Persona veterans are giving their new JRPG Metaphor: ReFantazio an exclusive showcase following Summer Game Fest to give everyone a "closer look"

Metaphor: ReFantazio screenshot showing a man with long blond hair and devilish horns seated in a golden-red throne
(Image credit: Atlus)

Legendary Persona developer Atlus is hosting yet another exclusive Metaphor: ReFantazio showcase with a new look at the JRPG - and it's coming later this week after Summer Game Fest.

Following Metaphor's first big showcase and release date reveal back in April, we learned a bit about Atlus' upcoming JRPG. From its stellar character design to its stunning menus and UI, the fantastical game sees us battling our own anxiety and offers a perfect medieval spin on the beloved Persona formula. While it isn't actually a Persona spin-off itself or even related to Atlus' longtime series, many of Metaphor's mechanics draw inspiration from the franchise - think social bonding, turn-based combat, and other such features. 

The soon-to-release JRPG's director himself, Katsura Hashino, is best known for overseeing Persona and its sister series, Shin Megami Tensei. With established Atlus masterminds like Hashino heading the project, Metaphor is shaping up to be quite an experience - but, we'll know more come the second exclusive showcase. It will premiere this Friday, June 7, at 6pm PDT / 9pm EDT / 2am BST. While we don't know much about what we'll witness just yet, Atlus says to expect "a closer look at the upcoming title."

Hashino will lead the second showcase this week as he did the first, with "more to share about Metaphor: ReFantazio" then. For now, console players can pre-order physical copies of the game via Atlus and opt to get either the standard edition or the collector's version which boasts all sorts of goodies including a cloth map, shiny Steelbook, sticker sheet, and access to costume-related DLC. Fans hoping to snag digital copies will have to wait, though, with Atlus saying that such pre-orders are "to be announced at a later time."

While you wait for Metaphor: ReFantazio, check out the best JRPGs available now.

Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.