Metaphor: ReFantazio leads thought it would be shorter than Persona 5 but just kept adding content, so now we're matching the fan-favorite JRPG's 100-hour runtime

Metaphor: ReFantazio
(Image credit: Sega / Atlus)

There's good news for those seeking bang for their buck and bad news for those light on time, as Metaphor: ReFantazio director Katsura Hashino confirms that the upcoming JRPG is just as long as Persona 5.

Speaking to the Spanish website Vandal about the size of the game, Hashino says that Persona 5 was a "very bulky game" and that Metaphor: ReFantazio will be able to match that regarding its length.

So, how long are we talking here? According to How Long To Beat, Persona 5 takes over 97 hours to beat when sticking to the story and 172 hours if you're going for a completionist run. Naturally, a standard run with a few more side quests comes between those two times, depending on how much you're doing.

Regarding Metaphor, Hashino says there's plenty of content beyond the credits to give you a reason to return to Eucronia. While the team thought Metaphor would be shorter than Persona 5, Atlus added so many extra goodies that the two are about the same.

Don't fret, though. Hashino also says the team has done its best to create a well-paced game and has added action elements to the turn-based gameplay to help with just that. You'll also get just as many anime-like cutscenes in Metaphor as you did Persona, as keeping that volume equal to Persona 5 is another goal of the team.

As someone who takes ages to complete a game, Hashino's comments make me sweat a bit, though at least I won't have to buy anything else for a while. Metaphor: ReFantazio releases on October 11 in any case, so we don't have long to find out. 

Metaphor: ReFantazio feels like Persona and Fire Emblem had a baby, and after one hour I'm already dying to find out what happens next. 

Deputy News Editor

Iain joins the GamesRadar team as Deputy News Editor following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When not helping Ali run the news team, he can be found digging into communities for stories – the sillier the better. When he isn’t pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new hat, you’ll find him amassing an army of Pokemon plushies.

Read more
Metaphor: ReFantazio's protagonist looks into the camera with a determined expression.
Metaphor: ReFantazio director wants to turn it into "Atlus' third RPG series after Shin Megami Tensei and Persona"
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows will take upwards of 80 hours for completionists, creative director confirms, and Ubisoft is considering adding New Game+ post launch
Goro Majima performing an attack during the upcoming PS5 game, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza is longer than the last Yakuza spin-off, but it's not the dev's fault: "The volume increased by itself"
Blood of Dawnwalker protagonist
Ex-CDPR devs explain how new open-world vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker handles its time-limited story, and I'm getting big Persona vibes: "It doesn't require you to rush"
A trackers alliance agent cocks her head to the side as she tries to entice you to join the organisation
Former Starfield lead says "people are fatigued" with huge games, and "I'm sorry" because "part of what happened is the success of games like Skyrim and Fallout 4"
Avowed screenshot showing two companions assisting in combat
How long is Avowed?
Latest in JRPG
Final Fantasy 14 Dawntrail Futures Unwritten Ultimate raid
As Final Fantasy 14 raiders tear through the MMO's hardest duty with no healers and then no tanks, the community can only see this going one way: "Now it's time to clear without DPS"
A meeting inside one of Chrono Cross' cathedrals
Square Enix remembers that Chrono Trigger exists, announcing various new projects as it celebrates the Dragon Ball, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Quest royalty behind the cult JRPG
Atelier Ryza 3 protagonist closeup
JRPG producer says people prefer their anime girls to have thick thighs when the economy's in the tank, and he's not even joking a little bit
Suikoden
Suikoden lead hopes to expand the cult JRPG series "beyond where it ended" and would happily follow Zelda to the silver screen: "If you have any friends in Hollywood, please let us know"
Suikoden
As Suikoden returns from the dead, Konami wants the cult JRPG classic to "become a huge title that can rival other AAA" games
Metaphor: ReFantazio's protagonist smiles at his fairy companion, Gallica in an anime-style cutscene.
After dominating 2024 with Sonic, Persona, Yakuza, and Metaphor, Sega is the first company to become the year's best-rated publisher 3 times
Latest in News
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog
Dragon Age 2
Veteran Dragon Age dev says one big delay is better than several small ones: "You are laying band-aid on top of band-aid on top of band-aid"
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Dark Souls 2 fans remind Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima that he won’t be taking the DS2 acronym that easily