Familiar and yet different. Proudly unique and yet heir and evolution of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei (here is the review of Persona 3 Reload). Metaphor: ReFantazio is the manifestation of the Atlus-style RPG archetype. It is no coincidence that he is at the helm of Studio Zero in the role of game director Katsura Hashino, whose works include the aforementioned role-playing series. Metaphor recovers its legacy but reworks it and tries to bring it to new maturity. Confronting such a glorious past is no small feat, even for those who have managed to sit on the throne of the best JRPGs several times. This time the head of the one who wears the crown does not lie restless: Hashino is aware that he has a majestic and multi-stage production in his hands proudly expresses its distinctive characteristics. The same ones that we were able to experience for about an hour and remained completely enchanted, even with the certainty of having only looked into the abyss of complexity that dominates them.
Kingdoms, intrigues, alliances, death
Euchronia is a kingdom that stands in a corner of the world where eight tribes dominate. Its King is dead, and the struggle for power seems to have led to great turmoil in those lands. Who can the people trust? To the state religion of Saintismwhich professes the existence of only one god and could transform the monarchy into a Theocracy? To the Resistancean organization designed to keep the presumed dead Prince of Euchronia safe?
Or to our Traveler, young spy from the minor Elda tribe? Beyond political intrigue, fanaticism, and internal wars, it seems that an even more dangerous threat is about to arise in the world: what the inhabitants call “Homo”, that is, creatures with a revolting and grotesque appearance, put the safety of the Kingdom at risk. It is precisely by battling against one of these monstrosities that the protagonist, in a moment of desperation, undergoes a sort of spiritual awakening, Persona-style.
A voice that emerges from his intimate conscience, a choice to be made: challenge one’s fears or perish in the face of (in)human bestiality. In a roar of courage, the Traveler uproots a sort of metallic heart from his chestand reawakens an Archetype, a concrete form of his strength of mind.
Thus begins a tale of betrayals, death and alliances to be made with the many heroes we will meet along the way: an adventure that seems to move in balance between melancholy, epic nature and exquisitely Japanese delicacy, also thanks to a narrative that develops through cinematic comparable to those of a large animated production. We barely played for an houryet the character design alone was enough to give us what we would define an imprint with each member of the diverse cast of characters. And to these already very high goals must be added the apparently impeccable work in creating the game world and the solemn soundtrack by Shoji Meguro. Our first contact with Metaphor could therefore hardly have been more convincing.
Archetypes
Hashino is very proud of his Archetypes. Each hero in the party can equip a specific one, with radically different effects obtainable in battle. The Archetypes variables exceed 40 types in total, and believe us when we tell you that the combinations between the various characteristics, even with a few examples available, can reach heights of high strategic depth. Between novice classes and advanced versions of the same, we will find ourselves faced with a surprising amount of offensive and defensive talents, to the full benefit of the tactics of the combat system.
There are Archetypes specialize in sword techniques, others in magic, others in long-range attack and much, much more. All of this is maximized in the context of turn-based battles where every action has great importance, starting with the positioning of the group members on the field, whether in the front line of attack or in the rear.
By doing so it will also be possible to take maximum benefit from the Archetypes’ skills. Before entering the classic turn-based battle, the player is given the option to eliminate less dangerous enemies in real timewith the simple activation of the basic attack, as in an action with extremely elementary playful dynamics: hitting the most powerful opponents by surprise will obviously guarantee an advantage at the beginning of the turn, which can turn into a penalty if it is the avatar who is attacked first.
A system of color cues it then helps us understand the level of the creature we are about to face: the blue color indicates weaker targets, yellow those of the same rank as us, red the beasts of higher rank and finally white those that are still unknown. If well studied, essentially, a battle in ReFantazio can be won even before starting it in earnest. As if the Archetypes alone weren’t already enough, during the battle we will be able to use Synthesis, a sort of fusion between the skills of a class and that of a companion, to give life to assaults that are as costly in terms of resources as they are satisfying and quite damaging, especially if any elemental weaknesses of enemies and bosses are taken into consideration. Wanting to give an example, a Synthesis that produces electrical effects it will have great effectiveness on aquatic creatures, as we happened to experience first hand during a boss fight against a tentacled sea beast in the last part of the demo. If the very first battles did not give us too many problems, the final one actually highlighted the need to use the resources provided wisely and to compose a party suitable for dealing with the different types of threats.
In case of strategic errors or failure, we will be helped by both the “Retry” button, with which we can rewind time, and the possibility of activating Automatic Battle, leaving it up to the AI to defeat the enemies. Even in its passive use, Metaphor does not completely give up the management of tactics, since we will be able to select the strategies that the CPU will have to adopt, including the protection of MPs, or the head-on assault or even the priority of defense.
Winning the battle will give us, as per tradition, experience points to spend on character development (whose statistics are typical of the genre, such as Strength, Agility, Resistance, Magic and Luck), without forgetting the learning of new techniques for the Archetypes. A quick list of features is enough to understand how much stratification there is in Metaphor, and what seems high profile on paper, in practice turns out to be efficient, intuitive and addictive, thanks also to an interface that does everything to inject a constant dose of stylish frenzy into the player’s vision.
Relations
The final portion of the trial version gave us the opportunity to take a quick look at the system that regulates the in-game Calendar, as well as the passage of time and relationships between characters. On the Transvector (i.e. a vehicle moved by magical energy) which acts as a central hub we will be able to dedicate ourselves to cooking, reading books and personal hygiene.
It will also be appropriate interact with companions to increase royal virtues. By establishing closer relationships we will in fact obtain greater quantities of MAG, a “spiritual” resource with which to sharpen the aforementioned qualities. To be clearer, let’s use a practical example. Helping an ally to sharpen his swords will increase the protagonist’s desire to fight, and consequently his Courage which, together with Wisdom, Eloquence, Tolerance and Imagination, makes up the royal virtues, thanks to which we will be able to support classmates and solve their problems more easily. It is a circle of interconnected activities that helps develop bonds between group members and sharpen the Traveler’s talents: is he the hero destined to become the new King of Euchronia?
