Metaphor: ReFantazio dev once thought turn-based JRPG combat "was starting to get outdated," but now thinks the format has a "long future ahead"

Metaphor: ReFantazio is yet another glowing example of a phenomenal turn-based JRPG from Atlus, but its lead battle planner was once of the opinion that turn-based combat was becoming "outdated." Now though, he's certain that the genre has a "long future ahead."

Kenichi Goto has plenty of experience developing JRPGs with turn-based battle systems. Before Metaphor, he was also the lead battle planner of Persona 5 and its Royal re-release, and a battle planner on Persona 4 Golden. Speaking to PC Gamer in an interview at GDC 2025, however, he notes that while these weren't discussions that were had within Atlus, he once personally believed that the combat style was starting to feel a tad old.

"As a creator myself," he says, "I was feeling that [turn-based combat] was starting to get outdated. And I did start to see reactions from players and fans that it was starting to get outdated."

This clearly isn't a belief he's held onto, however. In a GDC panel also attended by 12DOVE, Goto explains the thought process behind blending Metaphor's turn-based combat system with real-time action.

He begins: "Turn-based RPG titles are fading from view in recent years, and unfortunately, there's a perception that it's now an old-fashioned genre. But on the contrary, Atlus has grown over the years, with creating RPGs as our forte. We needed to reinvent this traditional Japanese genre to appeal to modern gamers, especially as our titles increasingly became worldwide releases."

Right from the "conceptualization phase" of Metaphor: ReFantazio, the devs at Atlus' Studio Zero "had the idea to create something that melts action elements with turn-based battle," Goto explains.

The final version of this plan lets players instantly dispatch weak foes in the overworld and gain the upper hand on tougher foes by attacking them in real-time combat first.

This approach to combat cuts out the grind of low-level battles, but it doesn't encourage players to avoid turn-based battles to save things like their Magic Points, either – like playtesters did when it was possible to defeat anything in the overworld if you were patient enough.

"We made it clear within the team that action only exists to smoothly lead the player to the heart of the game, which is the turn-based battles," Goto continues. "When you look at the final product, you might think, 'Well, that's obvious.' But it was important that we put our core game concept into actual words."

While Goto concludes that "unfortunately, there is no magic bullet to making a turn-based RPG feel interesting," he asserts: "I believe it's possible to keep even an old-school game genre fresh by identifying what modern users want, and not losing sight of what you want to achieve."

Furthermore, Goto adds, "I personally believe turn-based games have a long future ahead of them," and after the huge success of Metaphor: ReFantazio, I don't think anyone can deny that there's still a real hunger for the genre.

For more games like Metaphor: ReFantazio, be sure to check out our roundup of the best JRPGs you can play right now.