Metaphor: ReFantazio will make the wait for Persona 6 so much easier

You could tell us you’re demoing a new dustbin from the team behind Persona, and we’d still flock to see it.

So when we got the chance to play Metaphor: ReFantazio, the latest from the team behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 we were thrilled. Even if you didn’t know it was from the Persona team, that level of style never leaves you.

Straight away you’re greeted with stylish visuals, an incredible soundtrack, and a cast of characters that will likely be taken to heart just as quickly as Persona casts before it.

It’s not simply Persona with the numbers filed off, however. The biggest departure is the game’s setting and tone. Set in a high-fantasy medieval setting with elements of steampunk, Metaphor: ReFantazio is not another high-school RPG.

While little context was given for the story in our demo, what we did glean is that we’re tasked with protecting our world from demonic forces that have sprouted up all over, a race known as “humans.” Yes, in Metaphor: ReFantazio, fairies=real, and humans are massive heads with tentacles sticking out.

Our demo was split into three sections. An initial tutorial which got us to grips with the game’s main character, who in another departure from Persona, is voiced. The stories of Atlus games aren’t built for these kinds of demos, but the characters we did get to meet were interesting, as were the hints to the wider world.

The cast is also a lot more left-field than Persona. In the later section of our demo, we had a team that featured not only a talking rabbit, but also a scouser.

Combat will be easy to pick up for Atlus devotees, however, a large portion of the game’s combat revolves around combining two or more characters’ powers in order to unleash a powerful attack.

Most of these attacks come complete with incredibly stylish animations, such as when one of our characters produced a steed to sprint at the enemy and deliver a crushing jousting blow. Another saw a cacophony of shield rain from the sky, producing a fireworks display at the same time.

Unsurprisingly, the game is a presentational powerhouse. Instead of thumping J-Rock hits and jazz scores, there are choral chanting and orchestral sweeps, all making every battle feel epic. It’s all so seamless. Everything flows together, there’s no hint of wasted effort.

Every single opportunity there is for something cool to happen with the UI, Atlus has taken it. You’d struggle to find a frame that doesn’t look amazing. Very small nitpick, but while the game is largely voiced, and features fully animated anime cutscenes for big moments, there is still some dialogue that is text-only. We understand that the translation undertaking must make necessary, but it’s a change we’re still hoping for going forward from the studio.

The second part of our demo saw us exploring more traditional dungeons. In Metaphor: ReFantazio, if you’re a high enough level you can sweep through low-level enemies without even triggering that battle animation, which helps with pacing. Even the biggest Persona fans have felt the pain of charging through a dungeon only for things to be broken up by enemies you could defeat in your sleep.

For tougher foes, sneaking behind them and attacking before they spot you will also give you a huge advantage in combat, meaning it’s strategically sound to make sure you always have the drop on them. In our demo, this turned fights that were fairly tricky with our low-level party, into walk-overs.

The third, and toughest part of the demo was a boss fight. This took place on the deck of a ship, which was attacked by a giant human head. The head was flanked by dangerous tentacles that whipped wildly towards our party. While most demos are designed to be on the easier side to give players a taste of what they can expect, this boss was no joke.

If we didn’t have hundreds of hours of experience in Persona games, we would have been team-wiped in two turns. These fights are probably the closest to Persona in terms of strategy. It’s all about finding the weakness, setting up defenses, and targeting weak points. It’s also about praying to god that the boss misses you a few times.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is going to make the wait for Persona 6 so much easier. The combat feels great, and the animation is stunning. The music is already racing through our heads, desperate for us to get back out there slaying humans.

While we didn’t get a great sense of the story, which is where Atlus really shines, we’re fascinated to find out how we met these characters, and why we’re going on this journey.

It’s not a Persona clone, but the team has taken everything you’d want them to from a Persona title, and brought it to its new world of Metaphor: ReFantazio. If the future of Atlus is swapping between a Metaphor and a Persona every few years, we’re all for it.