling theocracy, and himself at the top.

Many more candidates enter the race, though. Some feel a bit comical, though their causes certainly have individual merit. One is a member of a long-lived tribe who wants more protections and services for the elderly. He’s essentially trying to establish fantasy social security and retirement, and will attack you while calling you a whippersnapper. It’s fun! Another wants to build a gauntlet runner, the massive mechanized vehicles that make fast and safe travel over broad expanses possible, for everyone.

Screenshot by AOTBG/Atlus

These admittedly minor candidates frequently serve as opportunities for you, the player, to push back on their ideas, and to analyze their strengths and shortcomings. Due to Louis’ participation, your hero also enters the race and picks up a gauntlet runner, journeying across the land to compete in the various events of the royal tournament and hunt Louis in the process. By talking with citizens and learning about different areas, or even by debating rival candidates, you’ll gain Royal Virtues, the equivalent of Persona‘s social stats. Rebutting an argument on a podium, in front of potential voters, can net you some Eloquence, while talking with the persecuted mustari and learning about their religious practices garners Tolerance. These can knock down stat gates for bonds, same as Persona, but they work effectively as a means of getting the player to explore the world around them, encouraging you to talk to people and learn about what issues plague them.

Managing your calendar is crucial too, as there are only so many days and, of course, deadlines to meet. The constant pressure of a looming deadline is an effective form of tension. Some might find it a bit anxiety-inducing, but to me, it made me really feel like my choices were intentional and meaningful. When you only have so many time slots to work with, it means more when you spend that time learning about the world, talking with specific characters, or tackling certain challenges. It’s also incredibly rewarding to feel like you’ve found the best path to navigate the world and save time in the process. At one point, I found a way to turn an otherwise costly series of detours, time-wise, into one giant loop on my runner.

Finding those time-saving measures is crucial for your dungeon exploration too, as entering a dungeon eats up a whole day. And yes, we should probably talk about the combat of Metaphor: ReFantazio. On its surface, everything will feel very familiar to anyone who’s played a previous Atlus game. It’s turn-based, there’s a press-turn system, and damage types like Slash, Pierce, Strike, and different elements are all here.

The Archetype system is where things really change up. Rather than demons or personas, you summon Archetypes, and in Metaphor, everyone can access every Archetype you’ve unlocked, as long as you’ve got the prerequisites and sufficient Magla. In essence, everyone is a Wild Card, and while certain characters will have their own natural affinities with classes thanks to stats, Archetypes are effectively a job system.

Screenshot by AOTBG/Atlus

This system does wonders for character building and playstyle expression. While I noticed some overlap in how other early players were arranging their Archetypes, it was really interesting to see the differences too. I’d enter a dungeon and wonder why someone else was using a Merchant, only to discover the answer once I ran into an enemy that was distracted by tossed gold. You can use Skill Inheritance slots to carry Archetypal abilities across classes. When I swapped to an Archetype with a latent Fire weakness, for example, I could use a Skill Inheritance slot to add Fire Dodge, increasing my chances to dodge the weakness.

By the end of the game, I had a well-oiled machine for a party where everyone had their roles and responsibilities. It helps that late-game combat can get pretty dangerous, even on my selected Normal difficulty. (I did bump down to Easy once, because I went to a dungeon during a bad weather day; those prevent you from gaining extra turns when hitting weaknesses, and can bolster enemies’ strength, and the boss of this dungeon was a real killer.) Maximizing my synergies in combat became crucial, as I stacked buffs and debuffs, using high-level magic to do damage while also impairing foes.

And over the course of the dungeon, managing long-term resources is also critical. MP is a premium resource, necessary for launching your magic, Archetype attacks, and the multi-character Synthesis abilities. I was hoarding all the MP recovery I could, and treasured items that gave me even modest recovery over turns. It might sound frustrating, but it worked so well; it ensured I was paying attention, even in fairly mundane or repetitive fights.

Add in some really clever design choices, like abilities that allow you to expose one-time weaknesses on enemies to exploit and the aforementioned Synthesis moves, which eat up additional turn points in exchange for potent damage or powerful boons, and Metaphor: ReFantazio feels more like an evolution of Atlus’ house styles for combat than a repeat. It’s familiar in the right ways, yet pushes the boundaries and encourages experimentation in ways that feel engaging.

Art and music bear their own mention, too. The visual style of Metaphor: ReFantazio is simply stunning. There are little vistas you’ll find on your travels that pan out to beautiful, incredible, wallpaper-worthy sights. Humans, the mutated monsters that plague Euchronia, are Bosch-inspired terrors, simultaneously gorgeous and disgusting. I love them. One of the first big boss fights against a human feels like Studio Zero just taking a painting and bringing it to life, in the form of an RPG boss battle, and it’s a spectacle in the best way.

Screenshot by AOTBG/Atlus

The music took a while to grow on me, I’ll admit. Compared to something like this year’s Persona 3 Reload, it’s more traditional fantasy fare. But a combination of good instrumentation and clever use of motifs give the Metaphor soundtrack some brilliant long-term payoffs. And seriously, I do love the chanter who just goes off during the battle theme. Between that, and the subtly well-executed battle quips, the aural landscape of Metaphor: ReFantazio perfectly matches its setting and elevates its moments, big and small. I jokingly whispered “some darker arts” while flipping off a light switch during the review period, and that’s when I knew both the writing and audio team had done their job well.

Part of Metaphor‘s incredible power is how it blends all of these elements. It nails the feeling of a fantasy epic, of a hero setting out for a grand journey, seeing the world and fighting its injustices while gathering a merry band of companions. One could probably, easily, map the hero’s journey to this story, but I wouldn’t want to reduce it down to just nailing the conventions. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brilliant journey in its own right, the kind that stirs feelings of discovery and awe, heartbreak and moving moments, and plenty of grand battles for a greater cause.

That alone might have been enough. But returning to that initial inquiry Metaphor makes of the player, this game is also squarely about what fantasy and fiction mean. What power do stories hold? Can a fantasy teach us about the world, or about ourselves?

To steer this away from any story spoiler territory, I’ll say this much: some of my favorite stories are about the hope we find in our darkest hours. Tales about hobbits and rings, androids and machines, frogs and time machines, all assert the strength of hope and the light it can be, even when all the nihilism and despair of the world seems overbearing. These stories can, in effect, be teachers, and their own beacons.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brilliant fantasy RPG, one I feel certain will be looked back on fondly for years to come. But what will stick with me, long beyond the credits roll, is how it looks at the power of a story, and the hope inspired by its band of companions. The talented cast and beautiful world are, itself, a metaphor for what we might see enacted in our own lives. That even when all seems lost, there is reason to hope, and strength and knowledge that can be gained from fantasy’s best teachers. Atlus’ newest RPG hasn’t just hit escape velocity from the shadow of its predecessors, but established itself as its own unforgettable journey.