As the curtains open on Metaphor: ReFantazio, one thing is immediately clear: we're in for something very special. I was given one hour with Atlus' new JRPG at Gamescom 2024, and as a huge fan of the Persona games, perhaps it's unsurprising that it was my favorite out of all the things I played – but I seriously can't overstate just how fantastic it is so far.
Much of the first hour of the game is taken up by cutscenes and dialogue – which isn't a shock for what's shaping to be a chunky game like Persona – and certainly not something I'm disappointed by. This does an excellent job of laying the groundwork for the main story as well as the wider lore of the United Kingdom of Euchronia itself, including the tribes living there and how they're viewed within the world. Our protagonist, for example, is a rare Elda – someone who's cruelly discriminated against by other members of society who believe he can use 'devilish' magic – and as you walk through the JRPG's streets, you can overhear citizens whispering behind your back, disgusted and shocked by your presence. I also met some individuals from the Clemar tribe – distinguished by the horns on their heads – and Paripas, animal-eared folks who, like our Elda friend, are looked down upon by others.
These themes of prejudice and division aren't exactly subtle, but they form the basis of a wider story. Our protagonist was childhood friends with Euchronia's prince, who's been afflicted with a curse that appears to have rendered him permanently unconscious, and the rest of the kingdom believes he's dead. Before being bedridden, though, he'd shared his grand dream with our protagonist, based on the story of a fantasy world where everyone is born equal. I wasn't able to get far enough in the demo to find out much more about this story, but I can't help but wonder if perhaps its world might be a familiar one to us as players, especially given that you're directly asked to input your own name (separately from the protagonist's) at the start of the adventure. This, combined with the fact that the grotesque monsters of the world are called 'humans'? It definitely seems like there's a connection there.
To battle
Following an explosive opening showing the assassination of Euchronia's king, our protagonist's story begins with him attempting to infiltrate the military in order to deliver a message about the prince. Things quickly go south, as you discover that your fellow troops have been annihilated by one of those deadly humans (who don't actually look like people, but more like barely recognisable limbs combined with nature elements), forcing you to step into a bloodbath of destruction.
It's a tense, intimidating moment, but one that gave me the chance to try out Metaphor's combat system, which I have little doubt that Atlus fans are going to feel right at home with. You can attack enemies on the overworld to head into battle with an advantage – dealing a chunk of damage to your foes before they can even land a hit – which, as well as being useful, looks and feels incredible. Once in battle, you'll be in familiar turn-based combat territory, and can land attacks with your weapon as well as magic to dispatch the enemies in your path – we were able to get to grips with this system and all its intricacies for much longer in our extended preview session. Unfortunately, I only had time for a handful of these encounters – by the end of my session, I'd managed to reach an intimidating boss which set off walloping the blue-haired Elda and his companion, the refined Clemar Leon Strohl, but I ran out of time before I could see how the encounter ended. This unintentional cliffhanger has been on my mind ever since I left the room.
No detail too small
Combat aside, attention to detail reigns supreme in Metaphor: ReFantazio. As well as its utterly gorgeous UI and menus, the JRPG is also full of subtle niceties that contribute to an overall feel of polish and care. The NPCs walking on the streets of the city react when you run into them (I must have looked rather bizarre upon first spotting this and turning around to charge into as many citizens as possible), and the loading screen that pops up when you travel between different parts of the city shows our protagonist making his way through a crowd, taking in the sights as he goes. They're small things, but really help pull you into the immersion of the world.
It'd be remiss of me not to mention Metaphor: ReFantazio's phenomenal soundtrack, too. Reader, the dramatic, operatic music that played during the opening sequence almost brought me to tears. Admittedly, that was definitely fuelled by the sheer excitement of being sat down to play my most anticipated game of the year, but I can already tell that there's going to be some new classics in there. There's a distant feeling of Persona in there thanks to the music's high energy and vocals, but the medieval fantasy vibe makes it ooze otherworldliness. Combined with the setting, Metaphor: ReFantazio feels a bit like Persona and Fire Emblem had a baby (in the best way possible).
There's much that I wasn't able to get my hands on during this first hour of the game – the Persona-like bonding and time-management systems, for example, as well as the 'archetype' job system. Even so, the demo time genuinely flew by, and it certainly boosted my hopes that Metaphor: ReFantazio may end up being one of the best JRPGs released this year when it lands on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and PC on October 11.
12DOVE was in Cologne playing the most anticipated new games of 2024, and speaking to the developers bringing them to life. For more of our hands-on previews and exclusive interviews, visit the Gamescom 2024 coverage hub.
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