The demo for Metaphor: ReFantazio is finally here! I played six hours of the game as I dived into as much as I could with what you could play in the demo.
The World
ReFantazio sets the stage in its first cinematic with the death of the king. The kingdom descends into chaos as preparations for a new king must be made, since the prince was supposedly killed years earlier. However, this is not the case when we return to our character. The protagonist’s name is whatever you choose; I called mine Dave. The protagonist was a close friend of the prince and is working with a specialist elite group dedicated to curing the prince of a magical curse placed upon him. This group consists of a small, trusted circle of the prince’s allies.
With the king dead, there is only one way to cure the prince quickly enough for him to take the throne: killing the spellcaster who cast the curse. It’s assumed that the one who killed the king is the same person who cursed the prince. Your character’s job is to deliver this information to a contact within the kingdom’s main army. This leads you to join the army alongside a new friend, Strohl. Unfortunately, the division of the army you’ve joined is secretly working against the kingdom, aiding the antagonist in sowing doubt among the citizens. They send you and Strohl on a suicide mission to fight a “Human.”
The role of the “Human” isn’t fully explained in the demo, but they are recurring enemies you will face. Using a special power your character soon unlocks, known as the Archetype, you are able to defeat the Human—though only after everyone but your inside contact has died. You, Strohl, Gallica (your fairy companion who guides you), and the inside contact are the sole survivors of the encounter, and you must return to the kingdom to confront the king’s assassin.
Metaphor: Refantazio plays around with being meta. It introduces you and asks you about a concept, does fiction impact reality? I responded yes and the narrator says he is still making up his mind if it does for him. It then asks you for your name, not the protagonist’s name, and emphasizes this explicitly. Throughout the demo, you will be pulled into a place called Akademia that will let you choose your archetype and expand upon this meta by showing a book about a society closer to our own in the real world. The farther into the game you get, the more the book gets revealed.
The mechanics and gameplay with combat I did a deep dive in during our time with Metaphor: ReFantazio in Summer Game Fest. I don’t want to trend the same ground so I want to discuss what is new with the demo. I wanted to have more time with the game, and this demo did just that. The gameplay mechanics are solid and I would strongly recommend the gameplay to those who are fans of turn-based combat.
Being In A Fantasy
Metaphor: ReFantazio knows it is a fantasy and revels in it. The details look purposefully smudged in the background giving it a painting aesthetic. It also has text boxes that shimmer and flow around the words resembling a constant change as if the paint is still drying. If you are someone who gets headaches easily, then I would not recommend focusing on the UI elements and HUD. You are the one in a fantasy that is constantly moving forward. The backgrounds are very lush and colorful.
The design of each playable character is unique, and their voice performances are outstanding. One character I particularly want to highlight is Strohl. Stewart Clarke voices Strohl, and his performance not only shines during the awakening scene of Strohl’s Archetype power, but even in the smaller moments, he brings so much heart to the character. It makes Strohl feel incredibly real. I’m eager to play more of the full game just to hear more of Strohl and to see him get the justice he deserves.
I wasn’t expecting a deadline system akin to Persona to show up, but Metaphor: ReFantazio does have one. Once you set a goal, you’ll have a limited number of days to accomplish it. In the demo, the goal is to stop a necromancer from seizing control of a crown. You can play for three in-game days, but you have eleven days to complete the mission. If you reach a certain point in the dungeon, the demo will cut you off.
During the day, you can perform various tasks, whether it’s a quest-related task or one that increases a Royal Virtue. Certain quests require your Royal Virtues to reach a certain level before you can begin them. Royal Virtues are passive stats your character has: Wisdom, Courage, Tolerance, Eloquence, and Imagination. I raised my Tolerance on the first day by listening to a man’s story about his tribe’s history. You can also visit shops around town to buy weapons, armor, accessories, or items.
Metaphor: ReFantazio looks to be a fantastic game from what I’ve played. It’s everything I wanted from a fantasy game made by the team behind the Persona series. If you love Atlus RPGs and their signature writing and design, this game will definitely scratch that itch for you.
Metaphor: ReFantazio will be released on October 11th, 2024, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
